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Studio 33 - Price is Right Discussion => The TALK Is Right => Topic started by: Flerbert419 on January 15, 2023, 08:01:07 PM
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On the first show of 2023, Drew announced that Back to ‘7X would be returning to the pricing game rotation going forward with the title being updated to ensure that the reference point was always 50 years ago. The claim was that Back to ’72 was going to be for Season 50 only…but gotcha, that doesn’t stop them from changing the name and bringing it forward each year! I believe that not only should this game be retired but the pricing game rotation overall would do well to have some of the other games removed.
I understand that “every game is somebody’s favorite”, but there was an all time high in Season 50 where there were 79 pricing games in the active rotation. There are still only 1,140 pricing game slots each season, so a higher number of games means less playings for all and the continued pressure towards reducing run time means the shorter games need to get priority.
(https://i.postimg.cc/NGdsRZTw/Pricing-Games-vs-Season.png)
Here is a list of 5 games, in order, that I would retire and think the show would be better off without.
1. Back to ‘7X
While there are many games that take bits and pieces from others, Back to ‘7X is just easier Cliff Hangers with old prizes (which it took from Now or Then). It’s also hurting the other SP games to fit it into lineups – here’s the list of games that either tied or had their lowest number of appearances in Season 50 compared to Seasons 46 or 47 (Seasons 48 and 49 are unfair comparisons as due to COVID there were less episodes):
- Cliff Hangers
- Hot Seat
- Pathfinder
- Plinko
- Secret "X"
- Switcheroo
2. Magic #
Last played November 17, 2021, I’m just looking for an official word that this is no longer active. I hope we get the story eventually about what happened and can clear up the silly computer rumor, but it’s been set up inexplicably crazy for so long it’s just better to put it on the shelf and move on.
3. Time i$ Money
There are only 3 or 4 cash games played per week and Plinko is quite likely to take one spot, so there is no need to have 9 in the active rotation. With To The Penny being introduced there is now an excess of GP cash games. Time i$ Money remains difficult to fit with other games since it takes so long to play. While I would like to see Hot Seat in this spot instead, it seems like retiring Time would be the better choice (Hot Seat should have 1 of its SP’s removed to lower the run time too).
4. Shopping Spree
The longer multiprizers are under pressure based on time constraints and not giving away cash or cars. One of them needs to go to help the others, and this one is the most disposable to me based on being the least memorable and the gameplay being derivative of Most Expensive.
5. Check Game
The one on this list I would personally hate to lose the most. While it’s still fun to see contestants not know how to play the game, the show is quickly reaching the point where an explanation of checks themselves will also be required. Already removing the requirement to write out the rest of the check and fighting inflation, the game is just not the same as what it once was. Do The Math also now gives away money along with prizes in a similar way (Prize +/- Cash = Prize instead of Prize + Cash = Total). I might be interested in repurposing the mechanic in the future, but I think this game has unfortunately run its course.
Do you agree that some retirements are in order? Thoughts on different games besides the ones I suggested?
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Gridlock is a chromed derivative of Money Game and really adds nothing to me.
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If we have to retire a cash game, then it should be to the penny. Its rules are contrived and feel like they’re being made up on the spot, plus there’s too many fail-safes for a win to feel “right”. $25k also feels very high for a game that gives you all the answers. By far the weakest game introduced in the Drew era.
Back is one I like a lot. It’s not going to set the world on fire by any means, but it’s a fun little homage to the show’s past and is quite winnable and generous all around.
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I don’t think any games need to be retired - seeing every game at least once every three weeks is good enough, and there are going to be some games like Golden Road that simply would lose some of their charm if they got played even more than once a month. You mention 9 active cash games, but if one of them takes two weeks off on occasion, I don’t think that hurts anything.
Keep in mind too that even as late as season 22, games were still being played occasionally twice in a week, and that’s something I hope we don’t ever return to.
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I do agree with you about Back to 7x, Back to 72 was fun as a nod to 1972 for the show's 50th season, but it's not really necessary to play anymore. Even if they remade it with the same format using modern small prizes, it would just be Cliff Hangers with more room for error.
I'd rather see Magic # with a new set then just retired, and I was surprised they brought back Check Game with a new set a few years ago rather than retiring it since checks are becoming more and more a thing of the past. It does have its charm though. I disagree about Time is Money and Shopping Spree though.
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Flebert,
This is actually a very interesting take on a topic that gets mentioned quite often here.
1) With Back to '7x, I know some people say that the game should stay retired, I think that it is a very interesting game to keep. As long as you use SPs from exactly 50 years ago, I don't mind seeing this game back. Now, you would have thought that Cliff Hangers would have taken a hit from plays, but that was not the case last season.
2) Magic # should not be retired. It was a very unique game on the show. While I think that its plays got decreased due to Do the Math being in the rotation, I still think that the game is worth saving. You could easily retool the game and it could have quicker gameplay and maybe help with decrease the plays of games like 1 Right Price, Bargain Game, Do the Math, and Switch.
3) I am going to put Hot Seat in Time Is Money's position here. Hot Seat is nothing more than using Shell Game and Bonus Games higher or lower pricing game played for cash. The game takes too long to play, Drew's explanation of the money distribution each and every play is so unnecessary (It's not done with It's In the Bag) and because of that your lineups with Hot Seat are not very good most of the time.
