The following is one of the most infamous--and hilarious--episodes in the history of The Price is Right. How it got on the air, I have no clue.
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"Here it comes! Television's most exciting hour of fantastic prizes! The fabulous sixty-minute Price is Right!"
"Norma Halek, come on down!" (Norma has a long, blond perm and a purple-and-blue long-sleeve top.)
"Mark Venturini, come on down!" (Mark has a brunette mullet, and wears his brown business jacket open.)
"Sheila Nurse, come on down!" (Sheila has glasses, and a brown top over a white long-sleeve blouse.)
"And April Blaus(?), come on down!" (April has a brunette perm, and a smallish light-blue vest over a navy blue turtleneck.)
"You are the first four contestants on The Price is Right! And now, here is the star of The Price is Right...Bob Barker!"
Bob: "I can tell you folks are in the same mood we are." He goes on to explain: He and the models were partying right up to taping time. Allegedly not only are the models drunk, but EVERYBODY ON THE CREW BUT BOB is drunk.
Bob claimed all he drank was Ovaltine. Yeah, right.
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1st IUFB: Trampoline (Round Trampoline, Inc.)
Dian is sitting on the trampoline with her head in one hand, shaking her head. At this point, Johnny sounds drunk in the sell of the item. I'm beginning to smell what we wrestling fans call a "work". Regardless, it will be interesting.
APRIL+ 540
SHEILA+ 600
MARK+ 699
NORMA+ 550
ARP: $828! Mark is the first one thrown to the lions.
A door is opened to reveal a motorcycle (Honda; 90 mpg) and a sailboat (Snark). Holly starts out with her back to the audience, and turns around after the door opens. Bob says such flubs are actually normal for her. Poor Holly.
The game is
"Clock Game". It is a rapid-fire game of trying to narrow down to the ARP of each of the two items, with Bob saying higher or lower after each bid. Mark has 30 seconds to win both items.
They do the sailboat first, ARP $779.
699 - 799 - 750 - 780 - 779 *dingdingding* It took him 8 seconds.
Next was the motorcycle, ARP $798.
499 - 599 - 699 - 799 - 750 - 760 - 770 - 780 - 785 - 798
*WIN*Mark was so animated while he was bidding, Bob suggested they could eventually have a Clock Game Dance. In the end, Mark had 5 seconds left, but he had it well under control. The total pricing game was worth $1,577.
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"Barbara Brunson, come on down! You're the next contestant on The Price is Right!" (Barbara was right up front, and has a gray and red plaid suit on.)
2nd IUFB: Lamps (Richards Mfg.; one table lamp, one floor lamp, one hanging lamp)
Sure enough, Janice is drinking a glass of what is supposedly champagne while modeling the lamps. That settles it. This HAS to be a work. Still funny, though. I can't help but wonder if they had a run-in with the Reagan-era FCC over this one.
April+ 440
Sheila+ 375
BARBARA 350
Norma+ 525
ARP: $594! High bid gets it again, and we have two consecutive First Four IUFB wins.
Bob is asking Norma what she would've liked to win if she got on. She replies that she wanted a new car. Bob has something better, which Johnny reveals: "A chance to win $25,000 in cash!"
Yup, it's
"Plinko"! Norma's never seen this game before, but that's because it's brand new. (I don't know how many times it was played between its debut on January 3 and today, but it already has the modern intro sign display.) Norma gets one chip free, and can guess prices of four items to win up to four more. Each item will have two numbers below it. She will choose whether the first number is the actual first number of the price, or the second number is the actual second number of the price for each item. Dian is modeling the items.
First item: tool kit (TrueValue: 22-piece plus plastic case). The numbers shown are 2 and 1. Norma chooses the 2. The ARP is $28! She wins a Plinko chip, which falls on the floor the moment it's revealed. Obviously the crew is as inebriated as the models.
Second item: Tableware (Washington Forge; service for eight with knives, forks, table spoons and soup spoons, wooden handles). The numbers are 4 and 0. Norma chooses the 0. The ARP is $60! She wins her third chip. Dian picks it off the floor and hands it to Holly.
Third item: "Children's Fashions" (Infants, Toddlers, Girls & Boys Only; Pants, shirt and blouse). The numbers are 3 and 8. Norma chooses the 3. The ARP is $28! *bzzzz* Nope, wrong answer. At least that's one Plinko chip that won't hit the floor.
Fourth item: Bathroom scale (GE; electronic) The numbers are 5 and 9. Norma chooses the 5. The ARP is $50! And the chip doesn't fall this time!
Holly delivers the chips to Norma at the base of the stairs, at one point offering to roll them down the floor to her. Norma scales the brand new upholstered steps of the Plinko board. Bob actually mentions his "Plinko stick" for knocking loose stuck Plinko chips on her way up. The Plinko board does not yet have the plexiglass over the pins.
She drops the first chip: $500!
She drops the second chip: $1,000!!
She drops the third chip: $0! *bzzz* Dang!
She drops the fourth chip: $5,000!!!!
*WIN*Norma takes home $6,500 in cold, hard cash!
