The Price Is Right $1,000,000 Spectacular

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The Price Is Right $1,000,000 Spectacular
The Price Is Right $1,000,000 Spectacular logo from the 36th season (2008).
Format	Game Show
Created by	Bob Barker, based upon a format created by Bob Stewart
Developed by	Mark Goodson Bill Todman
Starring	Drew Carey (2007–present) Bob Barker (2003–2007)
Country of origin	United States
No. of episodes	26
Production
Running time	60 minutes (with commercials)
Broadcast
Original channel	CBS
Picture format	1080i (HDTV - 16:9) 480i (SDTV - 4:3 {cropped})
Original run	February 5, 2003 – Present
Chronology
Related shows	The Price Is Right
External links
Official website

The Price Is Right Million Dollar Spectacular is a prime-time spinoff of the American television game show The Price Is Right seen on the CBS television network. These specials are similar to the daytime show, but with an increased budget and two opportunities to win $1,000,000.

The series also airs in Canada on SUN TV.

1 Overview
- 1.1 Themed shows
- 1.2 Set differences
2 Endgames
- 2.1 Seasons 30 to 35
  - 2.1.1 Million Dollar Spin
- 2.2 Season 36 Changes
  - 2.2.1 Million Dollar Game
  - 2.2.2 Million Dollar Showcase
3 Millionaires
4 References

[edit] Overview

The Million Dollar Spectacular has its roots in several prime time specials aired in the summer of 2002, beginning with the 30th Anniversary Special in Las Vegas and continuing with several specials through summer of 2002 dedicated to the Armed Forces, firefighters and police (Bob Barker, himself a Navy veteran, wanted to honor American heroes in the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks). During these specials, the Showcase Showdown bonus spin offered a potential top prize of $100,000. There was one special for each of the five major branches of the United States Armed Forces (Marines, Army, Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard) as well as one honoring police officers and firefighters. The success of these prime time specials, coupled with the rise of big-money million dollar prime time game shows, prompted the creation of the Million Dollar Spectacular the next year. Officially, the prime time specials and the Spectaculars are considered to be the same series^[1]. Six pre-Spectacular shows were produced in addition to the twenty-six Spectaculars discussed here.

Twenty-six episodes of The Price Is Right Million Dollar Spectacular have aired. The first one aired February 5, 2003. Currently, ten new episodes have been produced for CBS, originally to help fill programming because of the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike, and later because of the successful ratings on those first shows. The first six of these shows, the first with Drew Carey as host, were taped during the week of February 11–13, 2008, and began airing February 22, 2008 at 8PM Eastern, continuing on consecutive Fridays until the 2008 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament; two more episodes aired on consecutive Fridays after the tournament at 9 PM Eastern. With the ratings success of the Friday series, a second set of four episodes, set for the May sweeps, began airing on consecutive Wednesdays starting April 30, 2008, the same time slot formerly held by Carey's other game show, Power of 10. The Season 36 specials were the first episodes of The Price Is Right to be produced in high definition, although the SD broadcasts of these episodes are still in 4:3, with part of the picture cropped.^[2] Reruns of the 2008 episodes will continue into June and July.

During the Million Dollar Spectaculars, pricing games are usually played for prizes of higher value than the daytime version. Games played for cash prizes, such as Punch a Bunch, Plinko and Grand Game, have their top prizes increased as well.

[edit] Themed shows

Traditionally, Million Dollar Spectaculars are produced in sets of three, and five sets, along with a one-off episode in May 2007, were produced during Bob Barker's tenure as host. Some of the episodes have had themes; the first two sets of Spectaculars had no themes; each episode in the third and fourth sets had a specific theme (such as celebrating Bob's 80th birthday in 2003 or encouraging people to vote twice); the fifth was dedicated to celebrating the show's history, and the sixteenth aired as the first of two prime-time specials celebrating Bob's 50 years on television and 35 years as host of The Price Is Right.

The series has aired on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, often as filler programming for seasonal programs such as Survivor and programming for the traditionally weak Friday night death slot (although the show has had the most success on Fridays). It usually airs at 8:00 p.m., although it briefly moved to 9:00 p.m. with the return of Ghost Whisperer in 2008.

The 2008 episodes were produced as one set of six, comprising of one taping week of the show, and a set of four. None of these episodes have themes. From Season 30 (the military series) until Season 32, there were six episodes produced in primetime per season. Because of the situation with inability of CBS to have dramas available in time because of the repercussions of the writers' strike, and the success of the first four Friday shows, a second set of four was ordered, making the 10-episode season the longest in the series' history. Those four additional episodes began airing April 30th on Wednesday nights for four straight weeks.