4) Shopping Spree is one of my least favorite 4P games on the show. It's nothing more than Danger Price with the danger price being the lowest priced item. I understand that it was created to have a quicker 4p, but I can see why they would want to keep this game around at the same time. Notice that the total of the 4ps prizes is Shopping Spree is higher than Danger Price. I wouldn't necessarily want to get rid of Shopping Spree, but I would not be sad if they retired that game to play Race, Danger, or Take Two more.
5) Instead of Check Game, I would put Gridlock! on my list of games that could be considered. Like mentioned earlier, it is nothing more than a variation of Money Game. Of course, you want a game like Gridlock! to have more variety, but the powers that be do not know how to time this game. They over time this particular game and that causes likes that are that good most of the time.
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Gridlock is a chromed derivative of Money Game and really adds nothing to me.
Gridlock is decent enough at its real job: prevent That's Too Much from getting played 30 times a year. It fills a void that needed to be filled. It's not close to one of my favorite games but you need a better quick car game waiting in the wings before killing this one.
If there's a multiprizer that needs to go away, I'd look at Swap Meet first.
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Swap Meet isn't too dissimilar to Pick-a-Pair involving larger prizes with one chance, but there's a unique element where you don't get to see the price of one prize before you know the price of the other, so I'd keep that game. It could really use a set update, however. With that explained, I'll now provide my three games that I feel not only benefit the show's precious fee slots, but allow for some of my less than enthusiastic games to disappear with them.
Many fans have Stack to Deck as their least favorite active game, and I'm among them, mostly due to the brutal difficulty to win. It takes a GP spot too, and I'd much rather have Gridlock! instead. Sure, its quick for a car game, but its not exactly a pure quickie where it takes one decision to win or lose, and the freeway theme is a halfway decent given what you're playing for. Those extra Stack slots could go towards those cash/GP games or other car/GP games like Hole In One, Pass The Buck, or even occasional regular grocery GP games with a NCFC. That's by far my #1 game I'd like to get the heave-ho the most.
A dark horse candidate would be to eliminate Triple Play. Sure, the concept of winning multiple cars isn't unique to this game, thanks to It's Optional. But if you were to win multiple cars on the show, just go with a car for winning your game and maybe another car for winning your Showcase. This would add slots for Golden Road and 3 Strikes, as rarely as they get played nowadays, or even provide a few more appearances of More or Less, which ends with a car but allows you to keep everything you win along the way.
It was nice to see Card Game's return, and the theme still remains cool compared to TTM, but the pricing concept and inflation is what's killing this game's concept, and there are far too many losses recently. It usually takes considerably longer to explain and play as well, and if the game wasn't unretired, I wouldn't have been too upset. I'd much rather play the late Hit Me for a car since there is a unique set of skills that can usually result in a win.
That said, as you can see on the graph, there hasn't been a noticeable purge in games since Drew's earliest seasons. But effectively, I feel that the show would work best at around 60-70 games, enough where it doesn't feel too repetitive like in the early hourlong era, but not so many that it allows for many games to be reduced to monthly, bimonthly, or even quarterly appearances. The best way to balance would be by eliminating fee games or other games that take long to play like 10 Chances and by introducing quicker play games, and is why I would like to see an improved Magic #, the continuation of Shopping Spree (it's basically a reverse of the retired Credit Card), and Check Game since those would make all of the common non-fee games like ME, 1WP, 1RP, or Double Cross have even more appearances.
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Why would they retire any game if they don't absolutely have to
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I don't think they're in need of retiring anything. Pricing games get old when you see them too often. But if there's a need to trim some fat...
Gridlock: the worst themed game on the roster. It's money game where you pick 2 sets of 2 numbers out of two pools of 3, rather than 2 sets of 2 numbers out of one pool of 9. Has the least exciting reveal as its just "is that right?".
2 for the price of 1: This is basically safe crackers with a free number and the same lame "is that right?" reveal. The only time it ever gets exciting is if the large price is a car, but safe crackers has also done that before. At least Shopping Spree has the models revealing prices.
Triple Play: nothing says manufactured excitement more than this game. This game is only ever exciting because a contestant could win 3 cars, or nothing at all. And the worst part about it is... the 3rd, most expensive car, isn't even very flashy when compared to the cars you see on Golden Road or 3 strikes.
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Yeah, y'all would hate me as EP of Price.
I'd do an entire 4-show Farewell Week, play 24 different games one last time, then kill every last single one.
Whether due to mechanical complexity, the "time commitment vs. prize quality vs. audience interest" 3d graph, "Wait, which game is that?" from focus groups, "you can do everything right and still lose because of dumb luck", or "specifically, to hell with Pick-a-Number" (ie: personal dislike): this show has entirely too many games (and is a big reason why your average person knows older games on sight but couldn't tell you Gridlock or Hot Seat to save their life). In watching the Barker Era Pluto channel, it's struck me how well the show runs on a rotation of around 50 games +/- 5.
Back to 73
Balance Game
Bonus Game
Check-Out
Danger Price
Do the Math
Double Cross
Easy as 123
Freeze Frame
Gridlock
Hi Lo
Hot Seat
Line 'Em Up
Make Your Move
Pick-a-Number
Pocket Change
Secret X
Shopping Spree
Stack the Deck
Swap Meet
Switcheroo
Time is Money
2 for the Price of 1
Vend-O-Price
Several other games would get retools. Magic # gets a new prop AND the winner gets the amount on the display if they're right. Check Game would no longer have a static range, it would change playing to playing (if you understand the game's mechanic it doesn't matter, if you don't you're probably screwed anyway). Bonus prizes people actually want for the "dining room" games ala Take Two.
