[quote name=\'TLEberle\' date=\'Oct 26 2005, 03:01 PM\']
Pass the Buck: If you must play for a car, have more numbers on the board. For that matter, lower the cash prizes to $100, $500 and $1,000. Last year had a college-aged gal win $5,000 with her free pick; she missed both the grocery items. If you don't want to have players picking from 30 numbers, then decrease the major prize to a trip.[/quote]They started with 8 numbers, but 8 left with money, 2 left with no money, and only one won the car. When they changed to the current format (six numbers), six people won cars, 5 left with money, and only 2 left with nothing. I'd imagine that everyone's ideal lies somewhere in between.
The bailout money isn't a big issue, but your suggestion makes it way too low, like Temptation or Spelling Bee. I think $1000, $2000, and $3000 would be enough to give contestants pause.
Secret X: Not only are the 2, 5 and 8 squares secret, 4 and 6 are too. Add a third small prize, and perfect pricing means you win.
I proposed something like this before, except with the house randomly lighting up O's where the Secret "X" wasn't at. Your idea is much simpler.
Three Strikes: This may mean that Pocket Change is redundant, but you get one chance to place each digit in the right place. Get it right, and the number goes away. Wrong and it goes in the bag. Play as normal.
Isn't that the same as it is now?
Triple Play: "One of these prices is the ARP of the car. The rest are not. To move on, tell me the ARP of the car."
That makes it too much like Five Price Tags, a game that went winless last season.