One of my favorite parts of being a game show fan is watching how other countries pull off variants of shows in the US. For example, Family Feud in England gave away cars long before we did. Jeopardy! in England has an interesting twist where the contestants never see each others scores, so wagering on Daily Doubles and Final Jeopardy! is more strategic. Even Wheel of Fortune in France has a shopping wedge that allows contestants $2000 to spend in a vintage Wheel shopping/Price is Right minigame. But the best change that any foreign show has made, by far, is The Price is Right in Australia. Their Showcase round looks like this:
Instead of the final two contestants bidding on their own showcases, they go head to head trying to figure the price of ONE showcase. One player guesses the price, and the host says whether the actual price is higher or lower. The other player then goes, and we go back and forth like this until someone hits the price on the nose. Then this huge board rotates on the turntable, and the player must place the prizes in order from lowest to highest. If they do, they win the showcase (and in some variants, a six figure cash prize or a $500,000 condo in prime time). Usually, the game is won or lost on prizes 3, 4 and 5, but if the contestant wants to stop, the host offers a cash bailout if the contestant doesn't feel confident (we've seen these go up to $20,000 in some cases). It's exciting, it's tense, and it is perfect.
Hey, Fremantle? If you ever decide to syndicate The Price is Right again, use this format for the showcase. It's budget friendly, suspenseful, and allows you to offer a boatload of prizes. Just my 2 cents.
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