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You do realize that Gridlock is what is stopping Lucky Seven from being played 30 or more times a year. The game serves it purpose. Thank god chelsea is not the executive producer the show would get stale fast when you start seeing the same games once or twice every single week.
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The show is the best when there is between 70 to 80 active games IMO
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Check Game would no longer have a fixed range (if you understand the game's mechanic it doesn't matter, if you don't you're probably screwed anyway).
With your retool, how would someone playing that game know what to do (in other words, what would you have the player doing if they no longer had to have their check total and the price of the prize to add up to between two numbers in a range [this is how I'm reading you here])?
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You do realize that Gridlock is what is stopping Lucky Seven from being played 30 or more times a year. The game serves it purpose. Thank god chelsea is not the executive producer the show would get stale fast when you start seeing the same games once or twice every single week.
Having grown up with the show in the classic era, I wouldn't have a problem with fewer pricing games within the rotation. While it's nice for 79-80 games, the show did well for years when there were 4-5 dozen pricing games. Plus, several games still get played (almost) every week while several others show up once in awhile (with several weeks to over a month between playings)
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With your retool, how would someone playing that game know what to do (in other words, what would you have the player doing if they no longer had to have their check total and the price of the prize to add up to between two numbers in a range [this is how I'm reading you here])?
Clarification: Not fixed from game to game. One playing might be $13000-$14000, another $7500-$8000, etc.
Same rules, just different target.
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Clarification: Not fixed from game to game. One playing might be $13000-$14000, another $7500-$8000, etc.
Same rules, just different target.
Oh, so basically, the range can change based on the kind of prize being played for, I take it.
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I understand that “every game is somebody’s favorite”, but there was an all time high in Season 50 where there were 79 pricing games in the active rotation. There are still only 1,140 pricing game slots each season, so a higher number of games means less playings for all and the continued pressure towards reducing run time means the shorter games need to get priority.
I would agree with Magic # and, to an extent, Check Game.
So few people understand the concept of Magic # and its recent setups are to a point where there's literally no challenge anymore. The game worked the best in the 1990s, when the prizes' prices were in the $1,500-$3,000 range, and often there was a spread of as little as $500 to as much as $1,000.
Now, it's just a guessing game, IMO.
Additionally, if the contestants actually thought about the prices of the items shown, there might be more success. Now, it's just a plaything and hear the pretty noises as the number finder goes up and up and up, and then down and down, then up and up and then down and down ... .
(BTW, what was the maximum number the display could show? Could someone – in theory – keep the lever in the "up" position for as long as they wanted and the highest number is an infinite (i.e., possibly tens of thousands) one?)
Check Game, you raise valid points. Fewer people these days still write paper checks, doing all financial transactions either electronically (e.g., automatic withdrawals for regular bills) or with credit/debit cards. It seems more contestants are understanding the concept of the game – write a cash amount which, when added to the ARP of that prize, will add up to between $8,000 and $9,000 – so the comedic aspect that Bob Barker used to go for, that is, do contestants really understand the game as he just explained, is no longer there, not that Drew ever used that kind of comedy in the first place.
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It's not the classic era anymore you really need to get in touch and wake up. The show is more compressed due to time constraints so quickie games like the ones you listed that you would retire are a necessity for the show. The days of Temptation, Ten Chances and Hole in one being played nearly every week are gone. There is a reason why so many quickie games debuted in the 90s increased commercial times. I pray to god someone like you never get in charge of TPIR. You had several games during the classic era being played as much as 40+ times at one point
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Retiring Shopping spree, Swap Meet, Danger Price and Eazy az 123 all at once would be asinine. It's not the 80s anymore television has changed and quickie games are a necessity for the show
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Retiring Shopping spree, Swap Meet, Danger Price and Eazy az 123 all at once would be asinine. It's not the 80s anymore television has changed and quickie games are a necessity for the show
You don't actually have any idea how often these four games get played, do you?
(Hint: Not much.)
There is a mature way to have this discussion. This is not it. One more jab at Chelsea, and I'm banning you.
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(BTW, what was the maximum number the display could show? Could someone – in theory – keep the lever in the "up" position for as long as they wanted and the highest number is an infinite (i.e., possibly tens of thousands) one?)
I imagine it would have to be $9,999, since the display only holds four digits.
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Im explaining to her how retiring that many games is a terriable idea. And that it's not a good idea to compare today's era of the show to the classic era
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You aren't really articulating the point though. The reason she wants to consolidate these games is so the games that remain are a batch that are strong, memorable, and would make a good rotation.
It's okay to have games that are getting played just about every week if they are rotated well and it can be tough to do that with so many games. We end up with streaks of 1Ps and 2Ps getting played 6 or 7 weeks in a row while others go missing for 3 or 4 weeks. Not every game has to have a perfect rotation or get paired with as many unique games as possible, but it helps make sure people know what's up.
While I don't agree with all the game selections in that post, I think it's a fascinating thought experiment and I would love to see the show tackle a smaller list of 50-60 games.
