Tough Setups First?

[akampfer2]

I can almost see the logic of doing that. 

The idea they seem to be employing is to start the show off with a loss and a tough game, then build up to the end with more winning and easier games, so the flow of the show goes up the entire way.  There's a crescendo effect by doing this.

By starting with an easy game and a win, you actually set the show up for a letdown, when the tougher games come along and are lost.

I thought the point was to start the show off with something big, a car or money.

[The Square]

You can start the show off with a bang by playing an easier game like Most Expensive, which doesn't have spectacular prizes, but is a fast way to get the winning bells going and the audience in a good mood because the day has started with a win. Or you can start the show off with a bang by offering a really nice prize like a car or cash, but making it difficult to win so you don't spend your entire budget on the first game. In the past, the show had employed a good mix of the two practices. Now, the powers that be have apparently decided that only the second way is acceptable.