Extraordinary or Fickle Luck On A Game Show

[Ian Wallis]

CARD SHARKS (CBS)/HOLLYWOOD SQUARES (John Davidson)/JUST MEN!

All three of these show had a winning streak of 4 cars in a row won!

I remember the "Squares" car very well.  It was during early 1987, and it was the SAME car that started four straight days.  It was picked again on the fifth day - but unfortunatly didn't start that day.  

The producers must have been shaking their heads that week wondering what the odds were of something like that happening four days in a row!

[PeterMarshallFan]

[quote name=\'GameShowFan\' date=\'Nov 10 2003, 12:12 AM\'] I also recall an episode of 1990 TJW where a champion trailed by a ton, only to spin $50-$50-JOKER. What caught my eye was the Joker about to leave the window, only to be pulled back to the window as the final position. (Dan Enright, white courtesy phone.) The champ reeled off 4 consecutive answers for a come-from-behind miracle. [/quote]
 Riiiiiiggggggggggeddddddd?

[Ian Wallis]

I also recall an episode of 1990 TJW where a champion trailed by a ton, only to spin $50-$50-JOKER. What caught my eye was the Joker about to leave the window, only to be pulled back to the window as the final position.

That's surprising.  The only time I ever saw the third-window Joker was when the other amounts were rediculously small - usually $5 and $10.

[zachhoran]

[quote name=\'Ian Wallis\' date=\'Nov 10 2003, 09:12 AM\']


I remember the "Squares" car very well.  It was during early 1987, and it was the SAME car that started four straight days.  It was picked again on the fifth day - but unfortunatly didn't start that day.  

The producers must have been shaking their heads that week wondering what the odds were of something like that happening four days in a row! [/quote]
 DIdn't JD, in his infinite wisdom, say that the budget was shot to hell upon all those cars won that week.

[clemon79]

[quote name=\'PeterMarshallFan\' date=\'Nov 10 2003, 07:12 AM\'] Riiiiiiggggggggggeddddddd? [/quote]
 No, and that's a serious accusation you ought not be making without something to back it up.

[vtown7]

I'd like to chip in my own lucky story, taken from when I was on Wheel.

It was the third round.  I was in the yellow position (this was pre-toss-up).  The guy in the blue started round three.  He proceeded to spin about 5 or 6 times, getting $3500 three separate times.  After buying a vowel, he spun bankrupt, losing $18K+.  The girl in the red position then spun a few times, landing once on Jackpot.  Due to blue's TDV hitting, the pot was at $17400.  With this puzzle.

PHRASE

SHA _ _ / I / _ OM _ ARE / THEE / TO / A / SUMMER'S/ DAY

she proceeds to pick a "K".  I then spun $3500, took two L's, and solved.

My mother convinced I had quite a few horseshoes in me that day!

Cheers,

Ryan

[PeterMarshallFan]

No, and that's a serious accusation you ought not be making without something to back it up.

I didn't really mean it, Chris.

[ChuckNet]

DIdn't JD, in his infinite wisdom, say that the budget was shot to hell upon all those cars won that week.

Dunno, but he defintely used that line on the Time Machine finale as well.

Chuck Donegan (The Illustrious "Chuckie Baby")

[Brakus]

I seem to remember a contestant named Fran who became new champion at the top of the show, and played Money Cards. She busted out on the second level with two Kings. (This was right after the new G2T2 was introduced but long before the "tie = push" rule.)

The next Money Cards she played, she got a double King on the first level and busted, then moved to the second level and said "This time I'm betting $150 lower." Flip...

Ace.

Jim: "Fran.... don't go to Las Vegas."

Thankfully she was able to turn it into $400 by the time she got to the Big Bet.

[Robert Hutchinson]

[quote name=\'clemon79\' date=\'Nov 10 2003, 01:09 PM\'][quote name=\'PeterMarshallFan\' date=\'Nov 10 2003, 07:12 AM\'] Riiiiiiggggggggggeddddddd? [/quote]
No, and that's a serious accusation you ought not be making without something to back it up.[/quote]
Alternately, it's a light-hearted joke I've seen used for years by several members of this group.

