The Great Pricing Game Layoff of '85

[actual_retail_tice]

I just realized that 4 pricing games had their final playing over a span of two weeks in late 1985: Balance Game, On the Nose, Trader Bob, and Walk of Fame. Although I would say there were grounds for retiring all these games, it's surprising to me that all 4 were basically axed at once like that. Does anyone with extensive knowledge of the show's lore have any clue why the show suddenly decided to trim the pricing game lineup that much?

Side discussion: Could any of these games have been saved?

I don't think Balance Game '84 was as much of a catastrophe people claimed it to be back when there were only a couple of playings to watch. I don't think the objective of the game was hard to understand and I don't understand why people think it was. It seems actually like it should have been good. However, there was frequently some awkwardness communicating to Bob the money difference between the two sides of the scale, the win/loss reveal was usually anticlimactic, and it was hard for contestants to recover if they didn't balance the scales on the first try. It might have been interesting to add a rule where contestants could clear the scales of the accumulated money and try to win with the remaining items, but that would slow down an already slow game.

On the Nose was not the worst pricing game in TPiR history but I think it could be in 3rd place. It demanded better athleticism than Hole in One or Superball and the additional chances just drew out the torture for contestants who couldn't throw a ball. And every time I watch it I notice how much time Bob would spend on explaining every element of the game even though it seemed pretty uncomplicated. Out of the 4, this is the one I think should have been gone sooner.

Trader Bob was OK, but felt like a more convoluted version of Give or Keep that has no room for error. The whole "trading" theme doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me...how do you end up trading a fondue set for a camping trailer? And out of all 4 games, this one had the biggest problem with revealing too early if the player had won or not. But I like its set and Bob really seemed to have a good time doing his "Don't show the price!" routine. Games that ended up not being workable gameplay usually got retired within a couple of years, so I wonder why Trader Bob survived for 5 before suddenly being cut.

 Walk of Fame could have worked and even been good, as a car game, and I really can't understand why it was only played for medium-large prizes. This game really took contestants on a journey and it just would have seemed right to have it end with a car. As I've said before, the amount of airtime Walk took up for a non-car game probably made it hard to schedule even in the '80s and even with more airtime I can see why they retired it.

 

[Superballer]

Interestingly enough, although I had become a steady viewer by that point at age 3, Walk of Fame is the only one I remember seeing on the air; presumably reruns that featured the game ending up stretching well into 1986. 

The flaws noted above certainly are valid.  It can be argued of course that the current iteration of Balance Game, with its simpler premise, has in a sense saved its forefather.  On the Nose and Trader Bob probably were a little too complex to rework--at least with Hole in One (or Two), all you have to do is swing a golf club slightly, and it's made easier if you're smart enough with pricing to get close to the hole--but from what I've seen were at least decent ideas that got too complicated.  It would have been nice to see Walk of Fame last at least a bit longer; certainly the autograph books would be considered special keepsakes by fans today.  Perhaps cutting it down to 3 prizes to speed it up, and, as suggested, having a luxury car, trailer, or boat be the final prize for a big finish, would have tightened it up. 

[gsn93]

Really with the this batch of games, On the Nose is the only one that sticks out as "retire-able" to me. The game feels like it was a half-baked idea that was never fully play-tested. It seems like they had the athletic challenge part of the game first then hastily threw together the pricing portion of the game the day of its first shooting. It's Five Price Tags with a sports gimmick attached to it. It's just there, at least Hole in One has the contestant do more with figuring out the order of the grocery items.

Walk of Fame was a nice multi-prize game. I'm indifferent towards Trader Bob -- it's alright. The show really couldn't figure out what it wanted to do with the "Give or Keep" formula, could they? Unpopular opinion, but I've always preferred the original Balance Game over the current version. Can't really explain why though.

[JayC]

The FAQ notes that Walk of Fame was retired due to inflation making it too difficult to win, but I wonder if Johnny Olson's death also had to do with the decision? It was only played once after his death, and they didn't show autographs in the books on that playing.

[SeaBreeze341]

Walk of Fame was never played after Johnny died.  The game's final playing took place very shortly after Gene took over the announcing duties.  The game's length didn't help either.

Maybe it would've been nice if they adjusted due to inflation, but I don't think I miss it too much TBH.  Seeing past shows with the game & the autographs are enough for me.

Trader Bob was a decent game.  Great set, nice interaction.  For me it dragged, and I just don't think it was worth keeping around, especially when there was Give or Keep & other pricing games.  Didn't help that more games were on the way, though not during Season 14.

On The Nose going away for good might be in my Top 5 games that I was glad to see get retired on TPIR.  Maybe even number one.

The current Balance Game is good enough & better than the original, but I honestly don't think the 84 version was too difficult.  It was pretty neat, and you gave it some thought, the chance at success was there.  Other than maybe moving to 10 or 25 Barker dollars, I don't think the game would've lasted much longer if they kept it around throughout Season 14 into Season 15

[moneygamelover]

I liked Walk of Fame. Good test of pricing skill, it had the same "journey" feel as games like Pathfinder and Golden Road, and as someone who strongly prefers the progressive concept over the bailout concept, I always appreciated Walk of Fame being a progressive game. My love of the progressive concept is why I'm a big More or Less fan.