They seem like they're doing an okay job with the games, but there's a couple extra games that I think they could retire and not have too many people lament its demise. Plus, there's so many short games already that we can still lose a couple of those and be okay.
Here's what I would want to take out:
1) Card Game
The show has been trying to figure out what to do with this game and that has meant making most of the cars expensive in this game. What this means is that if you don't get an ace, you'll be waiting a while to get to the range. It doesn't feel worth it for the amount of time it takes to play and would help the other car games breathe a little more.
2) Pick-a-Number
It's boring. There's other quick games that fill the niche bettter, and the set is still ugly.
3) Triple Play
I know, it's a big 3, but it's the least interesting one of them. It barely gets played and the game itself is kinda dull. There are other ways to drum up excitement than this and it's not worth it.
4) 1 Wrong Price
Again, other games that the niche better and this one's a little too simple and short for my liking.
5) Hot Seat
It's not my least favorite casher, but it's definitely the one that feels the most derivative and unnecessary. The game takes forever, the format's just a mishmash of other games, and it doesn't really feel like it has its own style. The intro gave it something and the time Drew takes reciting all the dollar amounts they could win could be used towards something better. Plus, we've added so many lately that we can take one out.
Everything has a reason as to what they would pick and how they do it and Chelsea's is very inspired. And you can make the rotations work even with time constraints. There's still plenty of classic era stuff that we still have today, and they don't seem like they're going to change that.
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Another potential caveat to a mass reduction of pricing games: freeing up space in storage
I can only imagine how crowded the storage area for PGs is. It would have to be a near logistical nightmare if not for the well-oiled machine of stagehands and other production staff working behind the scenes to make it all just…work. Depending on how the production’s lease of their space at TV City is arranged, freeing up space might even translate to some level of cost savings by virtue of no longer having to lease as much of the building. If that’s not possible, there are number of other ways the space could be utilized — such as for new props and/or to completely revamp some games to have a larger stage presence. Regardless of ‘how’, more space could only be a positive thing for the production.
I’m on board with the idea, as improbable as it is to happen. We get some of the wackiest lineups some days for the simple fact the show wants to fit certain games in as many times as they can. A mass exodus of the games that most commonly stink up a lineup in a hurry is fine by me. Just don’t cut the games that are my favorites. :P
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Im explaining to her how retiring that many games is a terriable idea. And that it's not a good idea to compare today's era of the show to the classic era
I feel pretty safe saying that Chelsea has a better idea of how TV works than you do.
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I'm just going to point out that in the 51-year history of the show, only three quick games have ever been retired: Bump, Gallery Game, and maybe Shower Game, assuming that counted as a quick car game.
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It will probably happen. But if the games chelsea listed were all retired. It would cause several of the same games being played more than once during the same week. The game needs more quick games now than it did during the early 80s
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To be realistic, the chances that all 24 games within that list Chelsea posted are slim to none. Even if it were the case, it's still easy to avoid having a pricing game show up more than once within a single week. TBH, if it happens, that isn't too much of a big deal when it's rare. I'll agree that having a number of quick games is important in today's era, but I have to disagree on the concept that we could see the same game or games every single week
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I meant to say that it will probably not happen
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Another potential caveat to a mass reduction of pricing games: freeing up space in storage
I would agree with this, but at the same time look at the size of many of the games that have been created most recently. Gridlock!, Hot Seat, Back to 7X, Pay the Rent, Rat Race,Time Is Money, To the Penney. Heck, they even enlarged the size of the Card Game table after they had remodeled it, made Side by Side taller, and they built extensions to the Pathfinder board during COVID. Not to mention the addition of the seating pods and flooring for the audience. The only relatively small ones for storage are Vendo-o-Price, Do the Math, and maybe Double Cross.
You would think that if storage was a problem it might in some way impact the design of some of the games. But they seem on average to be bigger than ever. It's amazing to me that they haven't slowly retired some games as all of these large things started appearing. To have gone this long seems to tell me that storage is not one of their primary concerns. Yet.
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Personally the only games that i would consider retiring would be pay the rent and back to 7x
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I agree, the show could remain fresh and unique with about 50 games in rotation. Personally, I'd retire:
Back to '7X: This was supposed to be gone and yet here it is with an odd Match Game flavor. It's a novelty throwback, but that's really the entire show.
Card Game: It just feels forced. It barely worked with $5000 car prices. You could easily bust with a face card. Now they have to spot a ridiculous amount of a starting bid to keep the game from being 8 minutes long.
Check-Out: I just pain don't like its deviation from the "without going over" rules.
Double Cross: This has just always been "meh." It was a game made with tech for the sake of using tech.
Freeze Frame: For a quickie, this can have a painfully slow gameplay as the board displays a series of nonsense prices with two or three possibilities.
Gridlock!: It's just too busy for what it is.
Hole in One or Two: Bob's retired. We can get rid of his little ego game now.
Line 'Em Up: It's always been just too much of a crapshoot and Switcheroo knockoff.
Now ...or Then: The set is hideous. And with inflation and pricing being all over the place, it just doesn't play out well. Using prices from a newspaper? Is that really MSRP? Plus, if a contestant wants to use strategy, Bob and Drew have always directed the player away from doing so. It's an S&P nightmare.
One Wrong Price: Just check the name of the show.
Pick-a-Number: Another ugly game that is just a plain 33% guess.
Secret "X": Probably the easiest game to lose with perfect pricing. And it's ugly, come at me.
