Lost in all of this discussion is the fact that you can always, y'know, not accept the prize.
Or perhaps negotiate with the manufacturer for something else. ("I don't need a new fridge, but our washer & dryer have been on the fritz...") Granted, I've never won a prize on a game show so I don't know how amenable companies are for that sort of thing, but I would imagine they'd be OK with an equal-or-lesser-value trade.