TPiR Recap - 9/22/2014 (TPiR Season 43 Premiere)

[jwatson2973]

I think that this was a good show, especially with what they did to the doors, and the design to make it look more Bob-Barker-ish, and the revamped Time Is Money!  I was super-shocked at that.

And you call $19,438 as a loss?!  I call that a WIN!  Unless you're doing this like Plinko!

And to Frank15: Thank you for calling the Bargain Game as "Barker's Bargain Bar".  I still prefer that, too.

I agree. I figure the only way to lose the game is when the entire amount went to zero during the second chance.

[JohnHolder]

Cliff Hangers with the $20-$30-$40 trick working

Bids of $25-$35-$45 would have been off by a total of $7.

[thepriceis_J]

Bargain Game for 2 cars was absolutely wonderful to see. I wish it were kept a surprise until the show aired. I feel it lost some of its bombastic feel because it was spoiled. Still, it was very nice to hear a longer cut of the remix to Bean Stalker.

I really like Time is Money. It was a good idea that had poor execution the first time around, and while this isn't nearly perfect, it is fun to play along with. That's important for a game. I feel its current two tiered format is okay. I think the first 10 seconds would flow better if there was some think music to go with it. Different than the music that plays during the countdown, but something to undercut the 10 seconds of silence and beeping. Still, I like it and hope it does well. Time to see how difficult they can make this game.

The rest of the show was okay. Cliff Hangers, while still set up for a 20-30-40 win, was still insane with a $46 spoon spinner. He still blew his chances with his $7 guess on the mug. Any Number was certainly difficult. It was clear that zero was the farthest thing from her mind as the second number. Freeze Frame was actually okay. It was nice for once that the correct price wasn't the one just entering the frame as Drew finished his game explanation.

Showcases were ho-hum, but there have been premiere weeks were the premiere didn't have blow-out showcases, but another during that week did. So I'll hold out hope that one of the showcases this week will be an actually amazing showcase, contrary to what Drew says everyday.

I think this premiere was miles better than Seasons 41 and 42, and I'm thankful for that.

[Axl]

I like the new bright doors better than I thought I would, but sometimes it felt like my retinas were burning on closeups, especially at the beginning when the checkerboard was flashing.  And some of the colors they put on the LED border strips really clashed with the rest of the set.

Speaking of lighting, the general stage lighting is noticeably softer.  Did they put new fixtures on the grid?  I like it!

Finally, I wonder why they added a new set piece to the left of home base behind Drew.  That space had been empty since they got rid of the "puppet box."

[whinbaby]

The 8,063rd episode (1st for Season 43)

Showcase #1

• Home Theater Seats:  $5,299
• TV:  $3,000
• Trip to Acapulco:  $8,342
• Chevrolet Sonic:  $17,038

My bid:  $31,530 (Difference of $2,149)

Showcase #2

• Rolex Watch:  $5,900
• Kitchen Appliances:  $7,987
• Trip to Athens:  $11,748

My bid:  $24,318 (Difference of $1,317)

Modeling Totals:  September 22, 2014
Rachel Reynolds
Total:  13/$74,575.00 (6/$14,911.00, 7/$59,664.00)
Cars:  2/$36,524.00 (0/$0.00, 2/$36,524.00)
Trips:  1/$8,342.00 (0/$0.00, 1/$8,342.00)
Cash Prizes:  0/$0.00 (0/$0.00, 0/$0.00)

Manuela Arbelaez
Total:  14/$66,474.00 (9/$24,987.00, 5/$41,487.00)
Cars:  2 /$31,838.00 (0/$0.00, 2/$31,838.00)
Trips:  2/$20,526.00 (1/$11,748.00, 1/$8,778.00)
Cash Prizes:  0/$0.00 (0/$0.00, 0/$0.00)

All Prizes
Total:  28/$160,256.43 (15/$58,543.43, 13/$101,713.00)
Cars:  4/$68,362.00 (0/$0.00, 4/$68,362.00)
Trips:  3/$28,868.00 (1/$11,748.00, 2/$17,120.00)
Cash Prizes:  1/$20,000.00 (0/$19,438.00, 1/$562.00)

