Contestants answered general knowledge toss-up questions posed by the host, earning $5 for a correct answer or losing that amount for a miss. Unlike most other game shows of the time, though, only the first contestant to buzz in could answer a question; a miss took it out of play for the other two. At certain points during the game, the contestant in the lead participated in an "Instant Bargain" and was offered the opportunity to purchase merchandise at a bargain price. The selling price for the item, generally the value of one or more questions, was then deducted from the contestant's score, and the prize was theirs to keep regardless of the game's outcome. Depending upon the version, question values either remained at $5 or increased as the game progressed. Additional Instant Bargains were also offered. The contestant in the lead at the end of the game was declared the champion and used their final score to purchase a larger prize, or played a separate end game, which varied depending upon the version of the show.
1969–1974 From 1969 to 1973, the game featured three contestants, who all began with $25. Midway through the game, the question values doubled to $10. At first, the final round consisted of 30 seconds of $15 questions. Later, this was replaced with five $20 questions (called "The Century Round", as the total value of the questions was $100). If a contestant's total was reduced to zero (or lower), that contestant was eliminated from the game. At certain points during gameplay, all contestants were offered the opportunity to purchase merchandise at a bargain price. The first contestant to buzz in after the prize was revealed purchased that prize, and the price was deducted from his or her score. The prices of all prizes offered were expressed much as one would hear in a department store (ending with "and 95 cents"), and the prices increased as the episode progressed (e.g., $7.95, $11.95, $14.95, $21.95). All prize values were rounded up to the nearest dollar before being subtracted from the score of the contestant who purchased the prize. Each Instant Bargain was hidden behind a curtain, and contestants could not buzz in before the curtain opened. A contestant who did buzz in early was penalized by having the cost of the Instant Bargain deducted from their score and being locked out of purchasing the prize. The "Open House" round was played in early episodes of the original version, usually about halfway through a particular episode. Five prizes were presented to the contestants and each could buy as many of them as he or she wanted; they had five seconds to list each of the items they wanted to buy. Unlike Instant Bargains, multiple contestants could buy the same item. This was later replaced with an "Audience Sale" round in which three members of the studio audience guessed the "sale price" of an item. The one that bid closest without going over won the item. The three contestants could increase their score by correctly guessing which audience member would win. During the last thirteen weeks of this series, and the aforementioned follow-up weekly syndicated series, two married couples competed instead of three individual contestants. Each couple was given $20 at the start of the game. On the syndicated version, the first round consisted of questions worth $5, and in the second questions were valued at $10. A series of five questions worth $20 each were asked to conclude the game. If either couple's score reached $0, both couples were given an additional $20. The winning contestant or couple was given the opportunity to spend their score on at least one of several grand prizes at the "Sale of the Century". Contestants either purchased a prize with their winnings and retired, or elected to return the next day and try to win enough to buy a more expensive prize. Champions could buy more than one prize. Also, when contestants chose to return the next day, they were asked which prizes they were considering buying. As long as the contestant kept winning, those prizes remained while others were replaced by more expensive ones. The 1973–74 syndicated version featured two different formats. Both offered three possible prizes (almost always a trip, a fur coat, and a car), only one of which the couple could win. Originally, each prize had a sale price, and Garagiola asked questions worth $100 each, which was added to the couple's score from the game. When the amount reached the sale price of a prize, the couple could buy the prize or keep playing for a more expensive prize. Later, this was changed to "The Game of Champions". The three prizes had sale amounts ($150, $300, and $600). The winning couple chose a prize and had to answer three questions (worth $50, $100, or $200 each, depending on the prize) in order to win.
