The Price Is Right has kept fans glued to their screens with its thrilling segments for over 50 years now, and when it comes to luxury prize packages, there’s nothing quite like its Showcase Showdowns. After spinning the big wheel, winners qualify for the final bidding round, where they vie for different prize packages and many contestants win epic vacation packages, new cars, and big-ticket home makeovers through it. However, some find themselves bidding on oddly matched items.
The worst showcase showdowns are full of bizarre prize combos and confusing items that don’t exactly seem like a dream prize. People don’t expect to win a speedboat paired with a microwave, or a pinball machine matched with a cradle. While the grand prize idea is supposed to represent ultimate luxury, these prizes made the game show feel more like a quirky yard sale. But that’s the whole point of it. It is meant to be quirky and odd and that makes it fun! Here’s a countdown of ten of the worst showcase showdowns that left contestants confused and me laughing my ass off from my TV screen.
- Release Date
- September 4, 1972
- Cast
- Bob Barker , Janice Pennington , Drew Carey , Lanisha Cole
- Seasons
- 52
10 Dining Room Set, Dance Lessons, And Jukebox
Season 28, Episode 1244K
No one would expect to win a showcase showdown that’s equal parts diner, dance studio, and tech relic. However, you’d be surprised that in 1999, one contestant went home with a dining room set, a jukebox, and 12 weeks of dance lessons. It was ridiculous! The showcase showdown seemed to be straight out of a retro-themed restaurant, which made it one of the worst ones. And while a jukebox could make for a cool conversation piece for some, this one ran on CDs. And in 1999, CDs were already being pushed aside by MP3s because the iPod was just around the corner.
It’s safe to say that the showcase prizes started aging the minute they left the studio. Then there were dance lessons. Now, most people come on The Price Is Right dreaming of tropical adventures or shiny new cars, not to get roped into a semester’s worth of dance classes. Is it a punishment? Is it a passion push? Is it a prize? Keep guessing. It’s the kind of prize that sounds fun in theory but starts to feel more like an obligation the moment a contestant wins it. The generic dining room set, however, would’ve been of some use.
9 Bad Cats Pinball, Race Car Bed, Professional Range, Dinette Set
Season 18, Episode 7552D
In 1990, one contestant’s Price Is Right showcase showdown’s prize looked less like an award and more like a daycare garage sale. The contestant won a Bad Cats pinball machine, a race car bed, a dinette set, and a professional kitchen range. A race car bed, really? You have to admit that it’s not exactly the bed of a winner’s dreams — unless you have a child or a Chandler or Joey waiting at home.
Then there’s the Bad Cats pinball machine. Sure, pinball can be fun, but it’s huge and extremely noisy. Additionally, this isn’t Jurassic Park or Star Wars, it’s Bad Cats, which is a lesser-known title that doesn’t exactly capture the true essence of timeless entertainment. As for the dinette set, it’s nothing special and a professional kitchen range is something that only a few at-home chefs can make use of. Maybe the kitchen range was of more use back in the day. Ultimately, this showcase showdown left contestants with prizes that don’t quite add up to the luxury or maybe just seem a tad bit ridiculous in 2024.
8 Dumbbells, Display Cabinet, Soda Fountain
Season 22, Episode 8824D
Another episode in 1993 had a showcase prize combo, which was a masterclass in mixed signals. It included a set of dumbbells, a display cabinet, and a soda fountain. The combination almost sounds like a prank. Dumbbells are for fitness and that makes sense. But what about the soda fountain?
No one would set up a workout space only to add a sugar-filled drink dispenser in the corner. If I think about it, it’s not so different from winning a health and wellness bundle with a side of cavities. The other part of the showcase was the display cabinet, which could have been for standalone use. Again, the ridiculousness of these bundles isn’t in the individual items, it’s how these prizes were paired.
7 NYC and Bali Trip, NY Jets Season Tickets, Jet Skis
Season 24, Episode 9973D
On paper, a showcase showdown win for the trip to Bali, season tickets for the New York Jets, and two jet skis sound exciting. But things change when we take a closer look at those jet tickets. It’s 1996 and the Jets have just come off a grim 3-13 season, followed by a dismal 1-15 record. These season tickets are an invitation to watch the Jets lose live, week after week. Additionally, if the contestant is not a New Yorker, those tickets are almost useless unless they plan to fly in for every game.
The strange combination of prizes doesn’t make much sense either. The trip to Bali was good and jet skis were a great prize for someone who lived near the water. The Jets tickets added nothing but a logistical headache. In 1996, there were no easy online resales. So, reselling the tickets was also not an option. The winner would have been stuck with the tickets trying to scalp them outside the stadium or attending every painful game and watching the Jets lose.
