The Game Show Forum
The Game Show Forum => The Big Board => Topic started by: SamJ93 on April 21, 2025, 05:17:27 AM
-
What game shows have situations in which a contestant who plays perfectly actually ends up winning less than a contestant who won but made mistakes?
-Money Game on TPiR
-$20K Pyramid: the only way to win the title prize was to lose your first two Winners Circle appearances
-
Pathfinder on TPIR: If you always step to the correct number in the car's price, you never get an opportunity to win the prizes that earn you additional chances.
-
You need to define " playing perfectly " without going into games involving luck.
For example you first choice Money Game, what is a perfect game? If you know the price of the car wouldn't a "perfect" game picking the three top dollar amounts and then the halves of the car?
Just think, a perfect game of 80s Press Your Luck would go on forever .
-
Super Password: Win the endgame five times, win $25,000.
Miss four times then win on your final go at it, win $25,000 plus up to $3,600 in consolation money.
-
What game shows have situations in which a contestant who plays perfectly actually ends up winning less than a contestant who won but made mistakes?
-Money Game on TPiR
-$20K Pyramid: the only way to win the title prize was to lose your first two Winners Circle appearances
If $20,000 Pyramid counts, then include Now You See It, as the endgame prize goes up $1000 per unsuccessful attempt. (I would include something like All New Battlestars, but you don't leave the show after an endgame win, so you would win more with consecutive wins than with losses followed a win.)
Also, define "playing perfectly." There are any number of pricing games on The Price is Right where you can be told all of the prices in advance and still lose, while you can make mistakes and win. Examples: Hole in One (at least two people missed from the closest line - okay, this is much harder to do with Hole in One...or Two); 3 Strikes (with the 5-digit version, there is a 5/8 chance of pulling out the three strikes before the five digits, even if you remove every digit when it is pulled out); Let 'Em Roll (you can roll 5 cars with your free roll).
-
You need to define " playing perfectly " without going into games involving luck.
No, we don’t. I knew what the question was by using my noodle and properly interpreting context clues.
-
This is a bit of a stretch but for Chuck Henry's Now You See It, during the championship round of play, if one player played perfectly and won each of the first four category board rounds, they would have won with $1,400 since they were worth $200, $300, $400, $500 and the final one if needed was $600, with $1,000 needed to win. If the first player scored on all 4 of the first rounds they'd end up with $1,400 vs. if they won the first three, lost the fourth board, and won the final board which would mean $1,500.
-
Super Password: Win the endgame five times, win $25,000.
Miss four times then win on your final go at it, win $25,000 plus up to $3,600 in consolation money.
This is a bit of a stretch but for Chuck Henry's Now You See It, during the championship round of play, if one player played perfectly and won each of the first four category board rounds, they would have won with $1,400 since they were worth $200, $300, $400, $500 and the final one if needed was $600, with $1,000 needed to win. If the first player scored on all 4 of the first rounds they'd end up with $1,400 vs. if they won the first three, lost the fourth board, and won the final board which would mean $1,500.
Combining these two thoughts for the Super Password main game: win the first three puzzles, you get $600. Win puzzles 1, 2 and 4 and you get $700. Win puzzles 1, 3 and 4 and you get $800.
The Ca$hword opens a whole 'nother bag of worms with that last scenario.
-
On Classic Concentration, contestants could stay until they won the car, so someone could throw the bonus game and rack up more prizes in the main game.
-
On Classic Concentration, contestants could stay until they won the car, so someone could throw the bonus game and rack up more prizes in the main game.
I don't remember his name, but I do recall there being a contestant who intentionally lost the car game because he wanted more prizes. I remember thinking it was silly but different strokes.
-
If I'm reading this correctly, you could win a couple games of $ale during the shopping era and still only go home with <$1,000. Think of a contestant like Alice Conkright who didn't buy a single Instant Bargain. I would have to dig through Youtube, but I swear I've seen a shopping era episode where a runner-up went home with more loot than the dethroned champion thanks to an IB or Fame Game prize.
