POLL: Most heartbreaking losses?

[ChuckNet]

I also remember the whole "Copolla" thing, or however you spell it. She didn't add or subtract letters either, but still "BZZZZZZ!". I was pissed.

Yeah, same here.

It pissed me off more because I remember one time where someone solved "SAINT LOUIS CARDINALS" as "SAINT LOUIE CARDINALS" and it was accepted correct. So they will take that, but they won't take "Prince."

On jumptheshark.com, one poster also discussed a time where a player pronounced the phrase "FRESH FROM YOUR GROCER'S SHELF" as "FRESH FROM YOUR GROSHER'S SHELF"...after deliberation, they decided to accept it as a "regional pronounciation", which seemed (IMO) like walking a thinner line than the Copolla heartbreaker.

Chuck Donegan (The Illustrious "Chuckie Baby")

[CarShark]

As for winning a showcase with a difference just short of the DSW, I would probably be upset for about a second or two...then run out to see my prizes up close. I'm good at forgetting the bad and remembering the good.

As for a real TPiR heartbreaker, on tpir.tv there is a clip of a woman named Terry bidding $2,200 on a showcase worth $2,230, for a difference of $30. Barker tells her that she'll win both showcases unless her opponent Susan is closer. Susan bid $4,700 on her showcase, and the ARP...$4,729, and a difference of only $29. Don't get me wrong, I was thrilled for Susan, but could you imagine how Terry was feeling just then? Thinking you've won both showcases to realizing you've won NO showcases?

[Frank15]

[quote name=\'ChuckNet\' date=\'Jul 11 2004, 05:28 PM\'] On jumptheshark.com, one poster also discussed a time where a player pronounced the phrase "FRESH FROM YOUR GROCER'S SHELF" as "FRESH FROM YOUR GROSHER'S SHELF"...after deliberation, they decided to accept it as a "regional pronounciation", which seemed (IMO) like walking a thinner line than the Copolla heartbreaker. [/quote]
 Um... as far as I've ever known, the word is pronounced "GROW-shur."  With an "sh" sound for the c.  I don't recall hearing it pronounced otherwise before....

...perhaps it's time I look for a TPiR playing of Grocery Game.

[Steve Gavazzi]

[quote name=\'Frank15\' date=\'Jul 12 2004, 04:22 AM\'] Um... as far as I've ever known, the word is pronounced "GROW-shur."  With an "sh" sound for the c. [/quote]
 And I guess that proves the judges' point, because that certainly isn't how we say it up here.

[tomobrien]

[quote name=\'Frank15\' date=\'Jul 10 2004, 09:08 PM\']The situation is most evident in Millionaire.  Specifically, a contestant walking away when they would've gotten the answer right if they had just gone on.  All comes down to the simple question:  "Would I feel worse if I answer the question and miss it, or if I walk away but would've had it right?"[/quote]
Oh, come on!  On Millionaire, if you walk away--even if you KNOW the next answer--you're usually still walking away with a decent amount of change.  It's not all that heartbreaking...

[Ian Wallis]

As for a real TPiR heartbreaker, on tpir.tv there is a clip of a woman named Terry bidding $2,200 on a showcase worth $2,230, for a difference of $30. Barker tells her that she'll win both showcases unless her opponent Susan is closer. Susan bid $4,700 on her showcase, and the ARP...$4,729, and a difference of only $29. Don't get me wrong, I was thrilled for Susan, but could you imagine how Terry was feeling just then? Thinking you've won both showcases to realizing you've won NO showcases?

That's one reason why if I had made it to the showcase, I wouldn't bet a "round figure".  In other words, I'd probably bid something like $18,002 - just to try to sway the odds more in my favor if it were that close.

