| "AMERICA'S BIGGEST BARGAIN SALE!" |
| packagers: William Jones/Al Howard Productions ('69-'74), Reg Grundy Productions ('83-'89), FremantleMedia North America (Temptation) air dates: 9/29/69-7/13/73 & 1/3/83-3/24/89 on NBC daytime and syndicated 9/10/73-9/74 by Screen Gems, 1/85-9/86 by Genesis Entertainment, and 9/10/07-9/2008 by 20th Television (as Temptation) hosts: Jack Kelly ('69-9/20/71), Joe Garagiola (9/23/71-'74), Jim Perry ('83-'89), Rossi Morreale (Temptation) announcers: Bill Wendell ('69-'74), Jay Stewart ('83-'88), Don Morrow ('88-'89), Rolanda Watts (Temptation) hostesses: Sally Julian (1/83-3/83), Lee Menning (3/83-12/84), Summer Bartholomew (12/84-3/24/89) HOW TO PLAY: ('69-'74): Each of three players was spotted $20 to start with. The players were then read a question and only one player could buzz in and answer each question. A correct answer earned the player $5. Otherwise, (s)he coughed up $5 and then the host popped the next question. At a few various points during the game, all players were offered the chance to buy an "Instant Bargain" at a huge discount (ex.: a $500 prize for $5). If either player accepted by buzzing in, the sale price was knocked off his/her score. Question values increased from $5 to $10 and finally to $15 over the course of the game. During the last year and a half of the daytime show, as well as on the entire syndie run, the game pitted two couples against each other, with the last five questions of the game being valued at $20 a pop. The leader(s) at the end of the game went shopping at the Sale of the Century. The others took home their score in cash and any Instant Bargains purchased along the way. In case of a 2-way tie, both sides were asked a question. A right answer won the game, whereas a wrong answer gave the other player/couple the championship. In case of a 3-way tie, if the first player to buzz in was wrong, it was just between the other two. The player/couple in the lead at the end of the game earned an opportunity to buy fabulous prizes at the Sale of the Century, such as a room of furniture worth $1,400 for $79, a trip to Europe worth $3,000 for $219, a brand new $5,000 car for $309, etc. The champ(s) could buy one or more prizes and retire undefeated or save his/her/their money for even bigger prizes. On the syndicated edition, the winning couple answered a series of questions worth $100 a pop towards buying one of those big prizes ('83-'89): Three players were each given $20 to start. Each question throughout the game was worth $5, win or lose. After 6 questions, the leader would be given the opportunity to buy an IB. Jim would often sweeten the pot by adding cash or by reducing the sale price. If there was a tie for the lead, Jim would reduce the sale price little by little. For a short time in this version, players who bought Instant Bargains could earn that money back by correctly answering a Sale Back question. Sometimes, a bell would ring after an IB indicating a Sale Surprise, a cash prize which was awarded to that player if (s)he bought the prize. Three Instant Bargains were offered during the course of the game from '83-'86. After that, five more questions would be played, followed by the Fame Game. The players were asked a long "Who/What am I?" question which related to a famous person, place, or thing. If a player buzzed in with a wrong answer, the other players were given a chance to answer. The player who buzzed in with the right answer picked one of nine spaces from the Fame Game board. Behind each space was either a prize, cash, or a card which added to that player's score. At first, $25 was the only score card on the board. Soon thereafter, in the first Fame Game, a $5 and $10 card were hidden, a $15 card added in the second, and that all-important $25 card was added in the third and final Fame Game. For the last 3 years of the run, the FG board was played like Press Your Luck. The lights flashed around and stopped at the push of a button and won the player what was on that space. In '86, the third IB was replaced by "Instant Cash" in which the leader could reduce his/her score to a tie with the second-placer for a chance at thousands in cash. If there was a tie, an auction would be held. If (s)he decided to go for it, (s)he picked one of 3 boxes. One of them hid a cash prize of $1,000 with another $1,000 added each day until won. The other two boxes each contained $100. The player picked a box and won the money inside. After the third FG, three more $5 questions were played and then the winner went shopping. Shortly thereafter, this was replaced by the one-minute "Speed Round" in which the players answered as many questions as possible in 60 seconds. As soon as the clock ran out, a winner was crowned. From '83-'84 on NBC and '85 on the syndicated run, the winner went shopping at the same SotC from the original version. Prizes ranged in value from a $2,500 prize for $85 to a $20,000+ car for $530. On the syndie show, if the champ could bank $640, (s)he could buy every prize available. On NBC, $630+ could be converted into a cash jackpot worth $50,000 + $1,000/day until won. Banking $750 (nighttime) or $760 (NBC) sent the champ home with the whole $100,000+ kit 'n' caboodle!!! During the first few months, there was no cash jackpot, but the sale prices ranged from around $50-$400, and $500 could buy all of the prizes displayed which totaled about $95,000. In 11/84 on NBC and 12/85 on the syndie show, the SotC was replaced by the "Winner's Board". The champ selected from 20 spaces and continued calling of #s until a match was found and that prize was won. There were also 2 WIN cards hidden. If one of those was found, the next prize found was won. Finding both WIN cards consecutively had no additional effect. Whenever a champ cleared the Winner's Board, (s)he could retire with all of those prizes, including $13,000 and a car, or risk losing those prizes and play one last game, this time for $50,000. From '88 to the finale, the winner earned a prize ranging in value from $2k-$4k and played the Winner's Big Money Game. The champ chose one of three envelopes and was given 20 seconds to solve four six-word clues. At first, it was 5 clues in 25 seconds. The clue was read, one word every 1.25 seconds, and the player had to buzz in to stop the clock and answer. Two wrong answers ended it right there. A player's first attempt was for $5,000, second for $6,000, and so on until the sixth attempt for $10,000. A champ's seventh shot at the WBMG was for a $20,000+ car. The champ retired if (s)he lost out on the car. However, if the car was won, (s)he could come back for one last game for a shot at $50,000. In the early days of this format, the winner picked a number 1-6 from a smaller Winner's Board and won the prize hidden behind it. The 2007 revival was named Temptation: The New Sale of the Century after $ale's Aussie counterpart. Each of 3 players started with 20 Temptation Dollars. Rossi fired of questions for 30 seconds at 5 T$ a pop. After time ran out, the player in the lead would be offered an Instant Bargain. Then came the Fame Game in which Rossi read a series of clues while the right answer revealed itself one letter at a time. The player with the correct answer scored 15 T$. The players then played KnockOff, in which a category was presented with 12 possible answers. Each player in turn called off an answer. Of the 9 right answers, the 4 easiest ones were worth 2 T$ to a player's score, three being worth 5 T$ each, one worth 10 T$, and the most difficult answer worth 15 T$. Each wrong answer knocked that player out for the rest of the round. The player in the lead was offered another Instant Bargain and another 30-second speed round was played, with the same two possible answers for each question. After that, the leader was offered a chance to play Instant Cash, played exactly the same as it was on the '80s run, except that the jackpot started at $500 and grew $500 a day until won, up to a $5,000 maximum. Then another 30-second speed round was played with questions at 10 T$ a pop, after which the leader would be crowned champion. In the first part of the endgame, the champ played Super KnockOff, in which 12 answers would be revealed. Of the 6 right answers, the most difficult answer earned 100 T$, with the next most difficult answer worth 50 T$ with the 4 remaining correct answers worth 25 T$ each, while picking one of the 6 wrong answers ends that phase and the champ loses that money. After Super KnockOff, the champ went shopping at Shopper's Paradise where (s)he may spend his or her T$ on one of several fabulous prizes, with the top prize usually being a car, or save that money and return on the next show. Each champ who bought a bonus prize retired from the show, and must do so after winning 5 days in a row. OTHER TIDBITS: In addition to replacing Jack Kelly (Maverick) as host of the original version, former Major League catcher Joe Garagiola also hosted the Tattletales forerunner, He Said, She Said. He also replaced Garry Moore in the late '70s as host of To Tell The Truth. He also hosted Joe Garagiola's Memory Game and the mid-'80s version of Strike It Rich. Before hosting $otC, Jim Perry also hosted the Miss Canada Pageant and a game show called Definition, the theme from which we now remember as the theme from the Austin Powers trilogy ("YEAH, BABY!"). Jim also emceed the NBC version of Card Sharks. The '80s version was rerun on USA from '93-'95, as was its sister show, Scrabble. Marc and Ray Ellis composed the theme music for both shows. Lee Menning dealt the cards on Las Vegas Gambit and became Nipsey Russell's co-hostess on Your Number's Up. Summer Bartholomew, Miss USA 1975, became an interim hostess on Wheel of Fortune from 10/25-11/12/82, a month before Vanna White became former "letter turner" Susan Stafford's permanent replacement. Back to my game show joint or my homepage. |
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