The Showcase Showdown is a segment on the American game show The Price Is Right . The segment is also commonly referred to as "The Big Wheel", referring to the main prop used in the game. The game is played twice in each hour-long episode as an elimination round which determines which one of the three contestants from the first half of the show and which one of the three contestants of the second half of the show will participate in the Showcase at the end of the episode.

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The Big Wheel

The wheel itself stands vertically and is held by an axle at its center such that its edge faces the audience. It is contained within a housing that only allows the front half of the wheel to be seen. The wheel is technically an icosagonic prism, segmented into 20 unique sections, each marked on the wheel's edge and sides with one of the multiples of 5¢ up to $1.00 in a non-incremental order. The sequence of the money values on the wheel is: 5¢, $1.00, 15¢, 80¢, 35¢, 60¢, 20¢, 40¢, 75¢, 55¢, 95¢, 50¢, 85¢, 30¢, 65¢, 10¢, 45¢, 70¢, 25¢, 90¢. Most of the numbers are colored white with a glittering border against a black background; however, the $1.00 amount is colored red, and the 5¢ and 15¢ amounts, on either side of the $1.00 space, are colored a dark green and are against a lighter green background.

To spin the wheel, contestants grab handles around its circumference on the left side. An arrow is attached to the right side of the wheel's housing which indicates which segment the wheel is "on" at any time. The tip of the arrow is spring-loaded, and the wheel has pegs at the border between each of its segments so that there is never a dispute as to what space the wheel has landed.

Some contestants have trouble spinning the wheel all the way around due to its weight. In such cases, especially with elderly contestants, contestants have been given the opportunity to request a substitute spinner or assistance spinning. Most often, this is done by the host.

While it is not explicitly stated in the rules, contestants are expected to spin the wheel by pulling the handle downward. Though the wheel can physically be spun both ways, there have been three instances when a contestant spun the wheel by attempting to throw the handle upward, and host Bob Barker stopped the wheel all three times and did not allow the "backward" spins to count. ^[1]

On at least five occasions, former host Bob Barker has been "booed" for failing to get the big wheel all the way around himself, while spinning the wheel for a contestant. The first known time this occurred was on the Season 20 premiere, where Bob called it "the most humiliating moment of my life on Price is Right ". After the contestant mockingly asked if she should try again, Bob replied with "I take back what I said a moment ago – THAT is the most humiliating moment of my life!" During a Season 32 episode, after he failed to get the wheel all the way around for a wheelchair-bound contestant, Barker handed the contestant his microphone and spun the wheel with both hands.

Gameplay

Six pricing games are played per hour-long episode. After the first three games, the first Showcase Showdown is played by the three contestants who played those games. Then, after the final three pricing games are played, the second Showcase Showdown is played by the three contestants from those games. In each round, the three contestants play in the order of the value of their winnings thus far (including in the One Bid round), with the highest winning contestant spinning last.

The goal of the game is to be the contestant with the score nearest to $1.00, without going over. The contestant is allowed to take the sum of two spins of the wheel as their score, but may stop after their first spin if they are satisfied with the score they have. If a contestant chooses or has to spin a second time, and the sum of their spins is more than $1.00, they are immediately out of the game. Each spin of the wheel must make at least one full revolution, or the spin will not count, the audience will "boo" the spinner, and the contestant must re-spin. If the first two contestants are out of the game for having the sum of their spins each over $1.00, the third contestant advances to the Showcase by default, but gets only one spin to try and score $1.00.

The contestant with the leading score stands on the opposite side of the wheel below a scoreboard showing their score. If they are beaten by a subsequent contestant, that contestant takes the first's place, and the first contestant leaves the stage. If the first two contestants tie, they both stand on the spot to await the result of the third. If two or rarely all three (as shown in the January 28, 2008 episode) contestants end up tied for the lead at the end of the round, a spin-off is played, using the original turn order from the first round. Each tied contestant is allowed one spin, and the highest score wins. If there is another tie, the process is repeated.

Bonuses

If a contestant achieves a score of exactly $1.00 in one spin (whether in regular spinning, or a spin-off), or a combination of two spins, they win a $1,000 cash bonus, and a bonus spin after the normal spins have been completed. If a spin-off is required at a score of $1.00, the contestants take their bonus spins and play the spin-off with the same spins. If the first two contestants in a Showcase Showdown both go over $1.00, the third contestant automatically wins but is allowed a single spin to try to get $1.00.