[GSWitch]

[quote name=\'vtown7\' date=\'Nov 10 2003, 02:44 PM\'] I'd like to chip in my own lucky story, taken from when I was on Wheel.

It was the third round.  I was in the yellow position (this was pre-toss-up).  The guy in the blue started round three.  He proceeded to spin about 5 or 6 times, getting $3500 three separate times.  After buying a vowel, he spun bankrupt, losing $18K+.  The girl in the red position then spun a few times, landing once on Jackpot.  Due to blue's TDV hitting, the pot was at $17400.  With this puzzle.

PHRASE

SHA _ _ / I / _ OM _ ARE / THEE / TO / A / SUMMER'S/ DAY

she proceeds to pick a "K".  I then spun $3500, took two L's, and solved.

My mother convinced I had quite a few horseshoes in me that day!

Cheers,

Ryan [/quote]
 Nice story!  You were in the yellow position?

If I was in the yellow position, I'd tell Pat that I'm in the "Banana" position ala Tattle Tales!

[clemon79]

[quote name=\'Robert Hutchinson\' date=\'Nov 11 2003, 01:05 AM\'] [quote name=\'clemon79\' date=\'Nov 10 2003, 01:09 PM\'][quote name=\'PeterMarshallFan\' date=\'Nov 10 2003, 07:12 AM\'] Riiiiiiggggggggggeddddddd? [/quote]
No, and that's a serious accusation you ought not be making without something to back it up.[/quote]
Alternately, it's a light-hearted joke I've seen used for years by several members of this group. [/quote]
 Then some sort of indication that you are in fact joking would be appropriate.

[That Don Guy]

On a syndicated LMAD during the "Super Deal" era, a contestant wins a car, and trades it in for a Big Deal door; she wins the Big Deal, which includes the car she traded away.  She then trades the Big Deal for a Super Deal door and ends up with $20,000 plus the Big Deal, including "the car that just wouldn't stay away".

I don't know if this is "luck" or not, but (at least) two contestants have lost on WoF because they didn't know how to pronounce foreign words ("Milan" and "concerto"); it's painfully obvious that what they're pronouncing matches the spelling, but the producers say "no" both times (and one was an end game).

A contestant on The New Treasure Hunt wanted to take box #1, but changed her mind for some reason; at the end of the show, Geoff reveals that box #1 had the $25,000 in it.

However, the worst luck seems to go to those unnamed TPIR Home Viewer Showcase players who hear the price, realize that's what they entered, and then hear the dreaded words, "There was a tie, so we selected the winner randomly".

(And did more than one person on TNTH keep the money when there was $25,000 in the box?  I remember one win and one "keep the money" in the first season, and the two (maybe three) women who chose the $25,000 box always kept the box.)

-- Don

[Esoteric Eric]

[quote name=\'That Don Guy\' date=\'Nov 11 2003, 01:23 PM\']

A contestant on The New Treasure Hunt wanted to take box #1, but changed her mind for some reason; at the end of the show, Geoff reveals that box #1 had the $25,000 in it.
[/quote]
You beat me to it, TDG...

I remembered that the young lady told Geoff she wanted either Box X (#1? I couldn't recall) or Box Y (the one that she wound up with) of the 29 remaining boxes for Game Two.  She chose Box Y, turned down the cash envelope and got klunked.  At the end of the show, she was quite distraught when Box X was revealed as the location of the $25,000 check.

Esoteric Eric, who at the time of the original TH broadcast, actually toyed with the idea of writing a short story based on the incident for his Creative Writing class; how's THAT for being a lifelong GS freak!

[vtown7]

GSWitch said:

Nice story! You were in the yellow position?

If I was in the yellow position, I'd tell Pat that I'm in the "Banana" position ala Tattle Tales!

I never thought of that... at the time I was just trying to sound sensible when I played!

Cheers,

Ryan