1983–1989 Original format Three contestants competed each day, usually a returning champion and two challengers, and were each given $20 at the start of the game. Except for Fame Game questions, contestants earned $5 for a correct answer and were penalized $5 for an incorrect answer. A contestant's score, however, could not be reduced below $0. Contestants could buzz-in before the question was finished, but had to answer based only on whatever information the host had read to that point; only one contestant could answer a question. Three Instant Bargains were played per game, with the prizes' retail values and sale prices increasing as the game progressed. In some cases, the host would reduce the price and/or offer extra cash to entice a contestant to make a purchase. During an Instant Bargain, only the player in the lead could purchase the prize available; in the event of a tie, the first player to buzz-in (if any) received the prize. For a brief time in early 1984, any contestant who bought an Instant Bargain could win back the money they spent by correctly answering a "Money Back Question" immediately afterward. Also, on occasion, any Instant Bargains that were not bought would be packaged as part of a "Garage Sale". If the player(s) in the lead did not elect to buy the Garage Sale package, the other contestants were invited to buy the prize set, unlike the normal Instant Bargains. Three Fame Game rounds were played per game as well. The first half of each round consisted of a "who-am-I?"-style question, starting with obscure clues and proceeding to easier ones as the host continued. A contestant who buzzed in with a correct answer played the second half of the round; giving an incorrect answer eliminated a player from the round, but with no score penalty. If none of the contestants answered correctly, the second half of the round was skipped. The contestant who answered correctly was given a choice of nine spaces on the Fame Game board, each displaying the face of a celebrity. Eight of the spaces hid either small bonus prizes or various amounts of cash, some of which offered the contestant a choice between taking either the money or an extra turn. Hidden behind one space was a $25 Money Card, which added that amount to the contestant's score. Spaces were removed from play as they were revealed. After the third playing, the host asked three final $5 toss-up questions to end the game. Beginning in Season 2(1984), the final three questions were replaced with the 'Speedround'. Jim Perry and the contestants would ask & answer as many questions as possible in 60 seconds, the leader winning when the clock hit zero. The contestant with the highest final score became the champion. If the match ended in a tie, the tied players were asked one more question (originally in the Fame Game format, soon changed to an ordinary toss-up). Buzzing in and answering correctly won the game, while answering incorrectly resulted in a loss. In both cases, the losing contestants kept all cash and prizes they had accumulated, including their final scores in cash.
Bonus Round The champion was taken shopping and shown a gallery of prizes that were available for potential purchase. Originally, there were six prizes, with each one increasing in value and sale price, and they would be swapped out every five shows. Every new champion was given the choice to buy the first, least expensive prize with their winning score or bank the money and return to try to win enough for a more expensive prize on display. Higher prize levels often featured merchandise such as fur coats, expensive jewelry, and opulent vacations, and the sixth level offered a luxury automobile or sportscar. After any win, the champion had the right to buy the highest-level prize they could afford and leave the show; however, they would only leave with any cash and prizes won in the main game if defeated. Once the champion reached the sixth prize level, he/she was given the chance to retire as champion or continue playing for what was referred to as "The Lot". In the first few months of the show's run, The Lot consisted of all six shopping prizes and enough cash to give the entire package a value of $95,000. Later in 1983, one more prize level was added after the car, consisting of a
cash jackpot that began at $50,000 and increased by $1,000 every day until a contestant claimed it. The Lot, now at the eighth and final level, now awarded the jackpot and all six prizes and typically had a total value of over $100,000. The syndicated series employed a slightly different set of rules for its shopping game. Like the daytime series, the syndicated
Sale did have a total of eight prize levels. However, the seventh level consisted of only the six shopping prizes without the jackpot; the eighth level awarded both the jackpot and the prizes. On rare occasions, a champion would enter a match needing a certain amount for one prize (such as a fur coat) and win with a high enough score to reach the one above it (such as a car). When such a situation arose, unless the winning amount was enough to allow him/her to buy the entire Lot, the champion was allowed to buy either of the two prizes but not both. On the syndicated series, there was also an addendum to this rule involving the two prize levels before the final level. If a contestant entered a match needing a certain amount to buy the car, but won enough over the course of that game to enable him/her to buy all of the shopping prizes, he/she would not be allowed to choose the car by itself. All the shopping prizes were swapped out for different ones every five shows. If a contestant's reign was to continue past the Friday of a particular week, the host offered a reminder that a different set of prizes would be offered beginning on the next show and told the champion what the next available prize in line would be.
