Step Up

Step Up
Premiere Date (Barker Era)	February 7, 2002 (#2054K)
Premiere Date (Carey Era)	March 4, 2008 (#4232K)
Pricing Game Location	Big Doors
Previous Premiered Pricing Game	Pass the Buck
Next Premiered Pricing Game	On the Spot
Finale Date (Barker Era)	May 31, 2007 (#4014K)
Finale Date (Carey Era)	October 15, 2014 (#6843K, aired out-of-order on October 17, 2014)

Step Up was a game where the contestant had to "Step Up" to win big, with 4 prizes and a potential $3,000 cash bonus at stake.

Gameplay

The contestant was shown four prizes and was asked to select the prize they believe to be the cheapest, which was then revealed and treated as the "base price." The contestant would then select a prize which is more expensive than the base price. If correct, they win both prizes and a $500 bonus. The contestant can quit with their winnings or risk them and choose another prize which is more expensive than the previous selections. If correct, they win all three prizes and an additional $1,000 bonus, for a total of $1,500 cash. The contestant can once again quit with their winnings or wager everything that the final prize is the most expensive of the four. If correct, they win all four prizes and an additional $1,500 bonus, for a total of $3,000 cash. If a price is revealed at any point that is lower than the previous price, the game ends and the contestant loses everything.

History

• Step Up premiered on February 7, 2002 (#2054K), and was won.
• On April 30, 2010 (#5145K), the red display changed to blue and yellow.
• Step Up was won nine times, with its last win occurring on April 7, 2014 (#6691K, aired out of order on April 2).
• One such win (December 14, 2010, #5352K) was on a technicality, since production had switched which barbecue they were offering before the show but forgot to swap out the price. Since this contributed to the contestant's loss, production awarded him all four prizes and the $3,000. Hilariously, a playing earlier in 2010 (April 30, 2010, #5145K) also had a barbecue, and when it was more expensive than she'd anticipated, contestant Jessica asked Drew "Is that the real barbecue?"
• This game was taken out of the pricing game rotation on November 7, 2008 (#4495K, aired out-of-order on October 17), the game's only playing in Season 37 but returned on October 16, 2009 (#4865K). It was then taken out again on October 15, 2014 (#6843K, aired out-of-order on October 17, 2014), the game's only playing in season 43, before it was retired. The game was considered Missing in Action at first until it dropped off PriceIsRight.com a year later, at which point it was considered retired.
• Step Up never offered four cars or trips.

Trivia

• This game was played 81 times.
• The highest number of times this game was played in any season was 11 (season 30), while the least number of times this game was played in any season was 1 (seasons 37 and 43).
• This was the only pricing game retired in the 2010s, and so far, one of two retired games only played in the 21st century (On the Spot is the other).
• Step Up has many similarities to Pay the Rent:
  • Both of them have cash as a prize.
  • Both of them involve the idea of having multiple steps (or floors in Pay the Rent) where each step must be more expensive than the last.
  • Both of them let the contestant walk away with a sure thing.
  • Both games have a low win rate (although this is intentional with Pay the Rent, due to it having the highest cash prize out of any current game).
  • Both games are relatively modern, debuting in the 21st century.
• The odds of winning this game with random selections are 1 in 24, or 4.16%. These are the same odds as Triple Play and Golden Road, and those two games both have over $50,000 in prizes up for grabs.

Gallery

To view the gallery, click here.

Retirement

This game was retired because of its low win-loss ratio of 9-72, including 5-23 since Drew Carey took over as host in Season 36. Despite this, 54 contestants (including winners) walked away with something, partly because a viable strategy was to ignore a prize that was either undesirable or difficult to price and win the other three and $1,500. As this was not viable in other pricing games, and production wanted contestants to win all the prizes, Step Up was shelved in favor of all-or-nothing four-prize games like Danger Price, Take Two, and Shopping Spree.

Foreign Versions

• On Canada's Price Is Right: À vous de jouer (where it was known as Quitte ou Double [Quit or Double]), the rules were the same, but there was no cash involved.

YouTube Links

• Back after a year hiatus (October 16, 2009, #4865K)
• Step Up gets a makeover (April 30, 2010, #5145K)
• Final Playing (October 15, 2014, #6843K, aired out of order on October 17, 2014)