Why "The Price is Right" Should NEVER Do An All-(Fill-In-Pricing-Game) Show Again

Ladies and gentlemen, I'm about to step on my Game Show Soap Box.  Please avert your gaze if high-speed nerding makes you nauseous.

First off, let me start by saying all the things I enjoyed about this morning's episode of "The Price is Right".

Now with that out of the way, let me get into the nuts and bolts of why this should never happen again.  "Price is Right" Team?  I hope you're paying attention.

There are several reasons why there is variety in this show.  You have to play six different games a day, and thirty different games a week, because people get bored.  With a game like Plinko, playing it six times over the course of an hour gets tedious.  Also, the games are played to a specific time.  Plinko is, by far, one of the longest games on the show.  Playing it six times affects other parts of the show (more on that later).

Take the first two playings of this show as an example.  It seems as if whoever is now setting up the games (because it is clearly no one who knows what they're doing) is forcing contestants into "losses".

NOTE: The term "Loss" for Plinko can get very muddy.  Here is the actual definition as I learned it from working at the show.  A loss in Plinko means the contestant does not get all five chips, then ends up winning less than the top amount for a single chip (in the current case of the game, $10,000).

While I do appreciate, to a certain degree, the "variety" put into today's playings by putting prizes on the board (and taking a part of a page from the UK's Plinko Playbook), if the contestants don't win the chips, it's not as exciting for the home viewer.  The first two contestants earned a total of FOUR CHIPS (including the two free ones), and with them, ended up hitting THREE ZEROES!  Finally, by the third game, the secret of having contestants win the chips hit the staff, and the contestant managed to get all five (only one of two who did).  Her takeaway? $11,000 and an ATV.

Let's put it in a different perspective.  Let's say, for shiggles, that Superball!! had survived until this day, and become as much as a fan favorite as Plinko (especially given that it premiered two years prior).

2011: 30th Anniversary of Superball!!  We're going to play Superball!! six times over the course of the show.

Now, for a skee-ball and Superball!! fan like myself, I would have naturally been excited and curious...albeit cautiously optimistic.  There can be too much of a good thing, you know.

The biggest difference between Plinko and Superball!! is that the contestant, should they get at least one of the four balls, is guaranteed to win SOMETHING...even as little as $50...unlike Plinko, where the contestant still runs the risk of banking bupkus should he or she hit all Zeroes.

Also, a single playing of Superball was slotted at 6.5 minutes.  Play it six times, you're now looking at 39 minutes of showtime being eaten up by this behemoth, with only FOUR MINUTES being allotted for six One-Bids, two Showcase Showdowns, and the Showcases.  How long is Plinko slotted for? 5 minutes.  Doing the math: 30 minutes devoted to Plinko, with 13 minutes saved for everything else.

Which brings me to the other parts of the show that playing six of the same game can affect.  As I said earlier, only 13 minutes of the show are allotted for six One-Bids, two Showcase Showdowns, and the Showcases.  While the One-Bids don't normally take that long, and overbids can be edited out (but shouldn't), the Showdowns still take a good amount of time, especially if you get into a Spin-Off, Bonus Spin, or Heavy Spinner situation (or any combination of the above).  This ends up squeezing the Showcases at the end of the show...as was proven by today's debacle.

Today's first Showcase started with a trip to Turks & Caicos, continued with a Jet Ski...then ended.  Wait, what?  Did we just get Punk'd?  A Showcase is supposed to be a lavish display of prizes for the contestant to bid on...not a playing of 2 For The Price Of 1.

Well, let's see if our second Showcase is going to be any better.  Oooh, an outdoor bed!  And a truck!  Wait...Any Number?  No, that's the Showcase.  When the show returns from break, even the untrained eye can tell that Drew is being pressed for time: no prize recap, hurried price reveals, and he barely has enough time to sign off (as does George Gray) before they squeeze the credits.

Now comes the time in the class where I tell you what I would have done to properly celebrate the 30th Anniversary of Plinko, with two different scenarios.

