Bargain Game (first titled as "Barker's Bargain Bar") is a pricing game in which the contestant has to choose which one of two prizes is the bigger bargain.
Gameplay[]
The Bargain Game is played with two prizes. Each one has a "bargain price" that is below its actual retail price. The contestant wins both prizes if he or she selects the prize that is the bigger bargain - the one with a price that is more below its actual retail price than the other prize.
History[]
- When the game premiered on April 22, 1980 (#3652D), Bob Barker was the host. For 28 years, the name was titled Barker's Bargain Bar.
- The name stayed for the first season when Drew Carey became host (unlike the other game with Barker in the title, immediately renamed Make Your Mark; on several early times the game was played, Carey joked that the game was named after some supposedly legendary figure such as "Ezekiel Barker" before later acknowledging Bob when it was played.
- While it was originally intended to keep the old name as a tribute to Bob, the old name was also part of what led to its hiatus after Roger Dobkowitz was fired.
- On October 22, 1985 (#5852D), a white background was added behind the neon sign to make it easier to read.
- On November 14, 1985 (#5884D), the game was accidentally set up with the yellow price tags showing instead of the orange bargain prices. Because of this error, the contestant was automatically awarded the prizes.
- On January 9, 1996 (#9802D), a new, more solid, and more legible "Barker's Bargain Bar" sign was introduced.
- On November 16, 2000 (#1584K), the game broke down and the panels had to be turned by hand. The game was fixed when it next aired on November 20, 2000 (#1591K).
- The game went under a three-year hiatus after November 4, 2008 (#4492K, aired out of order on October 28, 2008); it eventually returned on April 24, 2012 (#5942K, aired out of order on April 10) with a new set and was retitled to be named as Bargain Game.
- Prior to the official renaming of the game, it always was known internally as Bargain Game on game call sheets and other internal channels.
- It was also the first of three pricing games to use the former host's name in the game's name, with the other two being Trader Bob, which premiered one week later on April 29, 1980 (#3662D), and Barker's Markers, which premiered on September 12, 1994 (#9261D) (renamed Make Your Mark for its single playing on the Doug Davidson version and when Carey took over).
- On March 5, 2013 (#6252K), a contestant named Jioconda Ruadale won a $20,000 bonus for being the first person on stage to win their pricing game during PCH week, playing Bargain Game in the first slot. On January 2, 2017 (#7751K), Sheila Thompson also won the $20,000 PCH bonus for being the first person to win their pricing game, playing this game in the second slot.
- On September 22, 2014 (#6811K), as part of Price's 43rd Season Premiere, the Bargain Game offered two new cars for the first time, but the game was lost when contestant Bridget Kelly picked the Mazda 2 Sport as the bigger bargain than the Nissan Versa S Plus.
- On February 24, 2017 (#7825K), orange semicircles were temporarily added to the price display podiums for Celebrity Charity Week. They were removed soon after.
- On November 22, 2017 (#8103K) (aka the Thanksgiving College Rivals), Brooke Meitzler (Ole Miss) won trips to Costa Rica and Canada, and Julianna Bostrom (Mississippi State) was denied.
- On February 22, 2019 (#8635K, aired out of order on May 31), Bargain Game was played for a $15,595 2019 Chevy Spark LS and a $16,953 2019 Nissan Versa S Plus. It was won, for a grand total of $32,548.
- During the first season under the COVID-19 pandemic, only one model operated the podiums. Despite still under the pandemic, the game returned to normal practice in Season 50.
Trivia[]
- The most number of times this game was played in any season was 48 (seasons 11 and 12), while the least number of times this game was played in any season was 5 (season 37).
- This pricing game was the first to premiere in the 1980s.
- The show's official documentation called this game Bargain Game, even while Barker was still hosting. He often used that name to refer to the game in segments that followed it.
- This game is one of many games with a 50% chance of winning by random guessing. Its sale prices are similar to retired games Buy or Sell and Clearance Sale.
- The cash amount of the bargain almost always ends with two zeroes, so the last two numbers of the prizes are almost always the true last two numbers.
- In its early days, the bargain differential was usually $200 or $300. These days, the bigger bargain tends to be around double the amount of the smaller bargain.
- This and Most Expensive are the only two quickie games to use a foghorn when they are lost.
Foreign versions[]
The game is played the same way in many other versions, but with name changes:
- United Kingdom - referred to as "Bruce's Bargain Bar" (on Bruce's Price is Right)
- Mexico and Spain - referred to as "La Ganga" (The Bargain)
Gallery[]
To view the gallery, click here.
YouTube Videos[]
Barker's Bargain Bar playing (April 22, 1980, #3652D)
Last Playing with the Neon Sign (January 3, 1996, #9793D)
Final Playing under Barker's Bargain Bar (November 4, 2008 #4492K, aired out of order October 28, 2008)
First win under 'Bargain Game' (May 18, 2012, #5975K)
Jeremy wins Bargain Game (April 23, 2013, #6322K, aired out of order on April 22, 2013)
Double Car Playing (September 22, 2014, #6811K)
| 1980s Pricing Games |
|---|
| Bargain Game | Trader Bob | Grand Game | Now....or Then | Hit Me | Super Ball!! | Check Game | Check-Out | Pick-A-Pair | Plinko | Master Key | Phone Home Game | Walk of Fame | Balance Game (1) | On the Nose | One Away | Bump | Add 'Em Up | Pathfinder | Credit Card | Spelling Bee | $uper $aver | Make Your Move | 2 for the Price of 1 |