Triple Play

Triple Play
Premiere Date (Barker Era)	October 2, 2000 (#1521K)
Premiere Date (Carey Era)	October 22, 2007 (#4051K, aired out of order on December 6, 2007)
Pricing Game Location	Big Doors
Previous Premiered Pricing Game	Flip Flop
Next Premiered Pricing Game	That's Too Much!
Finale Date (Barker Era)	June 14, 2007 (#4034K)

Triple Play is a pricing game played for not one car, not two cars, but three cars.

Gameplay

• Each car is played for one at a time, starting with the lowest-priced. The contestant must choose which price is closest to the actual price of the car that does not exceed it. For the first car, the contestant is given two choices, for the second, three choices, and for the third, four choices.
• A correct decision moves the player on to the second most expensive car. If they are correct again, they move to the most expensive car. The contestant must guess correctly on the final car to win all three cars. If they choose incorrectly at any point, the game ends, and the contestant wins nothing. There is no option to walk away. If the contestant succeeds in guessing which price is closest to the retail price of the final car without going over, they get all three cars.

History

• Triple Play was created because then-host Bob Barker wanted a game that had a car behind each of the big doors on the show's stage. It was originally conceived as a game called "Slam Dunk" in which only one of the cars could be won. The rest of the staff did not like the idea of having a game that offered prizes that could not be won and the idea was eventually overhauled into the current format. It is the last pricing game to premiere before both Janice Pennington's and Kathleen Bradley's departures on December 13, 2000 (#1623K).
• The game has not been played between October 17, 2000 (#1542K, the game's second playing) and January 10, 2001 (#1653K).
• On its first playing, it had a common theme for each car, being played for a car, a truck, and a van.
• Originally, the game's logo appeared behind all three cars until October 19, 2001 (#1905K) being the final time this happened and since November 21, 2001 (#1953K), the signs behind the first two cars were permanently removed.
• On its premiere playing, contestant Amber lost it on the second car. On May 23, 2001 (#1823K), the game's eighth playing, Triple Play got its first win.
• One playing of Triple Play had to be removed from an episode after the pricing game had ended. On October 28, 2003 (#2652K), the game was lost on the first car, then the staff discovered that the wrong contestant was declared the winner of the One Bid. The whole first act was eventually re-shot; a new item up for bids was offered and contestant Jimmy who won played Money Game for Triple Play’s second car, which was actually a van; a Ford Windstar worth $23,365, which he won.
• On October 14, 2008 (#4462K, aired out-of-order on October 7, 2008), the game's only playing in season 37, Triple Play was taken out of the pricing game lineup but returned to the rotation on October 30, 2009 (#4885K).
• On September 27, 2013 (#6425K, aired out of order on October 15), for Big Money Week, Triple Play was played for an $46,565 Audi A6, a $42,140 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque, and a Chevrolet Corvette, which never had its price revealed, as the game had to end at the Rover for the price chosen was incorrect.
• On April 22, 2014 (#6712K), Triple Play was played for three hybrid cars, but was lost at the third car.
• For 12 years, Triple Play was always played first, much like Golden Road until December 20, 2016 (#7732K). However, unlike Golden Road, Triple Play does not take up the entire stage, thus allowing the host to enter through The Big Doors. Since November 9, 2012 (#6105K), the game has been played anytime other than just first. It's possible that this misconception arose during a primetime special, which would often have audience entrances just for the sake of the special.
• Triple Play was won 14 times over the years, excluding four during primetime specials. After an 8-year losing streak that began on December 6, 2007 (#4114K, aired out of order on December 14), the losing streak was broken on December 21, 2015 (#7331K). The most recent win occurred on December 24, 2019 (#8952K).
• After November 1, 2024 (#0755L), this game might have been taken out of rotation for currently unknown reasons.