6 Turkey, Microwave, Dishwasher, And Speedboat
Season 3, 1693D
Nothing says Thanksgiving better than a 10-pound Turkey but that doesn’t make it a prize for The Price Is Right’s showcase showdown. In 1975, the Price Is Right Thanksgiving-themed showcase featured a microwave, a dishwasher, and a Glasspar speedboat with a Spartan trailer. The odd combination made it difficult for the contestants to wrap their heads around this mix. It’s a package that felt like two separate ideas jammed together with the speedboat sticking out like a sore thumb.
The turkey and microwave make sense for a Thanksgiving-themed showcase, but the $4911 speedboat clearly didn’t fit well with the combination. Besides this mismatch in theme, the prize value was lopsided as well. The boat’s worth dwarfed the other kitchen items and made them feel more like filler prizes. The boat is practically useless if the contestant doesn’t live near the water. Or the other solution was to just stick it to a wall or make a chandelier out of it.
5 Dinette Set, Archery Set, Player Piano
Season 22, 9242D
The 1994 Price Is Right featured one of the most bizarre combinations of prizes in an episode. The showcase showdown featured a dinette set, an archery set, and player piano.
The odd trio feels more suited for a DIY Western movie set than a modern living room. It’s like two toys and a practical dinette set. Perhaps the player piano was a cool dream prize back then for either a musician or someone who wanted to look cool, but that’s about it.
4 Miniature Wine Vault, Hook Pinball Machine, Corsican Cradle, Dinette Set
Season 22, Episode 8693D
This combination was downright confusing. The wine vault was cute, but its mini size made it feel more like a prop for a dollhouse rather than a functional household item. Then there was the Hook pinball machine. Sure, it’s a fun throwback, but unless the winner was hosting retro game nights, this bulky, noisy piece didn’t fit into the average living room.
The point is, it’s near impossible for someone to want all these four items together. So I’ve now decided to take bets on what the winner decided on first – to throw away the hook pinball machine or sell the Corsican cradle at a flea market.
3 Trip To Bermuda, BBQ Grill, Two Bicycles, And A Dune Buggy
Season 13, Episode 5273D
The 1984 pirate story showcase showdown might just be one of the strangest prize combinations of The Price Is Right. The showcase started with a promising 6-night trip to Bermuda. But perhaps the contestant, who was named Jody, wasn’t expecting to see a Bermuda trip in the showcase. She threw her head back and rolled her eyes when the camera panned towards her, as seen in the Facebook video. But that alone doesn’t make it one of the worst showcase showdowns.
The showcase also had a BBQ grill, two bicycles, and a dune buggy. The BBQ grill sounds like a great prize, but two bicycles are definitely not what Price is Right contestants dream about when coming on the show. Then there’s the dune buggy which complements the pirate theme but isn’t practical at all for daily life. Also, its storage and maintenance costs are one of the biggest hassles for the owners. In states like Texas, they’re not even street-legal, and it is prohibited for them to be titled or registered. So the question remains, why?
2 Two Microwaves, Two Jet Skis, Two Off-road Bikes
Season 17, Episode 6813D
In 1988, The Price Is Right introduced what could only be described as the ultimate “bookend” showcase. In that episode, the contestant Mary was given two of everything. The prizes were two Litton microwave ovens, two Honda Fat Cat off-road bikes, and two jet skis. Two microwaves sound great but no contestant would want a second one. As for the Honda Fat Cats, they are fun to ride, but they are also very bulky. These bikes might not even fit in everyone’s garage.
The jet skis are thrilling, but they are not exactly practical unless the winner lives by water. Mary got a whole heap of toys she can’t really use together, and they don’t exactly match the idea of a luxury prize that contestants expect from The Price Is Right. The showcase was a perfect lesson that the two of everything don’t always equal two times the fun.
1 Batman Pinball Machine, Pool Table, Giant TV, And Oversized Replicas
Season 21, Episode 8831D
The May 17, 1993, showcase on The Price Is Right can only be described as a gamer’s paradise. But the oversized replicas in it make it, hands down, one of the worst showcase showdowns. The showcase included a Batman pinball machine, a pool table, a giant TV, and some oversized replicas of sports equipment. The large oversized items included an oversized bat, balls, a tennis racket, and a shoe. Now, even if someone had a dream setup for their game room, these items are the last choice they would need.
There’s a giant TV, right? Maybe let the contestant have a Sega Genesis console or Super Nintendo Entertainment System from back then, arcade games, or CD-ROMs. Now that would’ve been a dream setup. Or maybe a professional baseball bat or a high-quality, strong-stringed tennis racket. But no, replicas to decorate the game room. On top of that, what if the contestant had no interest in sports or games at all? While the contestants have the option to take the prizes of their choice, it’s also true that they don’t get any cash equivalent if they choose not to. So, out of all, this particular showcase showdown was devoid of thoughtfulness, which becomes even worse if the winner had a very small house or only a tiny apartment to live in.
The Price Is Right airs on broadcast television and is available to stream on Paramount+ in the US.