Unless it is also a spin-off, the bonus spin does not affect the scores or outcome of the Showcase Showdown. The contestant takes one spin. If the wheel lands on $1.00, the contestant wins $25,000 more. If it lands one away from $1.00, on 5¢ or 15¢, they win $10,000 more. In a bonus spin, the wheel must go all the way around, or the spin does not count and the contestant is not allowed to re-spin. For all bonus spins, the wheel is brought back to the 5¢ marker before spinning, as this provides that the three bonus spaces are the first three spaces that occur after the required full revolution.

If a bonus spin is also a spin-off, and the contestant's spin does not go all the way around, the contestant may spin again for the spin-off only, and loses their chance at the bonus. (One contestant who had this happen on November 27, 2002 was not given a re-spin; this is generally regarded as a mistake rather than a rule change. Every incident before and since has led to a re-spin for positioning only.) If another tie occurs in a "bonus spin-off" and $1.00 is spun in a subsequent spin-off, no additional money or bonus spins are awarded. However, in pre-1979 episodes (before the present bonus spin rule), this was worth another $1,000.

Also, in a combination bonus spin/spin-off, a 5¢ or 15¢ spin will win the $10,000 bonus prize but will still be considered a 5¢ or 15¢ spin for the purposes of the spin-off. Thus, as has happened in the past, it is possible for a person to win the cash bonus but be defeated in the spin-off by someone who did not win a bonus prize but achieved a higher score.

History

Trial "Rainbow" Wheel

The Big Wheel first appeared on the shows for September 8-12, 1975, when the show did a week of trial hour-long episodes. The round replaced the original half-hour system by which the top two winners of the three for that show automatically advanced to the showcase.

Aesthetically, the wheel bore little resemblance to the current wheel, though the gameplay was very similar. The wheel was flat and had its face to the audience, like a clock, instead of its edge. The values were listed in the same order as on the modern wheel, printed clockwise in colored circles around the perimeter, though the wheel was spun counterclockwise. An arrow in the center of the wheel pointed to the top circle to indicate which space was landed on. Below the arrow was a scoreboard which showed the space the wheel was currently on, and the display changed constantly while the wheel was spinning. The sound of the wheel spinning was a series of different-toned beeps (similar to the sound accompanying the dollar amounts popping up on the Jeopardy! game board). For the episode which aired September 8, contestants waiting to spin stood in Contestants' Row, with numbers indicating their order covering up the bidding screens. For the other four episodes of the week, all three contestants were present on stage. The leading contestant stood at a podium to the right of the wheel (further away than today) with its own scoreboard to indicate their score. The only major difference in gameplay was that for spin-offs, contestants were allowed two spins as in normal spinning. As at the introduction of the modern wheel, there was no bonus spin after a score of $1.00. ^[2]

Other Changes

When the show permanently expanded to an hour later that year on November 3, the Showcase Showdown returned, with the current Big Wheel. However, there were several rules not yet in place. Initially, there was no rule that the wheel had to make one full revolution. This was added very early on.

The bonus spins were not implemented until December 1978, shortly after CBS raised its winnings cap to $35,000. Prior to 1978, CBS game show contestants could not win more than $25,000. Winnings which exceeded the cap were forfeited and donated to charity. Until this point, the 5¢ and 15¢ sections were not marked in green, and a contestant who spun $1.00 simply won the $1,000 bonus. If there was a spin-off for a tie at $1.00, and a contestant again landed on $1.00, they would be awarded a second $1,000 bonus. The wheel is now started on the $1.00 space prior to the first spin of the first contestant. Prior to this rule change, the wheel would start anywhere based on its location when moved on stage.

From the time bonus spins were implemented in 1978 through the end of Season 36, the bonuses were $5,000 for the green sections and $10,000 for the $1.00 space. The bonuses were raised to their current value at the start of Season 37.

Starting in Season 30, the bonus for scoring $1.00 in a bonus spin was raised for the prime time shows. The Military Specials in Season 30 had the value increased to $100,000, and the subsequent Million Dollar Spectaculars had it increased to $1,000,000, neither of which were won. For the Season 35 prime time episode that aired May 16, 2007, the initial bonus for scoring $1.00 with the regular spins was increased to $10,000, and the bonus for spinning a green section in a bonus spin was increased to $20,000.

As of Season 36, the initial bonus for a score of $1.00 on the Million Dollar Spectaculars is $5,000. The contestant is awarded an additional $25,000 for landing on a green section in the bonus spin and an additional $50,000 for landing on the $1.00.

