Contestants Tryouts - Syndicated vs Network Shows

[Argo]

Hi Everyone,

I know about prize limits between network and syndicated versions, but what about contestant selection? I can't think of any current examples, but for shows that have both a network and syndicated version airing concurrently, how are the contestants filtered? Does the contestant choose what version they are trying out for, or are they assigned / "strongly encouraged" to choose a particular version? As network and syndicated usually have vastly different prize budgets, why would someone choose to be on the cheaper version? Maybe if only one version aired in their viewing area I guess?

Also, has a network episode ever re-aired as part of a syndicated package or vice versa? I'm sure that would be a continuity nightmare, if not a legal thingy, so highly unlikely I guess. Maybe the closest to this I've seen was when Dennis James filled in for Barker on TPIR.

Thanks

[Chelsea Thrasher]

Other people can better answer other parts of the many, many questions, but:

'Why would someone *choose* to be on the cheaper version': Typically the daytime version was the lower budget show BUT typically had returning champions.  So your family could go on the nighttime Feud and win $10K in one go, or go on the daytime show and a single win only awards half that BUT could appear on way more shows total, making your max earnings significantly more than $10K.   Same for nearly any other show (Wheel, Match Game, Squares, et al): A single win was more lucrative in syndication, but if you were *good* the daytime would earn you more over a run.


Network episodes in syndication: The first best example is that at least three episodes included in the first season of the syndicated 1970s LMaD are actually edited reruns of shows from the second season of the ABC primetime run.  All three episodes feature noticeable cosmetic differences from any other syndicated episode that season, and clear edits to fit the shortened syndication run time.  I'm not sure if its the only time it has ever happened, but it's definitely the main one I thought of.

(Plenty of network series were sold as reruns after the fact in syndication - 60s daytime Password, Joker's Wild, Card Sharks w Jim Perry, Press Your Luck as just a few examples - but almost positive that's not what you were asking about, but wanted to leave as a footnote just in case.)

[TLEberle]

To Chelsea’s point that is true assuming you win the end game. I don’t think you would choose to be on Name That Tune on NBC when the weekly show had a bigger pile of loot at the Golden Medley—producers make the choices based on what they need-Pyramid in the 89s was unlikely to ever pit two men against each other so the guys would be split for 25 or 100k.

Sale of the Century was different in the end game/shopping for a while, Card Sharks added the prize cards. The Gong Show had a different scale payment per day so that was why the prize was different. Just one of those things—I think the last show to hsve concurrent runs of new content was Family Feuduntil the early 90s.

[Clay Zambo]

Does the contestant choose what version they are trying out for, or are they assigned / "strongly encouraged" to choose a particular version?

I'm pretty sure it's up to the contestant coordinators. If a show's only once a week, they really can't afford to book a less-than-fully-energized person; if that person shows up on a random Tuesday in mid-day, it seems less a liability. There may also be a matter of scheduling: Can you be here for the Thursday taping, or the one on the weekend?

[JasonA1]

Years ago, Matt Ottinger mentioned that $ale of the Century had one contestant pool, and the show would pick which version you were on. Read the linked post for details. I would imagine that practice was far more common than anything else. The shows with daytime & nighttime versions probably had ideas of which audience wanted to see which players. Or put another way, which version of the show needed what kind of contestant.

-Jason

[TimK2003]

Other people can better answer other parts of the many, many questions, but:

'Why would someone *choose* to be on the cheaper version': Typically the daytime version was the lower budget show BUT typically had returning champions.  So your family could go on the nighttime Feud and win $10K in one go, or go on the daytime show and a single win only awards half that BUT could appear on way more shows total, making your max earnings significantly more than $10K.   Same for nearly any other show (Wheel, Match Game, Squares, et al): A single win was more lucrative in syndication, but if you were *good* the daytime would earn you more over a run.

Opting for a daytime version appearance gives you a better chance of being selected by a minimum 5-to-1 ratio.  If you lose on a daytime game show on your first appearance, I believe the amount of parting gifts was about the same as the weekly/nighttime versions.

[Kevin Prather]

Do audience members/potential contestants lining up at TPiR know in advance whether they're sitting in on a daytime or nighttime taping?

[Ian Wallis]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but weren't some NBC episodes of Gong Show added to the syndication package by the last year ('79-80)?  Some cities were airing it five times a week by that point.

[Unrealtor]

Do audience members/potential contestants lining up at TPiR know in advance whether they're sitting in on a daytime or nighttime taping?

For the current The Price is Right at Night run, it is listed on the ticket information for a specific taping that it will be a prime time show. Same with specials, although schedules are subject to change. The 10,000th episode special last year had three announced tape dates -- one in December that was swapped with a different episode for unknown reasons, one in January that was cancelled due to wildfires, and one in February that was the actual episode -- and the folks in line right behind my group booked the February date before it was announced and had no idea when they showed up to the studio that day what they were going to see.

[splinkynip]

As for Wheel of Fortune in 1990, at least for out-of-towners, you let them know when you will be coming to California and they put you on whichever version they were taping that week. My sister was on the nighttime version. Definite advantage since nighttime had returning champions at this time, but she lost anyway.

[parliboy]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but weren't some NBC episodes of Gong Show added to the syndication package by the last year ('79-80)?  Some cities were airing it five times a week by that point.

Per Adam's book:

The NBC shows were offered as a a package once it was cancelled.  The nighttime version was a separate affair, though it did expand from once a week to twice a week.

[DJDustman]

Do audience members/potential contestants lining up at TPiR know in advance whether they're sitting in on a daytime or nighttime taping?

The on camera audiences site where you book tickets will tell you if the date and time is a designated special show.