Gas Money

Gas Money
Premiere Date	September 22, 2008 (#4431K)
Pricing Game Location	Center Stage
Previous Premiered Pricing Game	More or Less
Next Premiered Pricing Game	Rat Race

Gas Money is a game played for a car and $10,000 in cash (hence the name "Gas Money").

Gameplay

• The contestant is shown five cards with different prices on them. The card displaying the correct price of the car has a "pink slip" on its reverse; each of the other cards has a cash value on its reverse: one each of $1,000, $2,000, $3,000, and $4,000; the distribution of the money values has no relation to which price is on the card.
• The contestant must select a card that they believe is not the correct price, and it is turned over. If the card has a cash value on its reverse, the contestant wins that amount and may choose to quit the game and keep that amount or the total so far; or they may choose to continue and select another card. If the contestant turns over all four cards with cash values, they win $10,000 plus the car. This process continues until the contestant either quits and wins the total money shown on all cards turned over, or they turn over the card with the correct price to reveal the pink slip, in which case the game ends and all cash accumulated is lost.

History

• Gas Money premiered on September 22, 2008 (#4431K) and was created by Roger Dobkowitz, although it did not debut until after his dismissal from the show at the end of Season 36. It was the first new game to debut during Drew Carey's tenure as host, and also the oldest game that has never appeared on any episodes hosted by Bob Barker. Unsurprisingly, the game got its very first win on the day it premiered.
• From September 22, 2008 (#4431K) until June 12, 2009 (#4795K, aired out of order on June 19), the contestant was asked to select the price they believe is the price of the car and the card is separated from the others.
• Since January 26, 2010 (#5012K), the contestant must save the price they believe is the price of the car for last.
• On October 19, 2010 (#5272K), a monitor for the amount of money the contestant has won was added, to keep track of how much money has been won so far. Also, the cards now have rounded corners and a silver/gray border around it, and the font on the prices changed from Univers Condensed to OCR-A.
• On December 31, 2013 (#6552K, aired out of order on December 30), during The Price Is Right’s Best of 2013 special, history was made when contestant Sheree Heil won a 2014 Audi R8 V8 Spyder Quattro S-Tronic worth $157,300, along with the $10,000. With the $3,045 Prada shoes she won in the preceding One-Bid, she became daytime's highest winner with $170,345, shattering the previous record by almost $23,000.
• As of March 12, 2014 (#6653K), the car is parked facing the prop, similar to Pass the Buck, instead of Door #3.
• Gas Money has been officially won 22 times (excluding 2 primetime wins), most recently on October 10, 2022 (#9931K, aired out of order on October 13).
• Gas Money had a wipeout 38 times, in which the contestant picked the pink slip to the car first. The first time that happened was on March 6, 2009 (#4655K). The most recent was on October 24, 2024.
• Gas Money had a painful loss 19 times after picking the pink slip to the car on the fourth pick. The first painful loss (and the game's first loss overall) happened on October 16, 2008 (#4464K, aired out of order on October 9). The most recent was on December 7, 2023 (#0394L).
• Gas Money has been played for a truck 4 times: October 16, 2008 (#4464K, aired out of order on October 9), January 14, 2013 (#6181K), February 8, 2013 (#6215K, aired out of order on February 1), and May 17, 2018 (#8344K), with the pink slip saying “TRUCK”, and of all 4 times it has been played, they were all lost.
• There are 4 episodes where a contestant won his/her showcase despite a wipeout on this pricing game: April 1, 2009 (#4693K), March 29, 2013 (#6285K), May 15, 2017 (#7941K), and June 14th, 2024 (#0665L). The contestants in the respective episodes are Dee Ronn Booker, Van, Sophia Ortiz, and recently, Sandra Larson.
• On October 9, 2017 (#8041K), as part of Dream Car Week, the game was played for a Maserati, and the cash amounts were multiplied by five. Contestant Robert Nixon won $35,000 and decided to stop.
• On December 7, 2018 (#8525K), Rosalina Diaz was the 100th contestant to pick the price of the car. Therefore, on that episode, the game received its 100th loss.
• During the COVID-19 pandemic, Drew Carey had to turn over the price tags instead of the model to maintain social distancing.