Career to date
Rachel Reynolds (1,395 shows)
Total:  13,817/$73,092,522.36 (8,609/$32,653,045.94, 5,208/$40,439,476.42)
Cars:  1,510/$34,061,103.00 (575/$12,350,502.00, 935/$21,710,601.00)
Trips:  1,312/$10,103,484.00 (704/$5,326,023.00, 608/$4,777,461.00)
Cash Prizes:  238/$2,697,851.00 (52/$478,584.00, 186/$2,219,267.00)

Manuela Arbelaez (634 shows)
Total:  5,866/$33,223,709.34 (3,623/$14,267,260.24, 2,243/$18,956,449.10)
Cars:  677/$15,121,212.00 (235/$5,216,084.00, 442/$9,905,128.00)
Trips:  704/$5,984,238.00 (368/$3,065,968.00, 336/$2,918,270.00)
Cash Prizes:  117/$1,378,032.00 (36/$249,317.00, 81/$1,128,715.00)

My viewing to date (2,546 shows)
Total:  66,408/$365,744,218.77 (41,277/$158,293,821.08, 25,131/$207,450,397.69)
Cars:  7,257/$156,278,576.00 (2,786/$58,592,862.00, 4,471/$97,685,714.00)
Trips:  5,584/$39,812,673.00 (2,901/$20,621,711.00, 2,683/$19,190,962.00)
Cash Prizes:  1,952/$42,693,353.00 (400/$7,056,723.00, 1,552/$35,636,630.00)

[Mr. Weatherman]

We're getting much closer to what a season premiere should be about, but a few missteps made this one probably more forgettable than memorable. I could certainly tell that a significant amount of effort was put into making this a grand premiere, but it was a few bad habits of this regime that haven't been fixed that held this show back from all that it could have been.

On the surface, Barker's Bargain Bar Game for two cars, the (re)debut of a pricing game, and all new doors should capture the excitement of the audience at home, especially that of LFATs. This is where the show absolutely shined today.

But again, those bad habits...

I'll start with the opening light border. It's hideous. It's the same one from last season and it looks no better this season. The spinning dollar signs still aren't visible in SD, and the logo still covers up the opening of the doors as Drew makes his entrance. I was hoping so much for these issues to have been corrected, but I was sadly disappointed. Maybe sometime mid-season, perhaps...

Bargain Game could have been made much easier. I honestly thought the Mazda was the bigger bargain too, given how cheap the base model Versa is. The difference in value should have been blatantly obvious, especially for such a rare playing with two cars, but nope.   

Still less-than-stellar prize offerings... Bargain Game aside, this was just a normal show that featured the debut of a pricing game, which will be a normal part of the rotation. That second half was nothing special at all. I was hoping the final pricing game would be special (didn't that one spoiler hint at Golden Road???) or at least something that would send us into the Showcase Showdown on a high note, but instead we get Cliff Hangers played for groceries and maid service for a year. How thrilling...

The showcases were once again your typical affair with a sexed-up trip and another less-than-spectacular car. I will give credit for the Acapulco trip, though. Very fitting for the occasion. Props to whoever's idea that was.

But like I said, there were improvements...

Obviously the most significant feature that stood out was the new doors. They looked spectacular in HD, and I think it's neat how the lights in the squares flash just like they do on the turntable. While this is a matter of perception, I think the door frames highly resemble the Barker ones after seeing them in action, even more so than I previously thought. It's nice having that classic touch back.

Bargain Game for 2 cars was a terrific idea. If it hadn't been for that spoiler, this would have come as a pleasant shock to me! I hated that setup, though. What should have been a big start to the season ended up being a disappointment, and it didn't have to be that way. But it was still a great idea, regardless.

In addition to the above, we also saw the return of a pricing game from retirement. And boy, did they get it right this time around. We can argue what constitutes a win, but all that matters to me is the execution of the game, and I loved what I saw. Oh, and the reveal of the correct spots for each grocery item is by far one of the coolest things I've ever seen on the show.

Overall, it was a decent show. It had the potential to be more, but this was acceptable.

[SteveGavazzi]

Well, that was something of a surprising episode.  I was shocked that no luxury cars were offered, but Drew made it sound like they were going to be celebrating the premiere for the whole week, so maybe one's coming up later on.  Regardless of that, starting off with Barker's Bargain Bar for two cars was ridiculously cool.  It's just a shame the darn thing wasn't won.