That's Too Much!: Bob's overselling of the yell is all that saved this game. It goes back to the premise that you don't want to go over.
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The only game that I can think of for this criteria is Gridlock!. There's too little room for error, which has led to a handful of wipeouts and can't be played first or second due to it needing quite some time to boot up.
Hot Seat would probably be the next game. It's got too much going on and an earlier poster explained its problems better than I would. I think it's also difficult to slot because of the timing needed for it.
Edit: I forgot a reason for Hot Seat.
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Grildlock serves it purpose. You see the show eventually getting rid of hot seat though. Episodes when the game is played sometimes creates some odd lineups
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Hot Seat is in an odd position for me because it's an incredibly long game. Revamp it to make it slightly faster and I think it can stay. You'll have to pry Now... Or Then from my cold dead hands if you want to retire it. As for the whole "newspaper" thing, the system in which "then" prices were found was revamped and they now use old episodes of Price to find them. Magic # is sadly already long gone. As for the storage issue, Gridlock! doesn't really have a place in the warehouse to begin with? Its home is just kinda shoved in between a bunch of plants and greenery backdrops. Also as a side note it really needs to be dusted off. I don't mind it as a quickie car game and considering how much they spent building it, it'll stick around for a while. Back to '7x was a pointless revival, the gimmick was with it being all about the 50th season. Maybe if it only shows up once a year for new years I won't be too mad at it, but having it in active rotation seems rather pointless since it's just an easier Cliffhangers. Card Game getting yet another inflation bump is going to be interesting, I don't know why fans were so desperate for it to come back in 2014. It was taken out of rotation for a reason and I don't think it should've been put back in.
Overall I like the variety of games and as Roger has said in the past, "Every game is somebody's favorite" so retiring any of them will be a loss to someone, but I do think some trimming wouldn't be the worst thing in the world.
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I like the lineup as it is and I don't think there's anything seriously wrong with it. The sprawling variety is fun to me and I don't mind games taking breaks for weeks at a time. But if I absolutely need to make cuts for the purpose of getting my favorite games more airtime, let's take a look at them category by category. Games I think are most important to keep at the top of the list, least important at the bottom. Cut games will be stricken through. I'll also say which games I think deserve to get extra playings to fill the void left.
Two-Prize Games
Switch?
Bargain Game
Do the Math
1 Right Price
Double Cross
No cuts here. Two-prizers are needed. I may not love the fact that Double Cross is stuffed with touchscreens, but it does its job in a lineup.
Three-Prize Games
Most Expen$ive
Easy as 1-2-3
One Wrong Price
No cuts. One Wrong Price is not close to being one of my favorite games, but without it you have Most Expensive and... a game very similar to Most Expensive. One Wrong Price is needed to provide variety. (It would provide more variety if it weren't played every week. 123 should absorb some playings.)
Four-Prize Games
Race Game
Danger Price
Take Two
Shopping Spree
Swap Meet
Danger Price and Take Two stay because they are fun and they have the potential to end early if the contestant wins or loses right away, saving time. Shopping Spree does not have that advantage, and is not particularly fun. Swap Meet is quick for a 4P, but it is not fun and its style is too 90's for the current show. While it could be saved by a refurb, I think the three remaining are strong enough to carry the show.
SP One-Prize Games
Cliff Hangers
Secret "X"
Shell Game
Bonus Game
Back to '7x
Bonus Game is a classic and is quicker than Shell Game, but but Shell Game does the same thing with more flair. The loss of the quickest SP game necessitates Secret "X" getting promoted to biweekly. Cliff and Shell get a few extra playings as well, though we're required to shorten some lineups to accommodate them.
I love the idea of trotting out Back to '7x very occasionally on special episodes a few times a season, but I don't think it's worth the effort to make a permanent part of the rotation.
GP One-Prize Games
Pick-a-Pair
Vend-O-Price
Grocery Game
Bullseye
Check-Out
Now....or Then
Hi Lo
Hi Lo is lost frequently. While this isn't a problem in it of itself, harder games are needed, but it's also usually obvious when the contestant loses before the final price is revealed. Now or Then is a classic, and while any LFAT would be happy to see it come around on the turntable, it's not one of Drew's better explanations, it's difficult to see the prop light up on camera, and "get three wedges in a row" isn't the cleanest concept in the world.
Grocery Game, Check-Out, Bullseye, and Pair absorb most of their playings.
Cash Games
Plinko
Grand Game
It's In the Bag
Time i$ Money
1/2 Off
Punch a Bunch
To the Penny
Hot Seat
Pay the Rent
These three are games I like the core ideas behind, but are executed better by other games. I love the idea of a Millionaire-style money tree pricing game, but I wish To the Penny was streamlined a little bit better. Hot Seat is a neat idea but it hurts lineups by taking very long to play. Pay the Rent works as an excuse to offer $100,000 semi-regularly, but "bail with $10K or watch the contestant lose because they didn't know to put the 3rd most expensive in the mailbox" is no fun to watch.
I came scandalously close to cutting Punch-a-Bunch because it produces a predictable and endless parade of $2500-$100 winners, but the masterful presentation won out and ended up saving it. It could get a new prize distribution (with a lone $100,000 slip and a few more $10,000 and $5,000 ones) and a slight cutback in playings to fill Pay the Rent's role as the once-a-month "Big Money" game.
