1) Yes, the point is to get to the showcase. But the showcase is my least favorite part of the show because it's not like your two best players are in it. Some people get up on stage with a half wit bid and get to the "bonus round" with a lucky spin on a giant wheel of numbers. I just feel a small disconnect when they get to that part of the show because I'm used to the best contestant (usually) making it to the bonus round of a given show. That's the way Price has always been for me.
When each of the six contestants who have won their way on stage are given entirely different tasks to accomplish, how do you define 'best'?
Well, wouldn't it be the way the other half-hour versions (since 1972) worked: highest scores? I get that 1) the wheel breaks up monotony on the hour-long show, and 2) picking the high score from both halves is not the best TV, not to mention leaves a pretty big gap in the show if you eliminate the Showcase Showdown.
IMO, that's one thing I liked about The Price Was Right: it eliminated the luck element Jeremy speaks about, and still had contestants using a little bidding skill. Most of the pricing games are skill/pricing knowledge-based, so while you could be the top winner of the half by winning a car, all it does is let you spin last. And honestly, that's not much of a benefit considering it got you in the "bonus" round in prior versions. Not a flaw or anything, but I see Jeremy's point.
Now my question, and it's one I've thought about before...does anyone think a half-hour syndicated TPiR could work today? I know syndicators like double runs, so I doubt Drew would do that and the CBS version...