I like the current Balance Game. I don't think the original Balance Game should have been confusing but it did come across as a little awkward in presentation.

On the Nose was a bad idea from the start? Trying to pop balloons with a dart? Seriously? This game was more out in left field than Professor Price. Good riddance.

Trader Bob actually made my Mount Rushmore of Worst Games ever along with Double Digits, Telephone Game, Double Bullseye with Double Bullseye being the New Coke of Pricing Games. Trader Bob had the most hideous set in Price is Right history and was an inferior RIP off of the fantastic Give or Keep with no margin of error in a multi step game.

Walk of Fame could have stayed, Balance Game is better in its current format, and good riddance to On the Nose and Trader Bob.

[Alfonzo]

Well Tice, you and I are usually in agreement on pricing games and once again you've pretty much echoed my sentiments on all four games.

Balance Game '84, like Add 'em Up, looked good on paper but played out poorly onstage. It's never fun when Bob pretty much has to walk a contestant through a game. It also didn't help that , win or lose, the ending reveal was lackluster.

Trader Bob should have been the "Don't Show the Price! Game". Literally, as in the prices should not have been revealed until the end of the game. Instead, we ended up with a predictable pricing game in which I always knew whether the contestant won or lost before the game was over.

One The Nose: My least favorite of the four games and it isn't even close. What starts off as Four Price Tags turns into an unfair athletic competition in which no amount of pricing knowledge was going to help you win the game. I absolutely HATED watching this game.

Walk of Fame would have DEFINITELY worked if was played for a car or even made a luxury vehicle game. All the pagentry and ceremony would have truly made it worthwhile. As a regular four prize game it took an awkwardly long time to play and it was tough to schedule. Of the four games this is the one I miss the most.

In summary, Walk of Fame could have stayed with tweeks, Trader Bob and Balance Game '84 were too flawed to stay around, On the Nose needed to be burned to the ground.

[Roadgeek Adam]

On The Nose needs a different SP approach, but I absolutely think Drew would love On The Nose if it existed now. Apparently I'm in a minority in wanting to see it revived, and made a tad more fair, as a $30000 cash game.

[C8]

I have to concur with a lot of what’s been said here.


• Balance Game: In it’s current form it was open to catastrophic mistakes that made it unwinnable early on. The extra Barker dollars in hand showed they weren’t trying to ensure there were set  outcomes; besides catastrophic decisions, there were also too many outcome combinations. It could have been saved if the game was reworked to be Pick a Pair with a scale.
• Trader Bob: Again one catastrophic decision early on could blight the whole game. That and Bob’s “don’t show the price!” shtick with this game went on about two seasons too long. The way I would have retooled this game to work is to attach some sort of risk and reward to going on or bailing out, like, say, when this game WAS retooled as Step Up? One of my favorite ever games to get the axe and, IMO, because Bob and Drew didn’t know how to sell it.
• On The Nose: The reason a physical game like Hole in One works is the pricing element grants you significantly better odds of winning with each correct choice. Something like On The Nose could give me 20 tries, but I’m so uncoordinated and clumsy I’d still lose. This getting the right price of the car just feels worthless to someone like me. It was a lame game all around and was not redeemable.
• Walk of Fame: More like Walk of Lame. It’s just 4 bids with a range. It lacks suspense or excitement. And the autograph books felt tacked on. When there wasn’t a second chance it’s felt to me like the game was screwing over the contestant. The second chance part should have required pricing a sp to continue ala Pathfinder (but making the contestant win the autograph book and thus a second chance). But I acknowledge that could get clunky since the main game was all bidding. Alas one of my least favorite games I’ve seen in the Pluto eps, its departure is not unwelcome.

[Alfonzo]

On The Nose needs a different SP approach, but I absolutely think Drew would love On The Nose if it existed now. Apparently I'm in a minority in wanting to see it revived, and made a tad more fair, as a $30000 cash game.

It's all good, differences it what makes the world go round. I'm probably one of only 2% of the planet that wishes Clearance Sale was around instead of Eazy az 1 2 3 (Better set and more pricing oriented. Eazy is just Most Expensive made harder.)

[greg]

I really like Trader Bob… I feel like it was fun to trade up to bigger prizes, it seems like there were a decent amount of winners & i especially like the prop.

[DYC]

Does anyone with extensive knowledge of the show's lore have any clue why the show suddenly decided to trim the pricing game lineup that much?

A question I've long wondered myself. Any insight into this aspect? The only comparison is the mass "card themed game" exodus of 2007, which Poker Game, Joker, Hit Me and Card Game (albeit temporarily) were all simultaneously axed. Mind you 2007-8 (?) also axed Step Up, Barker's Markers, Clearance Sale and Barker's Bargain Bar (again temporarily). I always wondered what the reasoning was for that as well as the bulk 1985 Pricing Game layoffs.

