Spelling Bee (pricing game)

Spelling Bee is a pricing game on the American television game show "The Price Is Right". Debuting on September 15, 1988, this game is played for a car or a consolation prize of up to $5,000 cash; it uses small prizes.

Gameplay

The centerpiece of Spelling Bee is a large board which conceals 30 cards: eleven each of the "C" and "A" cards, six "R" cards, and two "CAR" cards on the board. To win the car, a contestant must select cards that spell "CAR" either with all three letters or a CAR card.

The contestant is given two free picks from the board at the start of the game, which are kept face-down; they can earn up to three more by guessing the price of each of three small prizes. If their guess is within $10 (inclusive) of the actual price, they win that prize and another pick from the board. Guessing the exact price on any of the small prizes automatically wins the three additional picks and all three small prizes, regardless if a previous prize had been lost. All cards are kept face-down until any additional earned picks are complete.

Each card picked is worth $1,000 while it is face-down, up to $5,000 for the maximum five cards. The cards are turned over one-by-one, with the contestant given the chance each time before revealing to quit and take $1,000 for each card that remains face-down. If the revealed cards spell out "car" or a "CAR" card is revealed, the contestant wins the car, but not any money for the remaining cards. There is no additional benefit to having picked more than one winning card or combination of cards.

History

Until the end of Season 35, the cards were worth $500 each (for a maximum of $2,500). The cards were increased to $1,000 each (for a maximum of $5,000) beginning in Season 36.

On one occasion in late 1998 or early 1999, a contestant named Amy played a perfect game, getting one "C", one "A", one "R", and both "CAR" cards. However, Bob Barker misheard the contestant when she had chosen her fourth card. She had asked for #26, but Bob placed #27ndashwhich was an "A"ndashin the fourth slot.

Foreign Versions

On Mexico's "Atínale al Precio", the word "CAR" was replaced with the word "AUTO". The "A" was given for free, and the contestant had to find the "U", "T", and "O", or one of two cards saying "AUTO". Each face-down card was worth M$2,000.

The Netherlands "Cash en Carlo" changes the letters to "WIN", and adds four cards worth €1,000; there are 9 "W"'s, 9 "I"'s, 6 "N"'s, 2 "WIN"'s, and 4 "€1,000" cards. Drawing a "€1,000" gives that amount to the contestant regardless of the outcome. Each face-down card was worth €200.