[Kevin Prather]

[quote name=\'Ian Wallis\' date=\'Jul 12 2004, 06:25 AM\'] That's one reason why if I had made it to the showcase, I wouldn't bet a "round figure".  In other words, I'd probably bid something like $18,002 - just to try to sway the odds more in my favor if it were that close. [/quote]
 And then you find out that the ARP was $18,001...:-P

[uncamark]

[quote name=\'Unrealtor\' date=\'Jul 9 2004, 11:46 PM\'][quote name=\'gameshowsteve\' date=\'Jul 9 2004, 01:13 AM\'] They allowed it as long as the meat of the response was correct and it was in question form. This has always been the policy on the current version. [/quote]
There was an instance some time in the last few years where "Is it ____?" was accepted  as an answer (I think there was quite a noisy round of laughter at that, which leads me to suspect it was a tournament or special week). I also think I remember a case where the correct response was a question in itself (a title, I believe) and accepted without any additional phrasing.[/quote]
And back in the Fleming days, on a celeb show Gene Shalit came up with his own question-phrasing that was out of the "who is/what is..." mold.  When given a DD where he had to identify the song "Tenderly," his response was "Are they playing 'Tenderly?'"  Accepted.

And as for Fleming, he generally in either round would accept someone who forgot, but would immediately say "please remember to phrase your response in the form of a question" or "please remember the form of response."  If the contestant kept doing it, then they started penalizing--and in FJ!, his rule rundown always included "...you'll have 30 seconds to write down your question and *please* make sure it is in that form."  It's only in the current version that it was set in stone that it's OK to forget in the first round, but not in DJ! or FJ!

[gsnstooge]

A post-Hollywood Squares Jon Bauman had 25 seconds for the last word in Super Password and he said "Jack O'" and the contestant said "lantern" and was cheering for joy and then the illegal buzzer occured.

[gameshowguy2000]

[quote name=\'tomobrien\' date=\'Jul 12 2004, 07:47 AM\'] [quote name=\'Frank15\' date=\'Jul 10 2004, 09:08 PM\']The situation is most evident in Millionaire.  Specifically, a contestant walking away when they would've gotten the answer right if they had just gone on.  All comes down to the simple question:  "Would I feel worse if I answer the question and miss it, or if I walk away but would've had it right?"[/quote]
Oh, come on!  On Millionaire, if you walk away--even if you KNOW the next answer--you're usually still walking away with a decent amount of change.  It's not all that heartbreaking... [/quote]
Right. Even Tom himself had his head held up high after walking away with his half-mil, EVEN if he nailed his MDQ after walking. But still, Kudos on your big win, Tom.

[Long live Jeopardy!]

A more recent heartbreaking loss came in the current Elizabeth Banks version of Press Your Luck in 2021 where a contestant won $0 in the main game and $0 in the bonus round:

[brianhenke]

The WOF episodes where $1M was lost in the bonus round. That was heartbreaking, to say the least.

[jmangin]

A more recent heartbreaking loss came in the current Elizabeth Banks version of Press Your Luck in 2021 where a contestant won $0 in the main game and $0 in the bonus round:

Last post in this thread was in 2004...and the reply this year is from an episode two years old.
We now have "BUMP of the Century!"

[TheInquisitiveOne]

Since the thread has been bumped, there is one correction that I wish to make from a reply way back, regarding Dawn McKellar’s loss on a 1984 episode of $ale of the Century.

While it is true she was playing for $99,000 that day and lost by only $2 in the main game, a bit of context.

Even if she overcame that $2 deficit at the buzzer, she would’ve still been a ways off from reaching the amount of money needed to purchase the cash jackpot, meaning that she could still take the car of that week and call it a run, or come back the next day for what would’ve been $100,000.

Not to diminish her reaction from losing the championship and a good shot at big money, but had she won, the obstacle would’ve still been in place, just pushed out a day later.

The Inquisitive One

[Long live Jeopardy!]

Here's an episode of Make the Grade (Robb Edward Morris version) where one contestant stole a victory when a Fire Drill space was picked at the worst time possible (at the 11:37 mark):