Scenario 1: Keep the All-Plinko format (if there's a gun to my head and it has to happen).
While in theory the idea isn't too bad, the execution was poor at best.  Here are the steps to improve it:
1A) Give each contestant (3) free chips, and ask them to earn only two, or
1B) Change the way chips are awarded (Look at Punch-A-Bunch, Secret X, Half-Off, Five Price Tags and Rat Race for ideas)

2) Replace the value strip at the bottom of the board with the following:
500 - 1000 - 2500 - 5000 - 10000 - 5000 - 2500 - 1000 - 500

3) Continue to change up the game by adding prizes to the board during the other five playings, but more prizes in more places, always keeping "CAR" on the board:
Game 2: 500 - Elliptical - London - 5000 - CAR - 5000 - Paris - Computer - 500
Game 3: Groceries - 1000 - 2500 - Jet Ski - CAR - Catamaran - 2500 - 1000 - Maid Service
Game 4: 500 - 1000 - CAR - 5000 - 20000 - 5000 - CAR - 1000 - 500
Game 5: 500 - Seattle - 2500 - Tahiti - CAR - Australia - 2500 - Dallas - 500
Game 6: CAR - 1000 - 2500 - 5000 - CAR - 5000 - 2500 - 1000 - CAR

4) Theme the Showcases.
Showcase 1: Plinko theme (Year's supply of Pringles, $10,000 cash, Car)
Showcase 2: "30" (30 movie tickets, Trip to Wrestlemania 30, Chrysler 300)

Scenario 2: Regular show - Plinko feel.
1) Stage festooned with Plinko decor.
2) Standard 6-Game line-up, awarding an additional $10,000 for a win, with Plinko in Act VI.
3) Use the board setup as outlined above.
4) Theme the Showcases, as above.
5) Everyone in the audience receives a commemorative Plinko chip, with 10 to give away through PriceIsRight.com.

Now, as some of you may know, "Price is Right" and I had a bad break-up last year with the "Young and the Restless" special episode.  The "All-Plinko" episode is just another gimmick episode for a show that lasted 35 years without any regular gimmick episodes (Prime-Time, Anniversary, X,000th Episode, and Christmas Episodes excused).  "Price is Right", please stop trying.  You're starting to look sad and needy.

Gateway 2013: The Con That Was...AMAZING!

First of all, I know I haven't updated here recently.  Things have been changing in my life (all for the better, mind you), and I haven't had time or reason enough to post up a new blogging.  Today seemed like the best day to do one.

We have just finished up our ninth Strategicon event.  Those who don't know, Strategicon is the organizations that handles three main gaming conventions here in southern California.  The events are:
 • OrcCon (every Presidents' Day weekend)
 • Gamex (every Memorial Day weekend)
 • Gateway (every Labor Day weekend)
Home Game Enterprizes, the business that I and my friends founded, has been there for each one dating back to February 2011, and we have had a blast every time.  This one, however, was particularly special.

We have some game show fan friends back east who have done a 24-Hour Game Show Marathon for charity twice (this and last year), raising money for the American Cancer Society, and a local hospital in Baltimore.  Our group saw the quality workmanship they produced and thought, "Why don't we do that?"  Three months of planning later, "24-Hour Game Show Marathon West" took the stage in Salon 103 at the Sheraton Gateway LAX Hotel, the hotel that has housed Strategicon events for the past few years.

We got off to a rocky start the night before.  We had to set up cameras and make sure the Google Hangout was working, so we could have online players play several of our games.  What we didn't take into account was that none of the cameras we initially brought was set up to connect to a computer for live-streaming purposes.  Hoo boy, here we go.  After about two hours of testing, checking, connecting, re-connecting, testing, checking, and panicking, Tim remembers he has left his camera back here at the apartment and it will do live-streaming (as he used it for his Extra Life marathon last year).  He volunteers to return to Glendale to retrieve it, and our problems are over...for the most part.

The second hurdle?  Getting the Google Hangout running.  Our room at the con (affectionately known to us as "The Studio") has spotty wi-fi access at best, because the free wi-fi signal from the lobby just trickles in.  The stronger internet signal is a paid service.  We had arranged to have the password for this event, and was approved by the con.  We didn't actually get the information until almost Midnight on Friday, causing us to suspend Hangout testing until then.  Thankfully, at the last minute, we received it, but were told only TWO DEVICES could be connected to it at any one time.  So, we determined the computer running the Hangout and the live-stream would share the duties.  Everyone else, including those running our social media sites, had to use the spotty connection, or my iPhone.

Now comes the day of the Marathon.  August 31, 2013.  12 Noon.  24 games in 24 hours with 12 people on crew.  Sounds easy, right?  Buckle up, cupcake.

To have a look at all the games we played this weekend, check out the Home Game Enterprizes website.

Streaming is running, Hangout is ready, computer and projector are humming in synchronicity...it's a beautiful thing.  We have an audience.  People from the convention are here to play, and some are here just to watch. We go through the first 12 hours sailing!  We had an almost-packed house for our prime-time block of The Time Bomb, Super Press Your Luck, The $25,000 Pyramid, and The Price is Right.  It was going like any other convention...just at a quicker pace.

