TPiR Recap - 4/6/2011

[Flerbert419]

I think the Rat Race rules need to be changed so that the contestant is guaranteed at least one rat. Drop the $1.00 GP and keep the $10 and $100 SPs.

I was considering this suggestion, so I took a look at active games that it is possible to win the car by getting nothing in the game correct:

Hole In One...or Two
Let 'Em Roll
Pass The Buck
Pocket Change
Spelling Bee

One thing that all of these games have in common is a very high element of luck (in Hole in One perhaps more skill than luck, but it's kind of in its own category anyway).

Rat Race also has a very high degree of luck, so I would have to say that I agree with you; contestants should get a rat for free.

(Before anybody starts complaining about a 1/5 chance of winning a car for nothing, Pass The Buck has a 1/6 chance.  You are talking about 3.33%)

[Frank15]

Before anybody starts complaining about a 1/5 chance of winning a car for nothing, Pass The Buck has a 1/6 chance.  You are talking about 3.33%

Except I hated when Pass the Buck started giving a free number.  As far as I was concerned, taking longer to play was a bonus, since it meant they would've played it less often .

So yes, just as I dislike the free pick in Pass the Buck, I would dislike a free pick in Rat Race.

[thepriceis_J]

One thing that all of these games have in common is a very high element of luck (in Hole in One perhaps more skill than luck, but it's kind of in its own category anyway).

Rat Race also has a very high degree of luck, so I would have to say that I agree with you; contestants should get a rat for free.

(Before anybody starts complaining about a 1/5 chance of winning a car for nothing, Pass The Buck has a 1/6 chance.  You are talking about 3.33%)

However, the games you listed are played for just the car. Rat Race is played for a car and two other prizes. Therefore, I think it should be more difficult to win. Also, the $100 range should make it really easy for at least one rat to be earned, but the last two contestants seem to blow it because they have no clue about the products they're bidding on.

[cu2010]

I agree with tpiJ...while there is a 1/5 chance of winning a car with just one rat, there is a 3/5 chance of winning something. Heck, the odds towards losing are smaller than those of winning something!

I think the only rule change that needs to be made to Rat Race is one similar to Spelling Bee...if a contestant gets the price of one of the small items exactly right, they win all three rats (and all three small items).

[heelsrule1988]

Just think... if the right show had replaced ATWT, we'd have never had SC2.

BEST CONTESTANT OF THE DAY: Muretta
SHOW GRADE: 1

[Flerbert419]

However, the games you listed are played for just the car.

That's not true....

Rat Race is played for a car and two other prizes. Therefore, I think it should be more difficult to win.

The values of the other prizes today (according to whinbaby) were $3,297 and $3,539.  With one rat, the contestant could only win one of the two.

He could also win up to $7,500 in Let 'Em Roll with one roll, and up to $5,000 in Pass The Buck with one selection.

I agree with tpiJ...while there is a 1/5 chance of winning a car with just one rat, there is a 3/5 chance of winning something. Heck, the odds towards losing are smaller than those of winning something!

True.  But the odds of winning something in Pass the Buck is 67%, and the odds of winning something in Let 'Em Roll is 100%!  Does that mean we should take away the free choices there too?

I think the only rule change that needs to be made to Rat Race is one similar to Spelling Bee...if a contestant gets the price of one of the small items exactly right, they win all three rats (and all three small items).

This should have been done a long time ago.

[Frank15]

But the odds of winning something in Pass the Buck is 67%,  Does that mean we should take away the free choices there too?

Yes!

[Plinkoman]

I actually have been watching the shows lately, but boy there were some difficult set-ups on this show.

I would have won the car in Rat Race, Secret X, and Squeeze Play.  Easy As 123 has to be one of the most difficult set-ups for that game I've ever seen.  Same with Coming or Going and Let 'em Roll.  It's a shame they have to blow the budget on the showcases (and more celebrity guests?!), which causes the games to suffer.  Personally, I'd much rather see Golden Road won than see someone win $74K in a showcase.  Hope today is a better episode.

[PriceFanArmadillo]

He could also win up to $7,500 in Let 'Em Roll with one roll

Yeah, but that will only happen once every 7,776 times!

[Flerbert419]

Yeah, but that will only happen once every 7,776 times!

I was hoping you wouldn't catch that.

Average amount in one roll is $2,500, so the (admittedly weaker) point can still be made.

[heelsrule1988]

When will Armadillo ever miss something probability-related?

[Ton80]

When will Armadillo ever miss something probability-related?

I'd say the chances of that are 2^267,709 to 1 against.

[richfieldsfan]

No way should the contestant have been allowed to change her answer, even if she realized she made a mistake. They don't allow corrections on other game shows once the contestant has fully said his/her answer, so why should Price?

Yes, I realize Drew has allowed contestants to change their answer before the reveal in the past, but it's time to put in a firm policy and then be consistent. Either the first answer is the one that will be accepted with no exceptions, or require the contestant to say "final answer" (or some similar indication that this is his/her answer).

Brian

Agreed, she was a complete dumbass and clueless. Was it this playing or the Tuesday one where somebody bid in dollars and cents? Drew accepted that, why didn't the producers stop him? That's where the issue should have been. This moron bid 60 bucks, therefore, she thought it was minus 40 to 160. I don't feel a bit sorry for her.

And why the hell was the game played 2 days in a row? Geeze. I was hoping for 10 chances. They spent good money to remodel it and its hardly been played since.

I don't have too much else to say about this show, Mike still doesn't know how to budget, they don't know how to pick quality contestants, and even Wayoshim said it sucked. No breakdown from me on this train wreck

[spoon14]

Steve, do you know why Rat Race was played in two consecutive episodes?  That probably couldn't have been scheduled worse than it was, with two consecutive episodes with a wipeout.  I suspect a fair number of casual viewers will even notice that.

According to the airdate schedule the 4/5 and 4/6 episodes were taped almost a month apart. Maybe when they mixed them up like that, someone just dropped the ball and failed to notice. Secret X was also duplicated, right? If the episodes aired in the order they were taped, the games wouldn't be repeated, but mixing them requires someoe to keep track. Since The Talk crossover was involved maybe the logistics of matching the schedules of the two shows created an unanticipated reshuffle.

A similar thing happened during one of the first days of S39. Because we had two episodes a day, Rat Race showed up in both episodes on the same day. They probably didn't realize the repetition when they scheduled it.

[SteveGavazzi]

According to the airdate schedule the 4/5 and 4/6 episodes were taped almost a month apart. Maybe when they mixed them up like that, someone just dropped the ball and failed to notice. Secret X was also duplicated, right? If the episodes aired in the order they were taped, the games wouldn't be repeated, but mixing them requires someoe to keep track. Since The Talk crossover was involved maybe the logistics of matching the schedules of the two shows created an unanticipated reshuffle.

A similar thing happened during one of the first days of S39. Because we had two episodes a day, Rat Race showed up in both episodes on the same day. They probably didn't realize the repetition when they scheduled it.

But the two episodes that aired on Tuesday and Wednesday were absolutely supposed to be broadcast back-to-back.  I would imagine that one of them (probably Wednesday) didn't originally have Rat Race in it, although I'll be damned if I know why it would be used as a sub.