Presentation

Music and sound effects

One of the most trademark elements of the Big Wheel is the beeping sound heard while it spins. While the current beeping is likely the best-known, the Big Wheel has had several different beeping sounds over its history. On October 1, 1999, when the beeping device did not work, host Bob Barker asked the audience to provide the sound vocally. This happened a second time on May 8, 2007, with an assist by associate producer Kathy Greco. Unusual sounds were used on the April 1, 2009 episode, fitting with the theme of the day (which included animal noises, laughing, and in one instance the yodeling from Cliff Hangers ).

No more than two years into its existence on the show, the Showcase Showdown began using its own unique music cue, titled "Dig We Must". An edited clip of the cue is heard whenever a contestant has spun a total of $1.00 on the Wheel, whenever the contestant earns more money in a bonus spin, and at the end of both Showdowns (with the exception of daytime episodes aired from March 2, 1989 to March 13, 2009, when the show's theme ended the first). A new recording of the cue debuted at the start of Season 36.

Visual effects

When the Big Wheel debuted in 1975, a full shot of the Wheel was used as it was slowing down to a stop. The first split-screen graphic debuted in 1976, and it consisted of an arrow that mirrored the actual pointer on the Wheel and showed the contestant in closeup. The split-screen arrow was outlined in red on a black background. A wider version of the arrow debuted in 1987, and continued to be in use until 1996. From 1996 until 2007, the full shot of the Wheel was used for all spins, and sometimes the camera would start from the top of the prop and descend towards the pointer. About a month into Drew Carey's tenure, the split-screen returned, and it currently shows host Carey and the contestant on the left side of the screen. Midway through Season 37, the wide version of the split-screen arrow also returned, but is currently used for bonus spins only and placed over a clear background. Despite this, the full shot of the Wheel still continues to be used.

There have been many win graphics over the years, but the best-known one, used from 1992 to 2007, consisted of stars inside the zeroes for "$1,000", "$5,000" and "$10,000". During the Carey era, many different fonts were used, including "Pricedown". The prime-time series uses its own fonts independent of the daytime show.

Walls

The walls of the Big Wheel were originally gold when it debuted on the first hour-long show on November 3, 1975. The walls were changed to red by December 30, 1977. By late March 1979, pink "Pricedown" dollar signs were added to the red walls. By the end of Season 16 in 1988, gold slanted dollar signs (similar in style to the dollar signs used in the pricing game Super Ball |) debuted on the red walls. Purple walls (similar to the Season 36 turntable walls) with small dark purple "Pricedown" dollar signs and two large silver ones were used for the first five taping sessions in Season 37 but they were removed after the wheel received a makeover for the July 27, 2008 taping session. Red walls with the same square patterns as those on the turntable walls and Big Doors used in Season 36 prime time (as of Season 37) and the same two large silver "Pricedown" dollar signs on each side were used starting with the second taping session of the season. ^[3]

Carpet

Until Season 21, contestants stood on a circular piece of red carpet while spinning the wheel and while awaiting their result(s), and contestants with the highest score stood on another circular piece of red carpet situated under the scoreboard. During the 1992-1993 season, these circular pieces of red carpet were replaced by a long rectangular piece of red carpet (yellow trim was added a few years later) that encompassed the front of the Showcase Showdown setup after Bob Barker complained on-air that too many contestants were slipping on the circular carpets. The current rectangular carpet also includes the traditional Goodson-Todman asterisk that was added to the red carpet in 2000. Another Goodson-Todman asterisk was added to the red carpet (on the area where the contestant stands while the wheel is spinning) in 2009. A border with the same pattern used on the turntable walls, Big Doors, and walls of the Big Wheel was added to the red carpet at the start of the second taping session of Season 37. ^[4]

Season 37 changes

Another complaint by the host on-air led to changes in Season 37. As the show switched to HDTV initially with the primetime series in Season 36, the wear and tear of the wheel became evident in the picture quality of the HDTV broadcasts, and was more evident in the later tapings of the season, which were not aired, but were shot, in HDTV. In an attempt to create a new look for the HDTV broadcasts, the traditionally black sections of the wheel were painted a reflective purple, new graphics on the wheel with new white light borders (originally red), silver handles (originally red and later black), along with other aesthetic changes to the framework of the wheel including purple walls (with small dark purple "Pricedown" dollar signs in the backgrounds and two large silver "Pricedown" dollar signs) similar to the turntable walls in Season 36 (the turntable walls had switched to blue in Season 37 as the primetime set was moved into daytime), the same LED scoreboard from 1985 without the black pole used previously, and green framework (similar to the framework of the Big Doors) as part of an entire overhaul in order to improve the broadcast quality. During the first taping on July 20, 2008, Drew Carey criticized the new purple design. CBS pulled the wheel after five shows and the wheel from the live Las Vegas casino show was used on the second July 22 taping.