This frees up 30 slots for cash games. Every cash game gets a boost in playings. Grand Game, Time is Money, and Half Off benefit the most, getting played about every other week instead of every three weeks. Each can easily become useful in budget mode.
1P Games
Push Over
Double Prices
Flip Flop
Coming or Going
Side By Side
Bonkers
Balance Game
Freeze Frame
Squeeze Play
Range Game
Check Game
Pick-a-Number
Add: Untitled Quickie
This is the hardest category to make cuts--nearly every episode has a 1P game of some sort, usually a quickie. But cut we shall.
They'll live without Pick-a-Number. Range Game is long past its prime. And I love Check Game, but I concede it's not the easiest concept in the world to understand and doesn't fit the vision of a tighter, all-killer-no-filler price.
The elimination of these three games leaves a gap of about 50 1P slots per year that need filled. We introduce Untitled Quickie, which gets 20 playings a year. Every other 1P game gets an extra 3-4 playings per year.
Car SP Games
Five Price Tags
Rat Race
Pathfinder
Switcheroo
Master Key
Spelling Bee
I love Spelling Bee. I really do. But it's no fun when the contestant struggles to bid on the SPs and you know there's no possibility of winning all three. The bailout portion is unique but it's done better by other games. Picking the cards is kind of fun but not as fun as other luck-based car games. And it's long.
Car GP Games
Hole in One
Let 'em Roll
Stack the Deck
Pass the Buck
Picking numbers off the board in Pass the Buck is fun but not as fun as some of the other games. And $1 just can't buy what it used to.
Stack the Deck gets an increase of playings. The show needs games that do their job in budget mode and Stack certainly does that. Before you boo, 5-10 playings each season have the GPs set up to be a-toddler-could-get-all-three easy. The goal is to end the season playing it about 12-15 times with about a 25% win rate.
With the elimination of Bee and Buck, Let 'em Roll and Gas Money become the only two "do you want to bail with $X or do you want to try again for the car" games. They both get a small boost in playings.
Other Car Games
Money Game
That's Too Much!
Cover Up
Any Number
Lucky $even
One Away
Dice Game
Pocket Change
10 Chances
Gas Money
Temptation
Line em Up
Gridlock!
More or Less
Card Game
A strong variety in car games is needed, so we're not going to go overboard here. More or Less takes too long to play and frequently doesn't even end with an exciting moment. I admire the effort to retrofit Card Game into something that works in 2023 but its gameplay just doesn't work near as well as anything else on the list. Every other car game gets a slight bump: 1-3 more playings per year, but nothing drastic. The rotation looks much like it does now.
Big Three
3 Strikes
Golden Road
Triple Play
The Big Three become the Big Two. Golden Road and 3 Strikes get played six times per year instead of four.
Other Games
Make Your Move
Clock Game
Safe Crackers
2 For the Price of 1
Safe Crackers and Make Your Move see a healthy increase in playings.
This cuts a total of 18 games and adds one. We're down to 62 games--still with a healthy sprawl & variety, but with my favorite games getting played a bit more frequently than they do now. And the pruning leaves room to add new games that build on old ideas. You want to recycle Card Game's reveal and staging for a new green felt casino-themed game? Go for it!
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Race Game and Take Two cannot be played first or second Shopping Spree and Swap Meet can. For that reason alone i doubt the show would actually retire either shopping spree and swap meet. The whole reason those games were created was to have a quickie multi prizer that could be played in any slot
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I think most of these “long” games on the chopping block would not take nearly as much time if Drew didn’t spend it explaining every possible scenario that could happen over the course of the game in great detail. Hot Seat is one of his worst in that regard. I still love modern Price and have long grown accustomed to Drew’s style, but I long for the days of explaining the rules as the game goes along, or even “Do you know how to play this game? Great, do it.” But there will never be another Bob.
I’d be interested to see if many of these games would still be up for hypothetical retirement when a new host comes along.
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Hot Seat and Card Game are the two games besides Magic # I could see being retired. Both Hot Seat and Card Game take longer to play and neither are all that exciting despite the flash of their sets. It also seems like contestants playing Hot Seat usually aren't quite sure what to do, and Card Game is more and more impacted by inflation.
I’d be interested to see if many of these games would still be up for hypothetical retirement when a new host comes along.
That is a point-- there were several games retired in Drew's first 3 seasons including some that were retired because of his feelings about the game (or other games with similar situations). If at any point there is a new host, that's when we could see another batch of pricing game retirements to accommodate to him/her.
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Race Game and Take Two cannot be played first or second Shopping Spree and Swap Meet can. For that reason alone i doubt the show would actually retire either shopping spree and swap meet. The whole reason those games were created was to have a quickie multi prizer that could be played in any slot
The reason those two multiprizers can’t be played in those spots nowadays is a consequence of the modern Drew intro sweeping across the set. I’d be amazed if Roger has the foresight to make Spree and Swap comparable two decades in advance for a change under a different director. I don’t see a problem with Danger being the only 4P played in the first segment?
I wouldn’t cut any games because I don’t think the general public cares enough about pricing game rotations, but I’m all for killing Triple Play to get two more playings of Road and 3X, among other cuts.
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Race Game and Take Two cannot be played first or second Shopping Spree and Swap Meet can. For that reason alone i doubt the show would actually retire either shopping spree and swap meet.
That’s fair.
