When I watch The Price is Right, sometimes some games definitely seem harder than others.
Word on the street is that when a ton of people have been winning, and the budget is getting a bit tighter, the show will make some games tougher.
Reversely, when people haven’t been winning much, games will become a little easier (so hopefully someone will win).
I’m not implying any games are ever fixed. That’s not what I mean by this at all. There’s just a toughness factor…
For instance, the first time someone won on “Pay the Rent,” the game was set up so that even if you didn’t use the best strategy (and you put the least expensive item in the mailbox (which you should never do!)), you could still win.
(Does what I’m saying make sense? I don’t know why I’m having such a hard time explaining it!)
Anyway, one thing I thought was funny is that from the a game show watcher’s eye, it sort of looked like during my day on Price that neither me, nor the other car winner, were “supposed” to win our car games.
I know that even when games are set up as tougher than normal, there’s obviously still a chance you’ll win (as we both proved on The Price is Right that day).
But, the other car game that was played (One Away) had 4 blue numbers in a row! I don’t think most people would’ve thought to go that route. People generally think they need to mix up the colors. (And from what I can tell, they usually do.)
Also, I’ve heard that in The Money Game, when the halves are not next to each other, and when there’s not an El Cheapo piece to help you out, the game is being set up so that the show is kinda hoping you don’t win.
(Technically, from every interview I’ve heard with the Exec Producer Mike Richards, it sounds like he always wants everyone to win. So, maybe “hoping you don’t win” is the wrong wording… But you know, they’re making it an extra challenge for you.)
I have no idea, by the way, if that’s true about The Money Game. That’s just sort of Price is Right lore I’ve heard around the game show community.
So, from what I could tell, we were in a tougher games day on Price is Right – yet obviously, I won!
Whereas, on Let’s Make a Deal, much about that day seemed to scream incredible prizes they generally wanted us to win (judging by the games people played)… yet, I lost.
Maybe I’m reading into things, and being a little crazy. And I still cannot argue with the strategy I used that day (the best I had in a game like that)… But I just thought it was funny.
You never know what life is gonna give you! Even when things seem stacked against you, you may persevere. And when things seem to be in your favor, you still may screw it all up!
Ah, life!
(To read more about my Let’s Make a Deal experience, go here. If you want to read on Price is Right, that’s here. Thanks!)
Hi Aurora,
If a person is actually picked as a contestant to be on ‘Let’s Make A Deal,’ they would have to wait 3 years before they can be on that show again. Do you know if that rule also applies to someone who wins the ‘quickie deal’ where that person in the audience has an item in their purse or pocket and wins money for showing the item? On one hand if they win money, then they’re a winner of a game on the show. On the other hand, they had very little interaction with Wayne the host and didn’t go on stage. With your knowledge, do you by chance know the answer?
Hey Michele!
I’ve always wondered that myself! Anytime I’ve been in the audience of Let’s Make a Deal, I’ve always tried to avoid all eye contact/shy away when the quickie deals come by, because I don’t want to “waste” a game show appearance, juuuuust in case. That being said, I’ve never heard a definitive answer on this. I would say that the case that maybe it doesn’t “count” is that no one wins anything over $600, so it’s not even taxable. I don’t even think you have to fill out tax forms because of that (although maybe you do, we’d have to find someone who won a quickie deal to ask them). So, if you “don’t exist” according to their paperwork or the IRS because you made under a certain amount, then were you a “contestant”? That being said, if you play on The Price is Right, and you lose a car, you’ve won nothing, but it counts because you were on stage and played a game. So, maybe your winnings don’t actually mean anything…
I asked some of my close game show friends your question, and the consensus as far as they believe is that, if you are so much as called down to contestant’s row on The Price Is Right, it counts as game show appearance – even if you’re the last one called, you’re only there one round, and don’t go on stage. You got called to contestant’s row, so it counts. Therefore, they believe it would stand to reason that a quickie deal would be somewhat equivalent to that, and would most likely “officially” count as an appearance.
Let me know if you find any more/better/definitive answers somewhere. Thanks so much!