Pretty sure there's been a few J! episodes where the champ won less than the $1,000/2,000/3,000 consolation money. There's also Darryl Scott who infamously won with $1, whereas his opponents won some consolation prizes that were obviously worth way more.
-
Tic Tac Dough rewards players who fill up the board and produce tie games better than players who make a quick three-in-a-row.
-
Tic Tac Dough rewards players who fill up the board and produce tie games better than players who make a quick three-in-a-row.
On the other hand, if both contestants play perfectly, every game ends in a tie (until someone makes a mistake), so in that sense, good play is rewarded.
-
Weird example from TPIR -- there was a primetime show this season where Cliff Hangers had cash bonuses for winning with the mountain climber stopped on the upper reaches of the mountain, with the largest bonus attached to stopping him exactly on 25. Playing that perfectly would have won all the prizes but no money.
Depending on how you apply "perfectly" to luck-based formats, you could also make a case for the original format of Punch a Bunch, since the gameplay went to the punchboard every time someone got an item right instead of doing all four items at once.
Balance Game '84 probably fits, as well -- you won every item that you used regardless of the outcome, so while it technically depended on how the game was set up, playing optimally was probably not going to result in winning as much as possible.
On the Spot also qualifies -- it was possible to win as many as four items (possibly more on the last two playings, when they messed with the patterns), but playing perfectly meant you would only win three of them, and even getting four right didn't necessarily mean you'd get the "best" possible group of four.
-
On Classic Concentration, contestants could stay until they won the car, so someone could throw the bonus game and rack up more prizes in the main game.
I don't remember his name, but I do recall there being a contestant who intentionally lost the car game because he wanted more prizes. I remember thinking it was silly but different strokes.
It's definitely a rather off-putting act of bravado, but in the case of a show like Concentration it's somewhat understandable if you honestly think your memory/rebus-solving skills are good enough. It's a much more foolhardy decision on shows involving team play (Pyramid, Password, NYSI)--just way too many variables involved to be assured of a victory.
-
Pretty sure there's been a few J! episodes where the champ won less than the $1,000/2,000/3,000 consolation money. There's also Darryl Scott who infamously won with $1, whereas his opponents won some consolation prizes that were obviously worth way more.
Wouldn't a perfect Jeopardy be win the buzzer race every time and respond correctly everytime
However, even in that extremely unlikely event if hit daily doubles early you could still win less than many a James Holshower game.
-
Fair. That's why I said "If I'm reading this correctly."
-
I don't remember his name, but I do recall there being a contestant who intentionally lost the car game because he wanted more prizes. I remember thinking it was silly but different strokes.
This guy (Ben, from the finale week in August 1991):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIGOr3pmrPk&t=9m59s (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIGOr3pmrPk&t=9m59s)
-
Given the choice between a Yugo CV and a chance to win a trip to the Bahamas, I might take the chance to win a trip.
-
On TTD, if you get the Tic and the Tac in the bonus, you automatically get the dough, but not necessarily as much as if you had gotten a few dollar amounts that totaled more than $1,000.
-
I don't remember his name, but I do recall there being a contestant who intentionally lost the car game because he wanted more prizes. I remember thinking it was silly but different strokes.
This guy (Ben, from the finale week in August 1991):
Did Ben's gamble pay off?
No, no it didn't. Ben went on to lose the next two games in a row and did not win any additional prizes and basically threw away a Subaru Justy.
-
I don't remember his name, but I do recall there being a contestant who intentionally lost the car game because he wanted more prizes. I remember thinking it was silly but different strokes.
This guy (Ben, from the finale week in August 1991):
Did Ben's gamble pay off?
No, no it didn't. Ben went on to lose the next two games in a row and did not win any additional prizes and basically threw away a Subaru Justy.
And one thing that I don't think was ever mentioned previously, a spot in the Tournament of Champions.
-
I sort of understand why NBC/MGP changed the rules from win up to five games and up to five cars, and I believe there was a significant step down in the fabulousness of the grand prize cars on offer, but it's an odd position to be in as a player that a talented contestant cannot stay on and win a pile of loot.