The normal wheel was sent back to the CBS Art Department to be repainted back to a more traditional look with the black wheel, black framework, and new red walls with the same two large silver "Pricedown" dollar signs that matched the new season's Big Doors and wall patterns, and was ready for the July 27 tapings that started Season 37. The Las Vegas wheel resembled the wheel used on the television show during Seasons 16-36 but used considerably different fonts and backgrounds, and a different LED scoreboard compared to the one used on the regular wheel (that aired in order on October 2).

As a result of Carey's criticism, the episodes in question were pulled from the schedule and aired in December instead of September.

The Price Was Right

The Price WAS Right was a completely different Showcase Showdown format used on many episodes of the short-lived 1994 syndicated version of The New Price Is Right . In it, three contestants were placed in a modified Contestants' Row and shown a vintage television commercial. After the commercial was presented, each contestant bid what they thought the product being advertised cost in the year the commercial originally aired. The person who was closest without going over won and advanced to the Showcase.

"The Big Wheel" was used for several episodes of The New Price Is Right after the production team was unable to perform research on enough vintage commercials in order to use it on every episode. It was played the same way as in the daytime version, however the contestant with the most winnings spun first.

International Showcase Showdowns

Many versions' rules tend to be the same as the original US version. However, some have a few differences:

• Most commonly different is the sequence of numbers on the wheel itself. The Australian version (during the Ian Turpie era on Seven in the 1980s) used the same number sequence as the U.S. version, except in the opposite direction on the wheel (15, 100, 5, 90, 25...), also used on Germany's version during the mid-'90s. The British versions had a different sequence altogether, a sequence later carried into usage on the Spanish and Portuguese versions' wheels. Cash en Carlo had a different number sequence as well, different from the US and UK.
• On the British, 80's Australian, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, and original French versions, there is no bonus spin, though a bonus prize is given to someone who gets 100, except in Portugal.
• On the Spanish, Italian, and original French versions, to win the bonus prize, the contestant has to score 100 on the very first spin only — a combination of 100 in two spins won't count.
• The German format (30 minutes) used an unusual format:
• * If two of the three contestants won their pricing games, the Showdown was not played; both winners advance to the Showcase.
• * If none, one, or three contestants won their pricing games, the players would participate in a spinoff, where players had one spin.
• * If they spun the 100, they initially won DM1,000 (€511), but later won a car or motorcycle.
• * The top two players advanced to the Showcase.
• * The 2006 US version of Gameshow Marathon used the last of those rules to determine who made the Showcase.
• On the Dutch version, Cash en Carlo , the player did receive a bonus spin, but the only prize was €10,000 for getting 100 — there were no green sections for a €5,000 bonus.
• On the Mexican version, Atínale al Precio , sometimes a car was awarded for 100 instead of M$10,000.
• The original Central-produced version of UK The Price Is Right from the 1980s did have a Showcase Showdown wheel in early episodes (with bonuses of £500 for 100, £250 & £1,000 in a bonus spin), but it was quickly replaced (due to IBA rules at the time) with two rounds of Supermarket per half. There, the three IUFB winners of each half would have 60 seconds to obtain as many grocery products as possible hoping to be the closest to £20, high or low. Later on, that game was replaced with the Showcase Questions, in which Leslie would ask questions to all six IUFB winners regarding the cost of certain items, and the furthest one away, high or low, from the ARP, would be eliminated. They played with four questions, and the last two went to the Showcase.
• On the Seven Network's Australian version of The Price is Right in the 1980s, the Showcase Showdown winner would play against the returning champion (referred to as a "carry-over champion" in the UK and Australia), and only two IUFB winners competed, a rule which would carry over to the Nine Network's 2003-2005 version in its last few months, albeit without the returning champion format. When the '03-'05 version expanded to an hour, the wheel was used to determine Showcase players, with the A$1,000 bonus intact.

References

1. The episodes in question aired 1992-11-30, 2001-01-30, and 2003-05-05
2. Mr. City's Showcase Showdown page
3. *SPOILERS* Confirmed Season 37 changes and non changes
4. Google Groups thread.