Game shows overdue for a remake

[Kevin Prather]

…a good-but-not-great cash prize to the night's winner ($50k, let's say) and then a much nicer cash prize ($500k, for example) if they can break a certain score threshold.

If the stakes are that high—especially in cash—who would risk screwing that up to buy Instant Bargains?

If the Instant Bargains are things like Corvettes...

[BrandonFG]

I don’t remember if it was this thread or another, but this is where the personalized prizes from PYL would be brilliantly devious. Would I give up my $15 lead if it meant I could buy that dream vacation to Barcelona or a fully-customized man cave for 12 $ale of the Century dollars? Very likely.

[TLEberle]

I know it's been brought up. The problem is that you can't overshadow what's in the shopper's bazaar. if contestants who lead by fifty bones didn't go for The Vault instead of pressing for the Cash Jackpot on Aussie Temptation, then there wasn't anything to be done.

I think when Jim would whip out twenty Benjamins (my favorite president!) on someone's Lot Night it was weak sauce against the glass case of currency.

[BrandonFG]

The cool thing about Perry's IBs were that they offered prizes that a contestant would have a functional use for. So if I lose, yeah it sucks that I can't play for the Bimmer or the 300Z, but at least I get a Hi-Fi stereo with the turntable that's 8" deep! and maybe even a Sale Surprise for taxes. Occasionally they'd throw in a weekend trip to somewhere like Arizona. It's not the living room of furniture or European holiday offered in Teh Lot, but it wasn't a bad consolation prize.

If given the option of smaller prizes under $2,500 I think it works. So instead of the man cave, maybe a customized pool table with one of those mini Jumbotrons. Instead of Barcelona, somewhere like San Diego.

[WhammyPower]

The cool thing about Perry's IBs were that they offered prizes that a contestant would have a functional use for.

"Functional"

[SuperMatch93]

One thing I liked in the 1969 episodes of Sale that turned up a while back was the Open Sale round, where everyone had a chance to spend a few bucks on some smaller gifts. I think that remedies the "game discourages people from playing" issue brought up earlier since everyone gets the chance to take home something more than Lots Of Love.

[BrandonFG]

The cool thing about Perry's IBs were that they offered prizes that a contestant would have a functional use for.

"Functional"

I think you know what I meant.

[JasonA1]

I too think it's a little charitable to suggest the Instant Bargains were immune from offering the usual game show suspects. When the brass mirror or Catalina sportswear comes up, I'm buzzing in for the chance at a $ale Surprise over the actual item.

-Jason

[BrandonFG]

That's fair. A rewatch might be in order but I'm willing to eat crow.

[rebelwrest]

I too think it's a little charitable to suggest the Instant Bargains were immune from offering the usual game show suspects. When the brass mirror or Catalina sportswear comes up, I'm buzzing in for the chance at a $ale Surprise over the actual item.

-Jason

Or Jim just may reach into one of pockets and add some Benjamins to tempt the contestant.

Serious question, did Jim know which IBs had $ale surprises?

[Jeremy Nelson]

I think when Jim would whip out twenty Benjamins (my favorite president!) on someone's Lot Night it was weak sauce against the glass case of currency.

That's one place where the show messed up for me. Lot Night, for better or worse, was a straight-up Q&A game since the challengers knew they needed heroic performances and the champ wasn't going to buy two deck chairs with six figures on the line. If it were me, I would have automatically offered those bargains plus a cash reward of $1,000 per dollar of the sale cost.

Maybe you don't spend $17 on Tahiti, but if it came with a guaranteed $17,000 check? Now we're talking real temptation.

[TLEberle]

I think you know what I meant.

JasonA1 is also correct--the truth is somewhere in the middle. Yes, there's lots of imported European furniture or a layette, crib and such, but I recall Curtis Warren snapped up a Radio Shack worth of stereo equipment in his two weeks and a day. So you never quite knew if the gift shop would have something you cared about.

Million Dollar Minute, for better or worse, stripped everything back. Every cash-or-points question was straight across. Pay some points to win some bucks. But cash is not free either. As weird as it is to see "Grilled Cheese for Life" or "A Thousand Balls!" on the big board, they're memorable things that will get someone talking. Even if those "x for 20 years" prizes are converted to money it is eye-catching. Sale of the Very New Century would do well to follow that path.

[SamJ93]

Serious question, did Jim know which IBs had $ale surprises?

If he did, his poker face whilst trying to tempt contestants to buy was damn good.

[Jeremy Nelson]

Serious question, did Jim know which IBs had $ale surprises?

If he did, his poker face whilst trying to tempt contestants to buy was damn good.

I don't think he was, hence the bell and him sometimes asking where the money was located.

[Neumms]

The time is right for The Money Maze. Add a couple more zeroes after the all-important 1 and you’d have ratings gold.

Also Scrabble. I realize the CW premieres a version soon, but I suspect that will be much more like the crossword game I’ve played all my life. I wonder then, could Reg Grundy (or whoever) legally remount the basic game if they retitled it and scrubbed away the tiles and board from the front game?