When playing along I scope out the car list and pick the two I would most like to have but it's rare to see someone execute such a strategy--there are few of the imported subcompacts where I would rather try again and go through another game then to try for the Camaro IROC-Z or even a base level Honda Civic than
At the same time i understand that is a risk I would say as much as opposed to "I want to win more prizes!"
My colleague from a bit north is also correct: the championship weeks not only had spiffier cards like the Thunderbird and Mustang, but also a significant cash prize as well as whatever swag could be accrued from the two main games. I get it, but "Here's a rope tied in a knot, then the arrows are pointing to the tiger saying "GRR!" then an 8, followed by Scrooge and his worker Mr. Cratchit."
-
When playing along I scope out the car list and pick the two I would most like to have but it's rare to see someone execute such a strategy--there are few of the imported subcompacts where I would rather try again and go through another game then try to win again to try for the Camaro IROC-Z or even a base level Honda Civic.
At the same time i understand that is a risk I would say as much as opposed to "I want to win more prizes!"
Even if I just wanted to be a greedy asshat, I'd probably make that my explanation. "Golly, I just really want that Camaro" sounds better than "I want more prizes!" Maybe even make up some story about it being my dad's favorite car or something.
-
Playing devil's advocate: did the contestant know it was the last week? Did the staff? If the former's the case, I still think it's not a great move, but I can see why he did it.
Side note: a friend of mine (the guy that kicked my butt on "Countdown" in 2009) went on "All New Blockbusters" on challenge in the UK in 2012 and didn't exactly make friends with host Simon Mayo when he purposely lost the Gold Run in an effort just to win cash instead of the prize on offer.
Ryan.
-
Playing devil's advocate: did the contestant know it was the last week? Did the staff?
Judging from some of the behavior in the last week, it feels like they knew, but hedged their bets in case NBC reversed course. There's also an odd exchange at the end of the finale where Alex asks the champ if they'll be back next week, and they say "I absolutely will!" When Alex asks Marjorie if she'll be back next week, she goes "eh, maybe", and Alex follows with "If you're not coming back, I'm not coming back!"
The CC finale had a contestant plug, but other Goodson finales have had contestant/ticket plugs when they knew the show wouldn't be around to honor them anymore, so there is precedent for that.
-
The CC finale had a contestant plug, but other Goodson finales have had contestant/ticket plugs when they knew the show wouldn't be around to honor them anymore, so there is precedent for that.
The last Card Sharks ran a contestant plug and coming out of it, Bob shook his head and stated something like "beats the heck out of me".
I'm also kind of confused as to why they did that.
-
A good contestant for Card Sharks is likely to be a good contestant on other shows, though at that point it would be Now You See It, maybe Super Password and eventually Match Game.
I forgot how bleak 1989 was for network game shows generally, though ABC certainly put their head start to good use by not having a network game show after 1987 I don't think.
-
I forgot how bleak 1989 was for network game shows generally, though ABC certainly put their head start to good use by not having a network game show after 1987 I don't think.
MG9x aired on ABC (and it's funny--you just mentioned it in the opening paragraph before this).
-
There was also Animal Crackups, albeit on weekends.
-
MG9x aired on ABC (and it's funny--you just mentioned it in the opening paragraph before this).
Fair--I was thinking of the period between I guess Bargain Hunters/Hot Streak and that was the dearth I was picturing. MG 90 was nice but a far cry from even five years ago.
-
Side note: a friend of mine (the guy that kicked my butt on "Countdown" in 2009) went on "All New Blockbusters" on challenge in the UK in 2012 and didn't exactly make friends with host Simon Mayo when he purposely lost the Gold Run in an effort just to win cash instead of the prize on offer.
How's this? Were contestants/pairs kicked off after a number of bonus prize wins? I don't remember that the cash per hexagon was ever earth shattering, certainly not enough for me to want to put off winning a star prize vacation.
-
Fair--I was thinking of the period between I guess Bargain Hunters/Hot Streak and that was the dearth I was picturing. MG 90 was nice but a far cry from even five years ago.
Even with that period there was one ABC game show in-between--"(Celebrity) Double Talk," which ran I think about four months (?).
I think you're right that ABC didn't have a weekday game show for about three years between BH and MG90.