Pricing Game Fleshing Out: Time Is Money

[tpirfansince1972]

As someone did a thread dedicated to More or Less, and with your kind permission and indulgence, I'd like to flesh out my thoughts about the current version of Time is Money.

While I love that the game was re-done with MONEY actually being the prize, I am not a fan of this game at all.

Yes, it should be rare that a player wins a huge sum (to me anything $10,000 or over qualifies as huge) but it happens next to never.

What's worse, it seems a majority of the time that this game is played, it results in a total wipeout.

Due to the game's fast pace, it does not lend itself to being able to play along with it very well from home, and like other times pricing games, it limits audience participation.  Part of the fun and fervor of The Price is Right is when the stage contestant is having 300 or so opinions shouted at them simultaneously and adding to the excitement of the tension.

Other timed games are fun to watch being played out, Clock Game is a joy to watch, both when it's played well and even when it isn't.  Amusing to see contestants getting flustered.  Race Game still allows me, the home contestant to play along, as does Bonkers and Switcheroo. 

I love the concept of Time is Money, but the execution of it leaves everything to be desired, at least for me anyway.

I'd love to hear others thoughts and/or possible ideas fleshed out.

[jhc2010]

I like the game. It may be more well-liked with easier set-ups generating more wins but it shouldn’t be that easy. This game would be more enjoyable if the commentary provided by Drew was more than just a countdown of the money timer.

[jimmyuTPIR]

It would be great if the game was slightly easier with a win rate of 10% and some money won 20% of the time. I remember someone won some money in a primetime show last season, but I can’t remember when the last time someone won money on the daytime version.

[SamJ93]

I think an easy way to make the game...well, easier is to simply adjust it for inflation. Change the platforms to <$5, $5.01-$10 and >$10 and they'd probably get at least a few more partial wins.

[JT]

I think an easy way to make the game...well, easier is to simply adjust it for inflation. Change the platforms to <$5, $5.01-$10 and >$10 and they'd probably get at least a few more partial wins.

The ranges are fine for now.  The problem is the show's use of "deceptive groceries" which are used in many of the games.  e.g. the $4 can of organic soup.  The contestant sees soup and thinks cheap.  Or they use a small tube of an over the counter medication.   The medication is expensive but not when it's less than an ounce.  etc.   I also would like to see more partial wins - it would make the game more fun for everyone.

[b_masters8]

The problem is the show's use of "deceptive groceries" which are used in many of the games. 

That's a huge problem w/Grand Game-- something you think, based on the packaging and size, would quite obviously be less than the target price is far more, so the apparent easy win you thought you had is a painful loss from $1000 down to nil (you then later find out that what you thought was more than the target, also per packaging and size, was actually less).

[tpirfansince1972]

I did some research about statistics for Time is Money. 

https://priceisright.fandom.com/wiki/Pricing_Game_Stats/Season_52_Statistics  was what I used as my source.

I compiled some statistics for this pricing game from season 43, when it began, through last season.

To the best of my knowledge, these totals are based solely on the daytime version and not any prime time specials.  I could be mistaken about that.

In any event, if I am correct, here's a breakdown.

The game was played a total of 127 times during its first 9 seasons in the rotation.

Every one of those seasons the game was played at least 12 times, up to as many as 16 times during a given season.

Out of 127 playings, a grand total of 7 won the $20,000 prize.

That works out to a winning percentage of 5 and 1/2 percent.

So the game has 7 wins and 120 losses during these first 9 seasons.

And of those 120 losses, 79 percent, almost two-thirds of the losses, resulted in $0, in other words, total wipeouts.

A tremendous lack of play-along ability both for the studio audience members and the viewing audience at home, coupled with such an abysmal failure rate further supports my very low opinion of this pricing game.

So while Stack the Deck and That's Too Much! are strongly detested, and understandably so, I don't know if the win rates for those two pricing games is as low.  I did not research that far into it.

I imagine if Roger were asked about Time is Money, and maybe he has been, I suspect he would say he might dislike it, if for no other reason than he did not seem to like having pricing games that had partial wins, such as Step Up. 

I'd much rather see Pay the Rent retooled somehow and replace Time is Money.  Time is Money even makes Plinko more appealing to me.

[gamesurf]

And of those 120 losses, 79 percent, almost two-thirds of the losses, resulted in $0, in other words, total wipeouts.

Phrased another way:

48 of 127 contestants got the correct combination and won something. Of those 48 contestants, the average amount won was $12,762.

(No "inflated" wins from special playings skewed the data.)

[Kjluvs79]

The problem is the show's use of "deceptive groceries" which are used in many of the games. 

I couldn't agree more. The use of more obscure or "deceptive" groceries definitely make any pricing game that uses groceries much more difficult. Back in the 90's and early 00's, I could always get all of the Hole In One or Two groceries correct, win Bullseye on the first try, Pass the Buck correctly, or hold onto all of my pennies in Penny Ante. This was because they reused many grocery products. Remember the Blue Bonnet Spread, Smuckers Jelly ($3.35), or Static Guard Spray?

I was too young to go grocery shopping back then but I knew so many of the prices. Today, I feel lost! So many products used on the show today are items that I don't recognize or come across on my trip to the store. It definitely makes it more challenging. Just think of how many more winners we'd have in Time Is Money today if the products were more recognizable.

[tpirfansince1972]

Sadly I think for budgetary reasons if nothing else, they are not as descriptive as they once were.  Small prize company providers and grocery item providers used to pay a fee for having their brand names mentioned on air, doing a mini commercial for each item.  With that no longer being the case, coupled with the time constraints involved with the show being 38 minutes now instead of 44, I do not see those fee plugs ever coming back.

That said, George's descriptions now always mention the quantity or weight of most if not all of the grocery items, which was not something done way back in the day, so perhaps that is a wash.

With the perfect showcase bid back in 2008, coupled with inflation and perhaps budgetary constraints, games like That's Too Much!, Stack the Deck and Time is Money (the only one of the three mentioned that I truly detest) have become a necessary evil, for lack of a better phrase.

[gamesurf]

With the perfect showcase bid back in 2008, coupled with inflation and perhaps budgetary constraints, games like That's Too Much!, Stack the Deck and Time is Money (the only one of the three mentioned that I truly detest) have become a necessary evil, for lack of a better phrase.

On average, Time is Money gives away more ($4,823) than the average playing of Punch-a-Bunch ($3,620), Half Off ($4,632), and Grand Game ($4,639).

*stats measured from S43-S51

[Kirk_Morgan]

There may be more winners if the contestants would stop looking to the audience for "help" I certainly wouldn't considering the money involved.

[tpirfansince1972]

On average, Time is Money gives away more ($4,823) than the average playing of Punch-a-Bunch ($3,620), Half Off ($4,632), and Grand Game ($4,639).


Good work on crunching those numbers!

I would argue however that it's an apples/oranges comparison.

Half Off and Grand Game both have top prizes of $10,000, only half of the $20,000 top prize available for Time Is Money.

I think perhaps if they revamped it to be more like Race Game I might enjoy this game more.  As it stands I simply cannot tolerate it.