Pass the Buck (pricing game)

Pass the Buck is a pricing game on the American television game show "The Price Is Right". Debuting on October 4, 2001, it is played for a car and a cash prize of up to $9,000, and uses grocery items.

Gameplay

The contestant is shown two pairs of grocery items, one pair at time. One of the items in each pair displays the correct price, while the other is discounted $1. The contestant must "pass the buck" to the item which is discounted so that both display the correct price.

For each correct decision, the contestant earns a choice from the six numbers on the game board, which is added to one free choice they are given to start the game. Concealed behind the six numbers are a picture of a car, $1,000, $3,000, $5,000, and two spaces marked "Lose Everything". The contestant chooses numbers one at a time and accumulates whatever prizes they reveal. If they reveal "Lose Everything", they lose their accumulated prizes, but may start again if they still have choices remaining. The contestant may also quit after each number selection instead of risking their winnings.

The highest cash amount a contestant can win is $9,000 (by revealing all three cash awards), or $8,000 (the higher two cash awards) and the car.

History

When the game premiered on October 4, 2001, it was played with an eight-number game board. All three choices needed to be earned with three pairs of grocery items. Besides the current six, the two additional spaces concealed $2,000 and a third "Lose Everything". The current format was first used on January 10, 2002, with the extra spaces replaced by dollar bill graphics. Under the game's original format, the most a contestant could win without finding the car was $10,000.

As with Money Game, when a vehicle other than a car is offered (such as a truck or Jeep), the image of the vehicle hidden on the board is changed appropriately.

References

[http://gscentral.net/buck.htm The COMPLETE Pricing Game Directory]