Swap Meet returns to the rotation after a refurbishment. The burden is shouldered by Danger and an uptick in three-prizers for a season while we wait for the budget to get a new set.
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Well, this the first time I've seen mentions of Pick-A-Number being retired in about 15-20 years. I definitely can recall how several "wanted" PAN retired. It was and sorta is still lame. I don't hate it outright; it's just okay.
Unless I'm mistaken, other than maybe Money Game, it's a decent game to play that doesn't have the threat of a malfunction. It's pretty quick TBH. I wouldn't lose any sleep if PAN actually went away for good, but over the years I've come to accept its existence.
I'd hold onto Shopping Spree. Just my opinion, but it's a very nice game. On a somewhat related note, I don't think I'll ever be happy with the demise of Credit Card, so I might shed a tear or two if Spree were ever to be retired. It's not a quick game, but a nice fit for TPIR. I wouldn't mind seeing Swap Meet go. No set update needed. I just don't see what anyone has to lose if Swap were retired. I still haven't heard it mentioned from the casuals when it comes to talking Price
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Race Game and Take Two cannot be played first or second Shopping Spree and Swap Meet can.
The thing is that you could do them second, and a few other stage games that they just don't. I understand if they think it's too much work, but we've seen them accommodate for Gas Money 2nd and there are ways they can stage and make lineups around that. Do a trip game 1st on the turntable and set up during the playing.
Do I think they'll do it? Not particularly, but they can do Take Two/Race Game second and it's a lineup thing that's gotten at me before.
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Well, this the first time I've seen mentions of Pick-A-Number being retired in about 15-20 years. I definitely can recall how several "wanted" PAN retired. It was and sorta is still lame. I don't hate it outright; it's just okay.
I remember during the last several years with Bob hosting Pick-A-Number was played so rarely that every time it was played I almost forgot it existed. It's been played so much more under Drew including as a car game, so I can't see it going anywhere now.
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Back in the day when there was a brief commercial break after the first pricing game it was common for center stage games to be played second. But now that is no longer the case. It's been years since many center stage games was played second.
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I never understood the dislike for Back to 7x.
The products shown vary widely from the products shown in cliffhangers with price ranges going from $0 - $350, compared to cliff's products which range from roughly $0 - $70; and even then you rarely see products going over $50. I think the highest price I've ever seen was that lady who guessed $61 on Tableware on step 24 and ended up winning with the ARP being $62. interestingly enough, contestants seem to fare really well in BT7x even with the large range in prices resulting in a high win rate. I'd watch this over the predictable $20-30-40 wins in Cliff. Also as a disclaimer, I don't think Cliff should be retired because of this fact.
The theming of the game is also great since most people were born at a time where knobs on TVs weren't being made anymore. Stuff like this is what give the game its charm similar to grocery game's 1970s themed cash register - I hope that never changes. I think games like Check Out lost some of its charm when they removed the model manually dialing in the prices for each grocery item - as redundant as it may be.
At the very least, if they do end up retiring this game, the functionality for that TV and knob could easily be repurposed for Magic #.
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The show is never retiring Cliff Hangers. So there no cause for concern in terms of that.
That being said, I think you and I are the only ones that don't hate Back to 19-whatever. I thought the concept was unique upon its debut. It's decent from the classic cues to the concept of figuring out prices from back in the day. However, it's a little more than okay for me. I would not put it in my Top 10. Sure the ranges varies more than Cliff, but really, and IMO, I think of Rat Race in terms of the ranges. Despite the expansive range, it's been rather common that the first price is in the 0-50 range, with the second one a little higher followed by 200+ for the third. So it's not too much of a big deal
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Back in the day when there was a brief commercial break after the first pricing game it was common for center stage games to be played second. But now that is no longer the case. It's been years since many center stage games was played second.
Since the show is heavily edited for time/staging, there's no stopping them (at least the annoying lack of a break in that spot shouldn't matter.)
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The show is never retiring Cliff Hangers. So there no cause for concern in terms of that.
That being said, I think you and I are the only ones that don't hate Back to 19-whatever. I thought the concept was unique upon its debut. It's decent from the classic cues to the concept of figuring out prices from back in the day. However, it's a little more than okay for me. I would not put it in my Top 10. Sure the ranges varies more than Cliff, but really, and IMO, I think of Rat Race in terms of the ranges. Despite the expansive range, it's been rather common that the first price is in the 0-50 range, with the second one a little higher followed by 200+ for the third. So it's not too much of a big deal
I love back to '7X. George reading Johnny's copy, the scaled-down model of the old set and the disco beat take me to my happy place.
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It’s Time for Pricing Game Retirements:
HOT SEAT
To the Penny
Back to '73
Vend-O-Price
GRIDLOCK!
LINE em UP
DOUBLE CROSS
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I wouldn't like to see any games retired at all, and in fact would prefer to see 7-8 retired games reinvented and brought back in addition. Certainly, there are some games I'm not overly fond of, but I still don't mind seeing those games as part of a large rotation.