An interesting note... in
the first playing of Plinko, the contestant won $6,500 as well, though she did it with three straight $500 hits followed by a $5,000 at the end.
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"Andrea Cain, come on down! You're the next contestant on The Price is Right!" (Andrea has a blue frilly blouse and a bluish dress jacket over it.)
3rd IUFB: Microwave oven (Roper; programmed cooking, flat buttons)
Sure enough, Holly can't seem to be able to keep the appliance closed. That's
typical Holly, not
drunk Holly.
April+ 550
Sheila+ 510
Barbara 475
ANDREA 490
ARP: $570! Another one comes up! April critically wounds the chances of a new member joining the FFBC as she heads up to the stage with Bob.
The game is revealed immediately to be
"Take Two", which means we have a menagerie of prizes modeled by Janice and Dian. And sure enough, Janice is standing over the vent again! xD
The prizes: stereo system (Panasonic; cassette player and turntable, with speakers and amplifier, includes 4" TV), furniture (Sam Moore; two wing chairs, Teflon-protected cotton), secretary desk (no brand given; French-style, walnut finish) and luggage (Ventura Collection; 4 pieces, wheels on larger pieces).
The object is for April to choose two of the items on the board that she thinks add up to the given price. If she fails the first time, she can choose two items again. She only gets two chances. If she wins, she wins all four prizes.
The amount April has to get is $1,970. On her first shot, she chooses the stereo and the chairs. The stereo is $560. The chairs are $700, for a total of $1,260. *bzzzt*
For her second chance, April keeps the stereo and changes the chairs to the secretary desk. The price of the secretary desk is $1,270, for a total of $1,830.
*LOSE*She was on the right track, but chose to drop the wrong one. Perhaps April needs to join the models around the champagne bottle.
They did not reveal the price of the luggage, so I am going to give it an estimate of $600, and put the possible winnings here at $3,130.
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1st SCSD:
April $570: .30 + .60 = .90
Mark $2,405: .55 + .95 = $1.50
*OVER*Norma $7,094: .15 + .85 = .95
*SHOWCASE*-----
"India Martin, come on down! You're the next contestant on The Price is Right!" (India has a shoulder-length perm and a red blouse.)
4th IUFB: his-and-hers skiing equipment (Trak; 2-pair skis, boots and pitons)
INDIA 325
Sheila+ 425
Barbara 500
Andrea 501
ARP: $413! India is one and done. Andrea's 1-dollar outbid did not pay off.
A price tag lifts to show off a unique aquarium shaped like an old-style gasoline pump (no brand given). The game is
"1 Right Price". Andrea picks the price. If it's right, she wins. Simple as that!
Bob jokes that they had the champagne in the gas pump.
The prices given are $1,800 and $2,400. India picks $1,800. The ARP is $2,400!
*LOSE*That's the problem with the 4th pricing game. Just like that, either you win or you lose. And India lost.
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"Dolores MacLenzie, come on down! You're the next contestant on The Price is Right!" (Dolores has a blue vest over a red-and-white striped blouse.)
5th IUFB: mantle clock (Michael C. Fina; walnut case)
DOLORES 524
Sheila+ 300
Barbara 350
Andrea 375
ARP: $425! Andrea finally makes it up on stage, leaving Sheila in the hot seat.
Bob shows her the prizes. First, behind one door modeled by Holly, a drink mixer (Salton)and a range (Kelvinator; self-cleaning, electric, auto and manual timers). Then the prizes pull away to reveal A NEW CAR!!! Janice shows off a Ford Escort 2-door hatchback to the Family Feud theme music. (4-speed manual transmission, steel radial tires, air conditioning, power steering and brakes, CA emission)
The game is
"Ten Chances". Bob will reveal the numbers of the Drink Mixer: 3, 0 and 9. The drink mixer features two of those numbers. Once she guesses right, they move on to the range, and then to the car. She wins what she guesses right.
Andrea guesses $39 for the drink mixer. *bzzz*
She guesses $30. *ding* She's right! Now, they move to the range. It has three digits in its price, and the numbers given for her to choose from are 9, 1, 0 and 4.
Andrea guesses $490 for the range. *ding* She was right on the first try! That gives her seven chances to win the Ford Escort. The numbers provided are 3, 4, 6, 9 and 0. She has to use four of them for each guess.
Andrea guesses $6,430 for the car. *bzzt* Not right.
She guesses $6,930.
*WIN*It took Andrea all of five chances to win all three prizes, a total ARP of $7,450.
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The heat is on for Sheila, who was chosen at the very beginning of the show. At first, it wasn't looking good for the membership of the First Four Breakfast Club, but now things are looking up. The models and the crew may be drunk, but Sheila's the one risking a hangover at Club if she fails to make it on stage this time.
"Linda Rissler, come on down! You're the next contestant on The Price is Right!" (Linda has a long brunette weave and a bluish-grey jacket over a white shirt. Bob takes note of the "trend in ladies' styles" with the jackets his female contestants are wearing.)
