Shop 'Til You Drop
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Shop 'Til You Drop is an American game show which has aired on a number of cable television networks and in syndication. The show premiered in July 1991 on Lifetime and aired there until 1996, at which point it moved to The Family Channel when it was renamed The New Shop 'Til You Drop. The show was cancelled in 1998 after the change to Fox Family Channel. After rerunning the show for a few years, in 2001, i Network (then known as PAX) returned the show to its lineup before cancelling it in 2006.
The series was hosted by Pat Finn from 1991 to 2003, and the rest of the run by J.D. Roberto. Co-hosts/announcers include Mark L. Walberg (1991-1994), Jason Grant Smith (1996-1997), Dee Bradley Baker (1997-2003) and Don Priess (2003-2006).
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[edit] Original format (1991-2003)
From 1991-2003, the backdrop of Shop 'Til You Drop was a 14-store California shopping mall.
[edit] Stunt rounds
Two teams of two contestants (almost always male-female; married, engaged, or dating) competed. Nearly all of the stunts were one-minute mini-games, which tested popular culture and consumer knowledge.
A coin-toss backstage before the show determined which couple would have the option of playing first. The host read the names of two stunts. The team chosen to go first chose one and, after hearing its description, could do the stunt or pass it to the opposing team. Stunts have varied widely through the years, but now more or less involve the host annoucing a category and the team answering questions appropriate to the topic; or describing a product and the team required to guess whether another product was higher or lower than the first one. In earlier years, Beat the Clock-esque stunts were also played (such as the female partner stuffing three balloons in her husband's pair of oversized trousers without breaking any).
Successfully completing the stunt earned points & allowed the team to pick a prize from one of the seven sections of the lower floor of the store. One of the stores hid a "Shopper's Special," which was a mini-vacation.
Two stunt rounds were played, with the first worth 100 points and the second worth 200 points.
[edit] Shopper's Challenge
Round 3 was the "Shopper's Challenge," a 90-second series of rapid fire questions, again related to entertainment and shopping. Correct answers were worth 50 points each, with the male and female halves switching places after each question. An incorrect answer gave the other team a chance to answer.
The team in the lead at the end of the round won the game and advanced to the bonus round. If a tie occurred, a final question was asked. If the player answered correctly, they go to the bonus round. If the player answered incorrectly, the opposing team automatically went to the bonus round.
[edit] Shop 'til they Drop (Bonus Round)
The bonus round was a shopping-spree type round, where the team tried to build a prize package of at least $2,500 in 90 seconds. One of the team members was the shopper (usually but not always the female) while the other team member was the runner.
One at a time, the team opened one of six packages on a table, each concealing a prize. The shopper decided whether to keep the gift or exchange it with another gift from one of the stores/departments. If they decided to exchange it, the runner scurried to one of the stores for another prize. In either case, the runner had to take the item to a table on one side of the set and hit a bell before the shopper could open another box.
After all six boxes had been exchanged/kept, or if the 90-second time limit expires, the host and announcer describe the prizes and add up each item's retail price. The couple kept everything they selected, but if they exceeded the $2,500 limit, the couple won a trip. During the show's first season, the couple only needed to obtain $1,000 in prizes.
[edit] New format (2003-2006)
In the new version, two pairs compete (regardless of marital status). The show is set in a warehouse store (similar to stores like Costco).
[edit] First two rounds
In the superstore format, the stunts were replaced by a question/pricing round, with the choices being given in pun-laden categories (much like the 1998 version of Match Game). After choosing a category, host Roberto will let the contestants know what the category entails, and then give the play-or-pass option to the team. Whichever team plays the question chooses one player to play the category.
Like the stunts in the previous version, the questions deal with pricing items or celebrities. The team is given 1:00 to come up with a set amount of answers. Doing so earns 100 points (200 in round 2) (just like in the original version).
Unlike the previous version, where the teams would verbally pick a store in the mall, the other member of the team would go into the store to grab a gift box from any department that had a flashing light. They'd run back to host Roberto, who would open the box and reveal their prize. Like before, the "Shopper's Special" was in play, and earned the team a bonus trip for finding it.
[edit] Shopper's Challenge
The 'new' Shopper's Challenge has rules basically identical to the original run. See above.
[edit] Shop 'til they Drop (Bonus Round)
The same objective faced the contestants, except they now take turns. One opens the gift box and hands off the item to their partner, who then keeps it or exchanges it for any prize in a department with a flashing light. The partner takes it to the check out table, ring the bell, then comes back to the table and hands off the next item to the first player, who repeats the process. Again, the contestants have 1:30 to complete the task.
[edit] Set Evolution
The first version on Lifetime featured the mall and other things.
The second set, used on the PAX TV revivial featured the same mall with a 21st century more modern look, with sleek and shiny grey floors (later changed to sleek shiny dark blue in 2002-2003).
The PAX (and later, i Network) version featured a set made to look like a wholesale club, similar to stores like Sam's Club and Costco.
[edit] Recording Locations
Shop 'Til You Drop was taped at Hollywood Center Studios for the entirety of its run, save for the final Lifetime season, which was taped at Universal Studios Hollywood.
[edit] Trivia
- In each episode on the bonus round, when Pat Finn or J.D. Roberto tells the contestants that they could win a dream vacation, he and the whole audience asks out loud: "To where, Mark/Jason/Dee/Don?!".