Trivia

• This is the second pricing game to be played for multiple cars, the first being the retired It's Optional.
• The greatest number of times this game was played in any season was 8 (seasons 29 and 31), while the least number of times this game was played in any season was 1 (season 37 and 53).
• So far it is the only pricing game in the current rotation to not have been played more than 10 times in a given season.
• Due to its higher payout and longer playtime, Triple Play was played less than 8 times per season since Season 32. Since Season 52, the game was played just three times a season.
• This and Back to ‘75 are the only pricing games that can end before every prize is described.
• This is one of two games (and the only active game) to use "Yes" and "No" to refer to either correct or incorrect guesses (the other being Penny Ante).
• It is also one of three pricing games to use a baseball reference in its name (the other two are 3 Strikes and Squeeze Play).
• Triple Play was also the name of the bonus round from the short-lived Goodson produced game show Child's Play hosted by former host of the original Price is Right (the late) Bill Cullen.
• Triple Play was also the name of a game show segment from the formerly popular PBS children's television show Square One Television (a.k.a. Square One or Square One TV). Hosted by Cynthia Darlow, contestants spun two small wheels in order to choose two digits, one of them had a space with the shows' logo on it as it acts like a wild card of sorts. Then, they have to either add or multiply them in order to match numbers on a gameboard while trying to complete an equilateral triangle. If he or she gets three numbers that form an equilateral triangle, then he or she had to yell "Triple Play!" and list the numbers. The segment was only seen in its second season.
• Triple Play was also the name of a failed Disney Channel pilot.
• Triple Play was also the name of a bonus square that appears on the spinoff of Jeopardy! called Pop Culture Jeopardy! airing on streaming service Prime Video hosted by Saturday Night Live/SNL cast member Colin Jost where a three member team gets a chance to earn up to triple the clue's value if each member of the team can correctly provide one of three possible correct responses. Each correct response adds the clue's value to the team's score while an incorrect response loses the value as it allows another team to signal in and give the remaining responses correctly.
• Triple Play was also the name of a special category of the unsold 2006 pilot revival of the classic 70's game show The Joker's Wild hosted by Mark-Maxwell Smith in pilot #1 while Alex Cambert did pilot #2 where the player taking the category spun the wheels again, which revealed three clues to a subject. Naming the subject earned twice the value of the question. (For example, if the clues were "STEDMAN, BOOK CLUB and CHICAGO", then the subject would've been "OPRAH WINFREY").
• All three vehicles use the same intro cue when they are being revealed, with its pitch being raised a half-step each time.
• The odds of winning this game are 1 in 24, or about 4.17%, the same odds as Golden Road.
• Like Golden Road, On the Spot, and Professor Price, Triple Play has never been the fourth pricing game in the lineup.
• Following the car reveals, the models were not involved when the game is played.

Gallery

To view the gallery, click here.

YouTube Videos

Triple Play Debut Episode (October 2, 2000, #1521K)
First Triple Play winner (May 23, 2001, #1823K)
30th Season Premiere Triple Play winner (September 17, 2001, #1861K, aired out-of-order on September 24)
30th Anniversary Special Triple Play winner (January 31, 2002, #0001LV)
Coast Guard Triple Play (May 31, 2002, #003SP, aired out of order on July 12, originally rescheduled to air on June 6)
Martin makes the Triple Play (June 9, 2004, #2953K, aired out-of-order on June 17)
Marlin makes the Triple Play (February 22, 2005, #3182K)
Skyler makes the Triple Play (October 6, 2006, #3705K)
Robert and Elva make the Triple Play (October 22, 2007, #4052K, aired out-of-order on December 6 and November 16, 2007, #4085K, aired out of order on November 21)
Triple Play is the 6th Pricing Game (November 9, 2012, #6105K)
An Earth Day Triple Play (April 22, 2014, #6712K)
End of Triple Play's Futility (December 21, 2015, #7331K)
A Triple Play wipeout from 2016 (December 9, 2016, #7715K)
Triple Play First Winning Family (December 19, 2016, #7731K, aired out-of-order on December 22, 2016)
Dreadful/Disastrous Playing from 2017 (March 29, 2017, #7873K)
Dismal/Dreadful/Disastrous Playing from Dream Car Week (October 13, 2017, #8045K)
Triple Play Winner from 2019 (December 24, 2019, #8952K)