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Studio 33 - Price is Right Discussion => The TALK Is Right => Topic started by: ThomHuge on March 09, 2019, 10:31:29 PM

Title: Question about Pay the Rent Solutions
Post by: ThomHuge on March 09, 2019, 10:31:29 PM
So this is something I've always wondered about when it comes to PtR, and I'm hoping someone with more math smarts than me can help me make sense of it. I know this will probably sound like a stupid question, but I'm genuinely curious about this.

So in some games like Pick-a-Pair or Take Two, there can be more than one winning combination. That I get. PaP has an even number of products (I think), so all you'd have to do is have three pairs. Simple. Take Two could work the same way, set up your prizes so that more than just two can add up to the winning total, which you can do without having two that have the same price.

But I've seen in more than one recap how PtR can have more than one winning combination. Maybe I just haven't watched the game enough times, or maybe I'm just no good with math (more than likely the latter, numbers are NOT my friends). Having a single winning combination makes sense, since obviously the game wouldn't get past S&P if you couldn't win it.

But how is it possible to have more than one way to arrange the products? (I know you don't put the cheapest item in the mailbox, is that part of it?)
Title: Re: Question about Pay the Rent Solutions
Post by: JayC on March 09, 2019, 11:00:28 PM
There can be more than one solution depending on the prices of the grocery products. There have been occasional playings that could've been won even with putting the cheapest item in the mailbox.
Title: Re: Question about Pay the Rent Solutions
Post by: gamesurf on March 09, 2019, 11:13:48 PM
Same as setting up any other game: they use easier setups when they want it to be won, and harder setups when they want to play the game without risking a budget hit.

A lot of times there’s three or four or five solutions. Of the three or four times it’s been won, it’s been with an easy setup. This player (http://www.golden-road.net/index.php/topic,25384.0.html) put the lowest priced item in the mailbox, but won anyways, because the setup was so easy. No matter what was put in the mailbox, the contestant had a good chance of winning as long as the battery toothbrush was put in the roof (and if a player can’t figure out a freaking battery toothbrush costs more than the rest of the groceries, they truly are too dumb to win the game). If the game was ONLY ever set up to allow for one solution, PtR likely be winless to this day.

This site has some more explanation: https://priceisright.fandom.com/wiki/Pay_the_Rent/Solutions
Title: Re: Question about Pay the Rent Solutions
Post by: Flerbert419 on March 10, 2019, 09:28:59 AM
If PtR had only one product on each of the floors, you'd be right that there was only one correct way to arrange them. It would be like playing Hole In One.

But because there are two products on the middle two floors, it opens up different ways to organize them so long as Floor 2 is less than Floor 3.

Take Two could work the same way, set up your prizes so that more than just two can add up to the winning total, which you can do without having two that have the same price.

If Take Two has more than one winning combination, something went horribly wrong.
Title: Re: Question about Pay the Rent Solutions
Post by: ThomHuge on March 10, 2019, 09:39:38 AM
If Take Two has more than one winning combination, something went horribly wrong.

This I don't understand. There are four prizes, right? Seems like you'd be able to have two pairs of prizes that, if picked, would add up to the target price. (That's why I said you could do it without having two prizes with the same price.)

Yes, I know that might not be realistic for many reasons (not the least of which is budget mode), but I'm only talking about the mathematical possibilities here.
Title: Re: Question about Pay the Rent Solutions
Post by: blozier2006 on March 10, 2019, 10:16:08 AM
If Take Two has more than one winning combination, something went horribly wrong.
Reminds me of a playing of Take Two where, on the player's first turn, both of the prizes they picked were each higher than the winning total, thus guaranteeing a win on the second chance (and a fair amount of lampshading from Bob).

EDIT: Found the clip.

Title: Re: Question about Pay the Rent Solutions
Post by: SteveGavazzi on March 10, 2019, 07:13:08 PM
This I don't understand. There are four prizes, right? Seems like you'd be able to have two pairs of prizes that, if picked, would add up to the target price. (That's why I said you could do it without having two prizes with the same price.)

You could, yes, but it's so unlikely that they'd almost have to be actively trying to make it happen.
Title: Re: Question about Pay the Rent Solutions
Post by: ThomHuge on March 10, 2019, 09:17:43 PM
You could, yes, but it's so unlikely that they'd almost have to be actively trying to make it happen.

I get it, it's technically possible but they wouldn't actually set it up that way. I was just talking about what was mathematically possible, is all.
Title: Re: Question about Pay the Rent Solutions
Post by: cygnusx1jg on March 12, 2019, 11:16:31 AM
Just watch a Pay the Rent on YouTube from this past Xmas. The six items had prices of $1.00, $2.29, $3.49, $5.99, $7.99 and $9.97. Let's see:

Obviously, the $9.97 item has to be at the top.

But it seems there are more than one possible combination of the other levels that would win the game.