Range Game

Range Game is a game played for a single prize where the contestant must stop a $150 "range finder" from slowly inching up a $600 scale, such that the price of the prize is within the area of the "range finder."

Gameplay[]

The contestant is shown a scale representing a range of $600. The price of the prize is somewhere within this range. On this scale is a red window which spans $150 of the range, it is dubbed the "range finder." To the scale's right is a dark green strip that spans the length of the scale and is used to show the price.
Starting from the bottom, the range finder moves up the scale slowly. The contestant must press a button to stop the range finder when they believe the price of the prize is within the red window. Upon the host's command, the price is then lit up on the green strip, and if the contestant is correct, they win the prize.
Though mostly played for trips or furniture, usually once a season at minimum the Range Game is played for a car.

History[]

When the game debuted, Range Game had a blue board, and used a $50 range finder. The range quickly increased to $100 on May 8, 1973 (#0362D), and as quickly to the current $150 on June 8, 1973 (#0405D). For its first playing only (#035N), the 1970s syndicated version used a range finder with a $200 spread.
On September 8, 1975 (#1581D, aired out of order on September 11), the title was added. On December 29, 1976 (#2183D), the green board debuted. On May 2, 1985 (#5714D), the second range finder holder was introduced. On May 15, 1985 (#5733D), the original button (which had the word "STOP" in it in white lettering) was replaced with its current one and the stripes were changed from red to gold. On December 12, 2011 (#5751K), the board was repainted a noticeably different shade of yellow and metal borders were placed around the game's base.
As a running gag, host Bob Barker told the contestant to be sure when they stopped the range finder, as once it had been stopped, it couldn't be restarted for 37 hours. On the primetime specials, it couldn't be restarted for 48 hours (a nod to CBS' long-running Saturday night newsmagazine by that name). The joke originally used other absurd numbers, as well. On November 6, 2007 (#4072K, aired out of order on October 17 as the first playing with Drew Carey), Drew Carey attempted to do the joke, but said "37 days" instead. He hasn't used it since. However, Drew found his own gag by allowing the man who turns the crank behind the prop to come out and say hello to the contestant and audience.
On November 9, 1984 (#5475D), the game offered its first 5-digit prize: a limited-edition Sony 30" console TV and a handcrafted cabinet worth $10,000, but was lost.
On June 10, 1985 (#5771D), when Bob and contestant René walked over to the gameboard, the price of $6,334 had already been lit up and could be seen by everyone in the studio as well as the home viewers, so because of this, Bob had no choice but to automatically award an Isuzu pickup truck that René would've tried to win had the light on the green strip been shut off in time. As a consequence, the game was never actually played.
On October 10, 1991 (#8134D), as contestant Audrey pressed the button to stop it, the range finder kept going up at first, and then went down and bounced to $2,800 at the top. Bob said, "I have a solution for this!" and asked to light up the price. She managed to win the game as the price was $2,744. Bob then told the audience, "If the price had been up here (where she stopped it), I was going to, with brute force, move that dude up there, and you were still gonna win the bed!"
On the Doug Davidson syndicated version of Price, Range Game's format was used to bid on the Showcase (although Doug never acknowledged it as "Range Game"). A completely new prop was constructed for the round (a replica of the Range Game board was used for the pilot), and the contestant selected at random a length for the rangefinder; the lengths came in increments of $1,000 and fell between $4,000 and $10,000. The Showcase's board covered a $60,000 range between $10,000 and $70,000.
On January 6, 1995 (#9405D), the range finder moved three times its normal speed, and as contestant William pressed the button to stop it, the range finder kept going for $20 before it actually stopped.
On October 15, 1996 (#0092K), contestant Louis R. Diamond stopped the range less than $1 too late. When the price lit up, Bob and the audience were in shock moments before the buzzer sounded. He looked closely at the price, and he was so close, he declared a win.
On The Price is Right $1,000,000 Spectacular on March 14, 2008 (#027SP, aired out of order on February 29), the Range Game is chosen as the Million Dollar Game. After the range finder is stopped, the contestant must guess (in the range finder) the exact price to win $1,000,000. Contestant Gina Reyes lost.
On November 19, 2014 (#6893K, aired out of order on November 14, then originally rescheduled to air November 12), wheelchair-bound contestant Travon Lewis played this game for a car and won.
On October 27, 2016 (#7664K), for Big Money Week, in addition to the usual $150 range, a smaller, $50 range was placed in the middle of the range finder, and if the contestant got the price within that $50 range, they'd get a $10,000 bonus in addition to the prize (a trip to Greece). Unfortunately, contestant Brittany Miller missed the price entirely.
On May 15, 2017 (#7941K), for Dream Car Week, Range Game was played for its biggest prize ever on daytime TV: a Porsche 718 Boxster worth $59,845. On top of that, it was won.
On December 31, 2019 (#8962K) for a New Year's Eve themed episode, the range finder is dressed as the famous Times Square Ball, starts at the top of the scale, and then moves down. It was played, fittingly, for a trip to see the actual ball drop in New York City worth $11,018, and it was won.
On February 17, 2020 (#9031K), for Dream Car Week, Range Game was played for a $19,755 2020 Nissan Kicks S Crossover, and was won. When the car was revealed, it was pushed by stagehands similar to Lucky $even and Card Game.

Appearances Outside of The Price Is Right[]

The game appeared alongside Cliff Hangers and Eazy as 1-2-3 as part of a 5-part special interview on The Talk.

Trivia[]

The most number of times this game was played in any season was 75 (season 4), while the least number of times this game was played in any season was 14 (season 49).
Range Game was one of seven pricing games seen on the third taping session of Season 36, which was seen on October 17, 2007 (#4043K, aired out of order on November 13), October 25, 2007 (#4054K, aired out of order on January 3, 2008), October 29, 2007 (#4061K, aired out of order on December 13), November 6, 2007 (#4072K, aired out of order on October 17), November 15, 2007 (#4084K, aired out of order on November 7), and November 23, 2007 (#4095K, aired out of order on October 26).
The range finder automatically stops upon reaching the very top.
The background music for the range finder's ascent up the scale was a leftover sound effect from The Carol Burnett Show (which was also taped in studio 33). It was also used as the original think cue for Check Game until it got its own cue in 1988.
The One Bid item before the game's debut playing was a range. If this was an intentional pun, the joke was lost on the viewers, as the game's name did not appear on the prop, nor was its name ever mentioned.

Foreign versions[]

In most versions, the range is generally the only one that differs.
- Argentina: AR$1000
- Australia
  - Turpie era (probably Meadows as well): AU$50
  - Emdur era: AU$100
- France (2015): €200
- Italy: The scale was ₤500,000 (€258.23) with a ₤100,000 (€51.65) rangefinder.
- Mexico: MX$???
- Portugal: €100
- UK (Crowther):
In the French and Portuguese versions, they can set what range the price of the item they believe is.

Gallery[]

To view the gallery, click here.

YouTube Videos[]

A very close win
Another Close win
Range Game for a car in Big Money Week (November 19, 2014, #6893K, aired out of order on November 14, originally rescheduled for November 12)
Range Game for a Porsche Boxster (May 15, 2017, #7941K)

1970s Pricing Games

Active Pricing Games