6th IUFB: a washer-dryer combo (Speed Queen; side-by-side, gas-powered, dial controls, top-load washer with steel tub, front-load dryer)
Dolores 700
Sheila+ 710
Barbara 711 (&#$%!)
LINDA 680
ARP: $1,000! Barbara's one-dollar outbid dooms Sheila to the walk of shame to the clubhouse, while she gets on the stage with Bob. Maybe they have some booze left...
Dian and Holly walk over
"Hi-Lo", with six normal grocery items. The object is to choose the three higher-priced products. If she is right, she will win a big prize.
The six items she has to guess:
Pearl Drops tooth polish
Golden Grain Macaroni and Cheddar dinner
Cepacol mouthwash
SueBee spun clover honey (tub)
Generic Brand shampoo
Spam (small can)
And what will Barbara win if she guesses correctly? Well, a door opens to reveal a bedroom group...with Janice sleeping in the bed! (Keller; solid oak, bed, hutch, entertainment center, Dakotah bedding, Bemco Posture III mattress and box spring, ARP $3,392) Dian is hiding behind the hutch, and Holly is behind the entertainment center. At the end of Johnny's spiel, Dian takes a nap on the floor of the display. Bob opines that the lights are making the models more and more tipsy.
Anyway, on with the game. Barbara chooses the shampoo ($1.39), mouthwash ($1.49) and the honey (1.79). The three remaining items cannot go over $1.39, which Bob remarks is a borderline case.
The macaroni dinner is 45 cents. The Spam is 99 cents. The tooth polish is $2.09.
*LOSE*The magic is gone. This game is starting to drive
me to drink, and I don't even drink!
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Before the spinning begins, Bob remarks that Andrea is worried about not being able to spin that giant wheel, saying it probably weighed more than she. Bob actually has the gall to ask her how much she weighs! Are you sure that was only Ovaltine you were drinking, Bob? (FTR: She did answer. She weighed 95 pounds.)
2nd SCSD:
India $413: $1.00
*$1,000!* *SHOWCASE*Barbara $1,000: .25 + .05 = .30
Andrea $7,875: .20 + .60 = .80
India gets the bonus spin.
India $1,413: .05
*$5,000!!!*India gets the second bonus hit! I bet she likes $6,000 a whole lot more than some fish bowl.
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SHOWCASE TIME!!! India's excellent Showcase Showdown pulled her closer, but it just wasn't enough. Norma, with $7,094 in cash and prizes, gets the honor. There's a lot of cash between these two ladies, and they're going for the big prizes now.
1st Showcase
Dining room group (Broyhill; oak finish, table, 4 chairs, hutch, dresser)
Dinnerware (Metlox Pottery)
Carpet (Galaxy; 45 sq. yds., nylon fibers, Scotchgard)
Carpet Cleaner (Bissel)
Trip to Austria (Los Angeles to Vienna, 6n, hotel and airline not mentioned)
Norma chooses to PASS. India bids $3,945, to the bemoaning of the crowd. Norma gets her shot at the...
2nd Showcase
Theme: "Johnny the Great White Hunter", on safari in "Warehouse Land" with the models dressed as Amazons, and Indiana Jones theme music.
Refrigerator (Whirlpool; 22 cu. ft., in-door water and ice dispensers)
Jukebox (Wurlitzer Estrella)
Trash Compactor (Whirlpool; auto deodorizer)
Jeep (AMC Jeep; Goodyear Tracker tires, Renegade package, 5-speed manual transmission, positraction, heavy-duty battery, power steering, tachometer, CA emission)
Johnny went around "shooting" the first two items. He was then "attacked" by the trash compactor, and they "escaped" in the Jeep. During the showcase, Dian and Holly couldn't open the fridge. Opposite of what usually happens to Holly.
Norma bids $13,500. Norma was confident, as she says she saw a Renegade-equipped Jeep on the show recently.
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India's bid is $3,945. The ARP for her showcase is: $6,764. Her difference is $2,819.
Norma's bid is $13,500. The ARP for her showcase is: $14,722. Her difference is $1,222.
*WIN*Now, when she made her first bid, she said "thirteen fifty". Apparently she was allowed a clarification. Bob rendered it originally as $13,050. It wouldn't have mattered.
Norma walks away with a ton of cash, and a total in winnings of $21,816. I doubt India will be hung over from this one, though.
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There you have it. All the antics that were the product of a long day of partying. At least nobody got hurt...which they tend to do enough when they're sober. At least they didn't allow Janice behind the wheel of a car. They may do a lot of silly things, but Bob won't let his models drive drunk. Not like she doesn't smash cars enough when she's sober.
Total winnings: $40,079. This time I am including all possible bonuses in my possible winnings calculation. The total possible winnings with bonuses were $134,725, for a win percentage of 29.7%. Take out the bonus, both possible and won, and the win percentage is just over 50% (50.02%). Not a bad haul for the contestant.
NOTE: If anybody can verify whether or not this is the second playing of Plinko, please let me know. It would be cool to see if this is the first game with the modern Plinko intro display.