I also believe every single game serves a purpose on the show, and the ones that have problems (i.e. all the retired games, plus current games that are too long, too hard etc) could all be fixed if the show's staff really wanted to fix them. For example, the issue with Magic # having too wide a gap between the prices can be resolved by using the same solution Clock Game adopted years ago by offering two sub-$1000 prizes, then a larger 'bonus' prize. The staging can be resolved by literally having a screen with the magic number between the two prizes (like Do The Math), so that it's more intuitive that the number needs to be between the two prizes. To The Penny has an issue with its rules and money tree but that could be solved pretty quickly if they wanted to. Hot Seat could be shortened by revealing the first two correct prices at the same time (given that a contestant has only ever once got less than two prices correct, and no one has ever bailed after the first price was revealed), and only starting the bail out decisions from the 3rd item onwards (i.e. only offer 2500/5000/10000/20000).
The only reason I could understand for game retirements is storage space, but even then the show could consolidate some of the game props if really needed. As a last resort, some games could share a monitor and just have different 'cover plates' that are quick and easy to clip on and off - similar to the early shows where several games shared Any Number's prop, just with different covers - to still make the games look distinct. I'm thinking games like Take Two, Double Cross, the Rat Race monitor, Bonus Game, Pathfinder price display, even others like Money Game etc. It also brings to mind Roger's comments on the storage space and that he'd much rather get rid of background set pieces before getting rid of games for storage reasons given they are the core of the show.
I can appreciate Chelsea's argument for a wholesale cull of the games for a leaner rotation. Coming from Australian TPIR where we had far fewer games at any one time, I love the extra variety of games in the American series. It makes for an interesting exercise though and I could probably cull 15-20 games pretty easily as it's something I've often thought about with Australian TPIR - that is, what would be the best choice of 30 games for a half hour show (or 60 for full hour) if you were starting fresh, ensuring all the bases are still covered (fee games, car games, some quick games etc). Some of the early classic games - Grocery Game, Range Game, Hi Lo, Clock Game, Temptation, Bonus Game - wouldn't make my list due to their rules and/or similarity to other, better games.
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I think you and I are the only ones that don't hate Back to 19-whatever.
I also love the game. I was pretty excited when I saw it come back as Back to 73 this season. I'm hoping if they continue with it that we see the turntable panel update through the years. I think it's one of their best new games in a very long time.
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I, for one, can't wait to see if they update the paint job for Back to '75.
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I, for one, can't wait to see if they update the paint job for Back to '75.
That is very funny and insightful - it's like we can relive the Barker Era through Back to 'xx. Love it!
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I, for one, can't wait to see if they update the paint job for Back to '75.
Or if we'll get the purple-red-orange pattern for Back to '83.
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I have said this several times on Discord. People are still kvetching about the fact that some games are played far too often. We don't need to be hurdling back to 60 games, we should be going forward towards 90. For the most part, the show has gotten inventive and while some may be a pain in the assenmacher to recap (Time), I love them as games (Time).
I'd rather have too many games than too few.
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I have said this several times on Discord. People are still kvetching about the fact that some games are played far too often. We don't need to be hurdling back to 60 games, we should be going forward towards 90. For the most part, the show has gotten inventive and while some may be a pain in the assenmacher to recap (Time), I love them as games (Time).
I'd rather have too many games than too few.
Absolutely. I agree Gridlock may be a little too similar yo Money Game than it should be, but I'd rather see two playings of both games over a month instead of seeing just one of them four times. The variety helps a lot
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I have said this several times on Discord. People are still kvetching about the fact that some games are played far too often. We don't need to be hurdling back to 60 games, we should be going forward towards 90. For the most part, the show has gotten inventive and while some may be a pain in the assenmacher to recap (Time), I love them as games (Time).
I'd rather have too many games than too few.
Where’s the thumbs up button? 100%
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Variety is the spice of life. The more the merrier. I think these phrases apply for the family of current pricing games played on the program. Many pricing games are a variation of others. Shell Game, Bonus Game and Secret "X" are somewhat similar. Shell & Bonus especially. Secret "X" has the double prices method of winning a small prize which makes it somewhat different. Also perfect playing does not guarantee a win with "X", and while that may be a huge gripe for many fans, it obviously has been doing okay since the game has existed since 1977. I've even softened toward "That's Too Much!". I just try to think of it in different terms, specifically, I think of it as a horizontal Range Game always played for a car. If the price of the car falls between the last 2 fake prices exposed, you win. Stack the Deck I like because it involves multi layers of pricing (meaning car pricing plus grocery item pricing). This is why I love games like Five Price Tags, Pathfinder & Switcheroo too as it involves 2 layers of pricing. Master Key, while a fun game, has no pricing element for the car itself. Overall I'd say all things considered, the rotation of games is fine as is. Best to leave well enough alone :)
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Overall I'd say all things considered, the rotation of games is fine as is. Best to leave well enough alone :)
My original point was that things aren't "well enough" - the game rotation has appendicitis and something has to be removed. It also frees up space to continue innovation towards some games that might become really memorable and cut the excess.
Appreciate all the good discussion so far and some of the really radical ideas.
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I think the biggest problem is that the powers that be really like all the games that suck… the ones they would retire would be the original ones that have been around 30 years.
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I agree with what others have said, I don't see the need to retire any games.
We could definitely use some additional games in certain categories (multi-prizer, SP, quickie for more variety) to flesh out the variety a bit more.
I know storage can be an issue, but around 90 games would be perfect. I don't mind if certain games appear less often. It makes them feel more special when they do, in fact, make an appearance.
I do wish they would just reconfigure "Back to 72/73" to be called "Back in Time", making it playable for any year the show has been on the air. Just name the year at the start of the game.