[gamesurf]

I always wondered what the reasoning was for that as well as the bulk 1985 Pricing Game layoffs.

Games retired by Roger:

• Hit Me (retired mid S35, before Drew was chosen as host)
• Joker (retired when Drew was chosen as host, presumably when Roger realized Drew wasn’t a fan of games like Half Off where the contestant can do everything right and still only win a few small prizes)
• Poker Game (retired when Drew was being taught new games, though it technically wasn’t removed from the rotation for a few months--it had nothing to do with pricing)
• Buy or Sell (retired at the end of S36, with the intention to replace it with Give or Keep; Roger found the “buy low and sell high” explanation counterintuitive)

Games Syd & co retired in S37:

• Barkers Markers (retired a few weeks into the season after Drew made a mistake explaining it and nobody wanted to correct him)
• Credit Card (retired a few weeks in after the first batch of tapings; no reason given, though I suspect it’s because it had a long description and the setup meant the prizes had to be smaller than the ones offered in other multiprizers)
• Bargain Bar (set disassembled after the first batch of tapings; brought back with a new set three years later, common theory is the Barker reference)
• Clearance Sale (final playing about halfway through S37, no reason given, guessing it was redundant)
• Check Game (removed from the rotation at the end of S37, brought back four years later, no reason given)

Almost retired in S37:

• 3 Strikes (wasn’t played at all after the first six weeks, couldn't decide on a rule set)

Other games removed from the rotation in the Mike era:

• Card Game (removed from the rotation around five years into Drew’s tenure, brought back with a new set two years later)
• Step Up (retired around seven years in)

Evelyn era:

• Magic # ()

[pannoni1]

Regarding On The Nose, of all the playings that we've witnessed so far from fan records and TBE, the only sports that have resulted in wins are baseball and basketball. That game could have easily kept those two sports, added hockey and soccer where you hit a puck with a hockey stick or kick a ball and try to score a goal, and maybe keep football as well due to its popularity. Darts was just too silly and Bob even had trouble popping the balloon and I find a sharp-pointed projectile a bit too dangerous, while tennis was basically a more difficult form of baseball where you needed to hit a racket. With that suggestion, you'd have each of the five major sports represented. It didn't have a horribly low win percentage after taking out those two suggested sports, and would find that striking from ground level like Hole In One wouldn't have been too difficult.

I second/third the Walk of Fame suggestions that it should be for a car, like More or Less. The only change I would to remember that this is the Price Is Right: replace the "Range" cards with "Difference", where you need to come within that difference without going over, by simply converting the current ranges and doubling them. The autograph books were constantly replaced, so they easily could have just but the game on a bus during announcer tryouts, then return it to the rotation after Rod Roddy got the permanent gig. It just took way too long to play for a non-fee, non car game, and its a shame that it was retired, since it had a unique cue to introduce the prizes after "That's Entertainment" was dropped, based on a couple of the Temptation SP cues.

Trader Bob should have taken "Don't show us the price!" literally, like Alfonso said. Balance Game '84 is my least favorite of the four, where you can often tell a loss is coming after the third or fourth SP has been selected. They could have reworked it like a combo of today's Balance Game as well as Swap Meet, where you're shown one SP on one side of the scale (with the ARP revealed unlike Swap Meet), and three more on the other side of the scale, where only one of the prizes would come within $5 of the first SP. Like Vend-o-Price, you can have a fee game that involves only one decision and make the show move along.

[CaptainPrice]

The problem with On the Nose for me was that the contestant could get the right price and still lose because they weren't very familiar with the sport they were playing.

As for the other three retired games in Season 14...

Walk of Fame: Like Credit Card, inflation was going to eventually become a problem with this game. There's the issue with timing being a concern too that's already mentioned. I'm not sure how I'd fix it because a couple users came up with some fixes.

Trader Bob: No room for error and it was easy to predict when a contestant was going to mess up.

Balance Game I: Yeah, that was gonna get axed sooner or later. The game confused both the contestant *and* Bob. It was also easy to tell when the contestant was going to lose.

While we're at retired games, let's look at the other retired games after 1985's axing of pricing games but before 1992:

Add 'em Up (Season 17): My guess is it was disliked by the staff, presumably because you needed a specific four-digit car to play; took too long to play, anticlimactic wins and overall low win%. Bob having to help the contestant the whole way didn't do it any favors either. Just look at July 1, 1988's playing for why it was eventually scrapped.

Phone Home Game (Season 18): Play Along eventually became an artifact; took way too long to play and didn't generate enough interest from the audience. The participants on the phone were permanently ineligible before the 2007 rule change.

Gallery Game (Season 19): Despite a 9-15 record, the contestants seemed to be confused by whether to paint, for example, a 2 or a 3 on the missing digit. The artwork for the prizes also took time to make, which I'm guessing the producers felt in the long run, it was better off retiring the game.

Bump (Season 20): We know why it was retired, but it's interesting how it remained on preliminary schedules until early 1992 before being substituted by 1 Right Price on the actual show.