Time I$ Money is pretty freaking awesome.  I love that they brought an old game back, and I love that they found a way to make the game's name mean something again -- under this new format, time is literally the money.

I do take a bit of issue with Drew referring to Time I$ Money as a new game, though.  I mean, yes, they messed with the format a bit, but it's still the same basic concept; it's much more akin to the return of 1 Right Price in Season 4 than to the Bullseyes and the Balance Games.

Oh, and having the old Big Doors back is really cool.  I'm not crazy about the colored strips becoming red during the Showcase Showdowns, though.  I understand that it's a holdover from the 36-42 doors, but it just doesn't look right.

[MrPlinko]

I like Time is Money!

Has anyone stop-watched timed how fast the money clock runs down?

The game could have fluctuating difficulty levels depending on how easy or hard Mike wants to make the prices of the products.  Do you think they were counting on an almost maximum win that fast?

Was the second contestant's "Come on Down" edited out?  My DVR did not pick it up.

They could have done a bit more for the season premier episode, but the Acapulco quick clip from the first Showcase show was cool.

Joe

[JohnHolder]

Has anyone stop-watched timed how fast the money clock runs down?

I just watched the clip on YouTube and kept an eye on the timer. It took slightly more than one second for her to move the product to the correct position and hit the buzzer, and she lost slightly more than $500. So my rough estimate would be $500 a second, which would mean it takes 40 seconds to go to zero. That puts it roughly on par with Race Game, Switcheroo, and the other "move things around to put them in the correct order within a time limit" games. I wonder, though, if the money starts decreasing faster the longer the game takes - say, if you haven't won after 20 seconds, it goes twice as fast, so you only have a total of 30. But that's just speculation.

[BillyGr]

Now that they did Bargain Game with two cars, wonder if they'd ever try it on a "regular" show with one car and one other prize?

It would work (unlike some other games) as all you are asked is which one is more below the actual price, so having a car marked $14,000 and an electronic item marked $1,400 doesn't necessarily lead you to pick one or the other as the right one.

[MSTieScott]

You can tell Curtis has been married for five years -- even with his wife joining him onstage with the models, he went to the trouble of hugging Rachel first.

So... is the contestant able to see the fronts of the grocery products at any point during Time Is Money?

[ThatDonGuy]

I like Time is Money!

Has anyone stop-watched timed how fast the money clock runs down?

It was hard to do since not much time ran off before the game ended, but I got somewhere around $2000 every 3 seconds (or 30 seconds for the full $20,000, which is in line with Bonkers).

However, it seemed to be too easy of a win.  It could have been the setup, but I have a feeling they're going to have to consider lowering the starting point to $15,000 or even $10,000 (even if they keep the $20,000 prize for getting all five right on the first try) if there are too many 5-digit wins.

[JohnHolder]

Wikipedia is reporting (unsourced) that the countdown is $1 per thousandth of a second. Anybody want to take the trouble to source that or correct it?

ETA: It's already been edited to read that the prize is $1000 per second remaining, with the time measured in thousandths of a second. Same problem - there's still no source.

[MrPlinko]

It was hard to do since not much time ran off before the game ended, but I got somewhere around $2000 every 3 seconds (or 30 seconds for the full $20,000, which is in line with Bonkers).

However, it seemed to be too easy of a win.  It could have been the setup, but I have a feeling they're going to have to consider lowering the starting point to $15,000 or even $10,000 (even if they keep the $20,000 prize for getting all five right on the first try) if there are too many 5-digit wins.

Good points, I agree!

Joe

[Axl]

So... is the contestant able to see the fronts of the grocery products at any point during Time Is Money?

I was also wondering how the contestants can tell which platform is for which price range when they're approaching it from the back.  I suppose the prices are also listed on the rear of the platforms, but it seems like that would be a little hard for the contestant to read at belt level.

I'm also curious about the operation of the reveal.  It looks like the rotation is spring-loaded, but I don't know how they release it.  I didn't see any cables or wires coming from those platforms... at least not from a cursory glance at the floor.