[edit] Set differences

Drew Carey's tuxedo and the alternate wall designs seen here are among the numerous aesthetic changes made to the primetime series. Both were implemented in Season 36.

The $1,000,000 Spectaculars feature several differences from the daytime show. From Season 31 until Season 35, the doors were stylized with the $1,000,000 Spectacular logo and featured a pattern of repeating dollar signs (they were sold after the end of Season 35; furthermore, they could not fit with the new frames of Season 36; the differing colors on the doors was a change that would be adopted for the Season 36 doors). Also, a large "$1,000,000" sign was placed at the back of the audience, and the Showcase podiums featured the $1,000,000 Spectacular logo and a six-digit display to accommodate the increased value of the showcase (which is usually $80,000 and up). In Season 31, the turntable featured a nighttime version of the regular daytime mural (a cartoon-ish cityscape of Hollywood). Later that season, the Hollywood mural was removed from the daytime show; however, the prime time specials continued to use the nighttime variant through the remainder of Season 31. In Season 32, a string of different designs were used, including a birthday theme (for Bob Barker's 80th birthday), a reuse of the American landscapes mural from the Season 30 prime time specials (for the armed forces and veterans show), a college-themed mural (for the college students show), and a generic dollar sign theme for the remaining three specials of the season. In Season 33, the $1,000,000 Spectaculars used the regular daytime pattern with stars projected on it. In Season 35, the generic dollar sign theme was reused. The primetime shows also featured a jib camera, which was not adopted on the daytime version until Season 36.

Season 36's specials (which have a new set as part of the transition to the new host and HDTV capability) use a blue checkerboard pattern on the wall, and just the traditional "Pricedown" dollar sign, in silver, on the last full wall (without "The Price Is Right" logo on the wall, unlike the daytime wall). The checkerboard pattern--in different colors--is used as well on an alternate pricing game tag and the Big Doors (with the same colors as on the daytime show). The stars still projected onto the stage walls, and huge dollar signs are projected on the walls surrounding the audience. Additionally, the doors do not feature the $1,000,000 Spectacular logo, although the giant $1,000,000 sign above the audience continues to be used. Also, the new $1,000,000 Spectacular logo places a generic dollar sign before the "1,000,000", whereas the original logo featured an enlarged version of the "Pricedown" dollar sign preceding the number. The new logo is seen in the opening credits, as well as on the Showcase podiums and before the second Showcase Showdown.

Starting in #030SP (MDS #23), models in evening gowns usually accompany the tuxedo-clad host to the stage.

[edit] Endgames

[edit] Seasons 30 to 35

The most notable part of the prime time version is its endgame. The Bob Barker-hosted $1,000,000 Spectaculars allowed the opportunity for up to 6 contestants (those who played a pricing game) to win one million dollars.

[edit] Million Dollar Spin

As on the daytime version, any player who spins $1.00 in one spin or a combination of two spins in a Showcase Showdown earns a bonus spin. However, for the Million Dollar Spectaculars taped prior to 2008, if the player was able to land on the $1.00 in their bonus spin, they would win $1,000,000.

Beginning with the second set of Spectaculars, there was a guarantee that each episode would feature at least one spin for $1 million. If none of the contestants earned a bonus spin during the Showcase Showdowns, one was awarded to the contestant who won the Showcase. These rules originally stated that if nobody earned a bonus spin in the main portion of the show and there was a double overbid in the Showcase, a random eligible audience member would be called to spin for $1,000,000. This rule was in place at least through the 12th Spectacular, on which that situation came to pass (that contestant is not under the ten-year rule established in Season 36 for eligibility). By the 15th Spectacular, the double overbid rule had been changed to state that the spin would be awarded to the contestant who had made the smaller overbid. Unlike in the Showcase Showdowns, no money was awarded for landing on a green section during a million dollar spin that occurs after the Showcase. Any bonus spin occurring after the showcase is set up in the same manner as a normal bonus spin, with the wheel starting on the 5¢ space.

On the 16th Spectacular, the other cash bonuses in the Showcase Showdown were also increased. A contestant's first dollar was worth $10,000 and a bonus spin, and landing on a green section in a bonus spin earned an additional $20,000. Prior to the 16th Spectacular, these values were identical to the daytime show; the first dollar was worth $1,000, and landing on either of the green sections during the bonus spin was worth an additional $5,000. Under this format, the $1,000,000 prize was never claimed.