Trivia

• For every correct choice, a bell that sounds similar to what is heard as a car pulls up to a gas pump is heard.
• As with Money Game and Pass the Buck, when the vehicle offered is other than a car, the silhouette and type of vehicle printed on the price cards changes appropriately (e.g. van, truck, etc.).
• This game is very similar in concept with Pass the Buck, Danger Price, and Grand Game.
• Like Five Price Tags, an unwritten rule is that the prices of all prizes end in 0 or 5, except in the rare case that 0 or 5 is not one of the provided choices.
• This game is the polar opposite of Five Price Tags, in that players try to avoid the right price instead of picking it from the five choices.
• Like Take Two, Ten Chances, Magic Number, Rat Race, Line 'Em Up and More or Less, Gas Money has never been the first pricing game to start any show because it needs time to start up and the game can be no earlier than second on the show.
  • As of some time in the 2010s, Gas Money can be played no earlier than third on the show.
• The most number of times this game was played in any season was 19 (season 41), while the least number of times this game was played in any season was 6 (season 38).
• Not only was this the first pricing game to premiere when Drew Carey was hosting, but it was also the last pricing game to premiere in the 2000s.
• The odds of winning this game are 1/5, or 20%, if the prices are chosen randomly.
• Logically speaking, the contestant should never take a walk-away offer. The best money/odds of winning that will ever occur in the game is $7,000 with the first two picks, and taking that would only be worth it if the car was less than $11,000.
• Unlike most cash award games, the announcer doesn’t announce the cash prize. The cash prize was announced by Drew instead of the announcer.
• This and Pass the Buck have the car parked beside the main board as they are unveiled by the Big Cover.
• On April 1, 2009 (#4693K), the foghorn sounded for a loss instead of the normal buzzer.

Gallery

To view the gallery, click here.

YouTube Videos

First win of Gas Money premiere (September 22, 2008, #4431K)
Second Gas Money Winner (November 5, 2008, #4493K, aired out of order on October 29)
Gas Money win with the updated prop from 2010 (October 19, 2010, #5272K) Note: Video ends at 3:36
Gas Money win from Celebrity Week (October 12, 2011, #5663K, aired out of order on January 4, 2012)
A Heartbreaker from Season 41 (May 22, 2013, #6363K, aired out of order on May 24)
The Only Gas Money winner From Season 41 (June 12, 2013, #6393K)
Gas Money win with an over $150,000 Audi R8 convertible (December 31, 2013, #6552K, aired out of order on December 30)
Heartbreaking Gas Money Loss from Season 42 (May 12, 2014, #6741K)
A Heartbreaker from Season 43 (October 16, 2014, #6844K, aired out of order on October 15)
A Gas Money win from 2015 (January 30, 2015, #6985K)
Another Heartbreaker from Season 43 (February 17, 2015, #7012K)
A Gas Money win from Season 44 (April 4, 2016, #7481K)
A Gas Money win from Season 45 (September 29, 2016, #7625K)
A Gas Money wipeout from 2016 (October 6, 2016, #7634K)
Another disastrous playing from Season 45 (April 12, 2017, #7883K, aired out of order on April 5)
Gas Money for a Maserati (October 9, 2017, #8041K)
An early exit/disastrous playing from Season 46 (February 13, 2018, #8212K)
A dreadful/early exit/dismal/disastrous playing from Season 47 (December 7, 2018, #8525K)
A Gas Money win from Season 47 (January 4, 2019, #8565K)
Another Dismal Playing from Season 47 (February 15, 2019, #8265K)
A Gas Money win from Season 48 (February 26, 2020, #9043K)
A disastrous playing from Season 51 (May 9, 2023, #0232L)