Then comes the after-Midnight shift. By this point, we've all been up and going for, at most, 16 hours.  We're clearly starting to go loopy, and some of us are starting to nod off.  Meanwhile, I am still running tech on a few games, with All-Star Blitz to host at 4 AM.  We get there, and make it through.  That's when I start to break down.  I literally had to be escorted out of the room by my roommate Adam out of the hotel and to my car, which was parked in the neighboring airport parking lot (we have to park there because the blood-sucking mercenaries at the Sheraton charge $25 for valet parking ONLY...the airport parking is $13.  God bless Easy Park).  I had managed to park my car in the back row, almost in the furthest-flung corner away from the hotel that I could.  We get in and start to doze when I hear, "Travis, I don't want to alarm you, but I think you have bugs in your car."  I turn on the dome light and, sure enough, there's practically a colony of ants streaming all over my center console and passenger seat.  We quickly jump out of the car, and shamble back into the hotel.

Arriving back in the studio, the crew sees how bad I really look: tired, pale, frazzled, and slightly shaky.  I call several audibles:
 • Replace Scrabble with Blockbusters, as I have not been able to compile the games.
 • Remove myself from all technician duties until 11 AM, which is the final game, Malcolm.
 • Cancel our 8 PM event, The Game Show Machine, due to mass fatigue.
Everyone is concerned about my health, and offer to get me something to eat or drink.  At this point, I want to throw up, sleep, and cry all at the same time...but can do none of it.  So, I do the only other viable option...take a seat on a couch in the lobby across from a TV playing CNN.

The next few hours are a blur.  What I do remember is having breakfast at the hotel restaurant buffet (delicious corned beef hash), and coming back into the room with the caveat that I am not permitted to touch a computer until 11 AM.  Everyone complies and still helps me out.  Then we come to Hour 24...the final game.  I'll let the video speak for itself.



I have to thank a lot of people for their help with this event.
 • The entire Strategicon staff.
 • My roommates: Ben, Adam, Tim, and Ethan.
 • The HGE Crew: Eric, Joe, Jason, Matt, and Stad.
 • The HGE Newbies: Kyle and Nathaniel.
 • The East-Coasters: Jim, Cory, Christian, and Bob.
 • The Girlfriends: Amanda, Jackie, and Sallan.
 • Our online contestants: Ryan, Jason, BigJon, Matthew (who tragically lost The Colour of Money), Dan, and whoever else I may have left out.
 • Our in-studio contestants: Phil, Erick, Sean, Dawn, Sam, Aidan, Andre, Stephanie, Chris, and anyone else I can't remember.

To everyone: your patience, excitement, expertise, and overall greatness helped this event get off the ground and out to the people.  We made history, and made a difference for ACS, raising (as of right now) almost $800.

From the list, I do need to single out some people:
 • Kyle Serra.  Thank you for volunteering to join our band of merry misfits, and bring along your love of the genre and the generous use of your camera equipment.  You have been made an official member of HGE...I'm just sorry it doesn't pay more right now.

 • Nathaniel Thompson.  Thank you for volunteering to assist with the live-streaming and the Hangout aspect of the Marathon, and leading the creation of the HGE App!  I never in a million years would have dreamed that HGE would have an iPhone App, and it happened.  A big thank you to the Thompson/Rooney clan as a whole for allowing Nathaniel to spend the entire 24 hours with us and become the YOUNGEST HGE member.  Your Time Bomb initiation will come shortly.

 • Amanda, Jackie, and Sallan.  While one of you couldn't be there in person, all three of you helped us out by keeping, not only your own boyfriends, but in turn, all of us going for the last gasp of the day-long slog.  Bringing pastries, snacks, drinks, and good vibes kept the lights on until the sun came up and beyond.  Special thanks to Amanda for being our more attractive Vanna for Wheel of Fortune After Dark on Sunday night (sorry, Ben).

 • Stad St. Fleur.  Since you joined our posse, it seems like everything we do is more fun.  You've been with us from OrcCon 2013 to now, and I don't see you leaving us anytime soon.  Also, and I can't thank you enough, you and Jackie fumigated my car.  You didn't have to, but you helped me out a great deal.

Here's looking forward to OrcCon 2014 (Feb. 14-17, 2014), and a brand new venue: Hilton Los Angeles Airport.

And now..ao;isbhduo['weghat4rfg['ghwa08ty=]th=9

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