I remember viewing Al McDonald's run of $ale of the Century from 1986 on YouTube (they're no longer prevalent - not sure if the uploader removed them on his own terms or if it was due to GSN/WorldWinner, but either way, I am glad I downloaded them while I did).
What I discovered during Al's second last playing of the Winner's Board was, there were two prizes remaining (car and $3,000), and there were only two numbers remaining.
What I'd like to ask is, was it normal to have only two numbers remaining to choose from on the champion's second last playing (regardless if the car or $10,000 was prevalent or not), meaning a 50/50 chance of winning something? If so, I can see why matching prizes on the champion's second last playing would be pointless and would eat up unnecessary taping time. Or, would the player require a match for the remaining two prizes (meaning 4 numbers for the champ to choose from on his/her second last playing)?