[edit] Season 36 Changes

A change for Season 36's Million Dollar Spectaculars is the elimination of the Million Dollar Spin; instead, the current Drew Carey-hosted Spectaculars offer two other opportunities to win $1 million, both of which can conceivably be won by a single contestant.

[edit] Million Dollar Game

In the first, a stage contestant can win $1,000,000 by playing a classic pricing game designated as the Million Dollar Game.^[3]. The $1,000,000 bonus is awarded in addition to the game's normal prize(s) if the contestant satisfies a particular condition in either the normal course of the designated game, or in an extension played after the game if it is won. The $1,000,000 games played for Season 36 are:

One Away: The contestant must correctly set the price of the car on the first attempt to win the bonus.
Range Game: After the contestant has locked in a $150 price range, they must guess the price of the prize exactly (within said range) to win the bonus.
Plinko: If the contestant gets at least three chips in the $20,000 slot, they are awarded a bonus golden chip (similar to the UK version's "Golden Plinko Disc of Desire"). They must get the bonus chip in the $20,000 slot to win the bonus. (Played twice)
½ Off: If the contestant picks the box with the $25,000, they have the option to keep it, or give it up for a chance at the bonus. To win the bonus, they must choose the one box with a million dollar check in it out of the other 15 boxes, which are returned to the stage.
Clock Game: The contestant must guess the retail price of both prizes within a total of 10 seconds to win the bonus.
Safe Crackers: If the contestant correctly prices the small item and wins the car, they have the option to keep their prizes, or risk them and play for bonus. To win the bonus and keep their prizes, the contestant must identify the price of the car on five dials, each of which contains five unique digits. Some digits in the price of the car may appear more than once, while others may not be used (though this did not occur in the only playing of the game thus far).
Switcheroo: The contestant must get all five prizes right on the first attempt to win the bonus.
Punch a Bunch: The first hole punched must contain the top-valued $50,000 card to win the bonus.
Cover Up: The contestant must correctly set the price of the car on their first attempt to win the bonus.

[edit] Million Dollar Showcase

The second new opportunity to win $1,000,000 occurs at the Showcase. A $1,000,000 bonus and both showcases are awarded to a winning contestant bidding within $500 of the actual retail price of their showcase without going over. Showcase values are increased compared to daytime showcases; they range from $40,000 to over $100,000 (whereas the daytime show ranges from around $15,000 to $40,000 in most episodes).

The $500 range was implemented starting with the second set of tapings (April 2008) in Season 36. In the first series (February 2008), it was $1,000 and won twice in the six tapings, which when added with the Million Dollar Game, concerned the provider of prize indemnity insurance for RTL Group shows. Very large prizes on game shows are usually covered by such insurance, and the provider requested RTL reduce the million-dollar cutoff to $500 (although only one of the three million-dollar winners won the top prize prior to the change that would not have won it after the change). An audience member noted before an April 2008 taping (the second set of tapings) that Drew Carey informed the audience that the insurance provider ordered the reduction.^[4]

In accordance with these two new $1,000,000 opportunities, the Showcase Showdown's values were adjusted as follows:

$1.00 in one spin or combination of two spins: $5,000
5¢ or 15¢ in the bonus spin: $25,000
$1.00 in the bonus spin: $50,000

[edit] Millionaires

So far, three contestants have won a $1,000,000 prize. All of them have occurred with the new Season 36 format, and all in the first series of tapings.

The first-ever millionaire in the show's history was Adam Rose of Los Osos, California, who won on the February 22, 2008 episode. By bidding only $880 away from the actual price of his showcase, he won a total of $1,153,908 in cash and prizes, therefore becoming the biggest winner in the history of The Price is Right.

On March 7, 2008, another $1,000,000 prize was awarded in the Showcase, when Michael Haynes bid only $489 away from the value of his showcase and won a total of $1,127,062 in cash and prizes. (While this was with the $1,000 limit, it would have won both showcases even with the rule change to $500.)

On April 4, 2008, a third $1,000,000 win was recorded when Cynthia Azevedo, from Los Angeles, California, won that show's Million Dollar Game, Clock Game, by guessing the price of both prizes in 8 seconds (with only 22 seconds left on the clock). She went on to win her Showcase (but not within the then $1,000 limit) and a total of $1,089,017 in cash and prizes. Cynthia was the first (and currently the only) contestant to win the million dollar prize in a Million Dollar Pricing Game.