Rat Race Question

[GameShowFan9001]

If none of the rats finished, but they at least moved, I imagine prizes would be awarded based on the stopping position of each rat (i.e., if the contestant picked the rat that ended up stopping the closest to the finish line, they win the car), but what if the rats not only don’t finish the race, but none of them even move?

And on a loosely related note, how would the show deal with ties between rats?  This only includes times when even slowing down the footage doesn’t allow for a single winner to be determined.

[TPIRfan#9821]

For the second question, we recently had a playing where due to the sensor malfunctioning or something of the like, the show couldn't determine whether the rat the contestants chose came in second or third. They allowed the contestants to pick whether they wanted the second or third prize, and the couple decided the third prize, which I believe was diapers and baby food instead of maid service for a year.

If none of the rats even moved, I'd say that would justify a redo, since that either means that the show forgot to wind up the rats, or there was something unusual on the surface of the starting position. We haven't seen what the show would do if three or more rats couldn't finish the race, so I don't think we could answer your first question fairly.

[gamesurf]

According to Scott IIRC, the official Rat Race rules have contingencies if 3+ rats fail to finish. They apparently have different procedures for different "what if" situations, but he vouched for them all being fair to the contestant.