Later changes Main game By July 1983, the Fame Game underwent two changes. The first involved the use of three Money Cards, worth $10, $15, and $25, which were added to the board one at a time in ascending order. Occasionally, a fourth card worth $5 was placed on the board with the $10 card. Later in March 1984, the famous faces on the Fame Game board were replaced by numbers, and for a brief time in late 1984, there was a "$5+" Money Card, entitling the contestant who found it to immediately pick another number and receive whatever was behind it in addition to the $5 score boost. Even later, in October 1985, a randomizer was added to the Fame Game board and the player in control hit their buzzer to freeze it and thus choose a number, similar to the
CBS game show
Press Your Luck. When this change was made, the locations of the Money Cards were shown to the players and the $5 card was discontinued. The regular game format also underwent a significant change in March 1984 when the series followed the Australian
Sale lead by replacing the final three questions after the last Fame Game with a 60-second speed round. Beginning in May 1984, a "Sale Surprise" was occasionally and secretly added to certain Instant Bargains. It was only revealed after the contestant either purchased or passed on a prize, and consisted of a cash bonus in addition to any money the host might have already offered. In March 1986, the third Instant Bargain was replaced by an "Instant Cash" game. The leading contestant was offered a chance at a cash jackpot at the cost of their entire lead over the second-place player. In case of a tie, the host named a starting price and gradually lowered it until one contestant buzzed in. Accepting the deal gave the player a choice of three boxes, two of which contained $100 each. The third box held the jackpot, which started at $1,000 and increased by that amount every day it went unclaimed. Beginning in late December 1987, a prize was awarded to the winner of the match. Originally, there were six prizes on offer each week, each hidden behind a number, and the winner of the game received one of them. The prize was determined at first by the champion's selection of one number during the game, and later by the winner's selection at its end. Beginning in August 1988, the prize was predetermined before the show and the host announced it at the beginning of the match.
Bonus round #2: The Winner's Board Sale later did away with the shopping round in favor of a new bonus where a champion was guaranteed to win a prize after every match. The Winner's Board, as the round was named, debuted in October of 1984 on the daytime series and in November of 1985 on the syndicated series; on the last day of the shopping round, the champion was awarded the most expensive shopping prize he/she could afford before continuing on as champion. A new champion faced a grid of 20 numbered squares, behind which 10 prizes were hidden. The two largest prizes, a car and $10,000 cash, were behind one number each, while eight smaller prizes (one of which was always $3,000 cash) were behind two numbers each. The remaining two numbers hid "WIN" cards. The champion selected one number at a time and won the first prize he/she matched. If a "WIN" card was found, the champion won whatever prize he/she uncovered on the next pick. This was the only way to win the car or the $10,000 after any of a champion's first eight victories. Prizes were removed from the board as the champion won them, but the two "WIN" cards were always available until the ninth victory. At this point, the cards were removed and two numbers were shown on the board, one for each of the prizes he/she had not yet won. The champion picked one number and received its prize, then won the other one by default after a tenth victory. Any champion who cleared the board of prizes could either keep them all and retire, or risk them to play an eleventh and final match. A victory awarded a $50,000 cash bonus, while a loss forfeited the prizes. Any champion who was defeated before winning 10 matches kept all prizes accumulated to that point. Similar to the shopping format, any prizes remaining on the board were swapped out after every fifth show, with the exception of the $3,000 and $10,000 if they were still available.
Bonus round #3: The Winner's Big Money Game In December 1987, the show changed bonus rounds again and introduced a new round called the "Winner's Big Money Game". At the start of this round, the champion selected one of three envelopes, each containing a set of six-word puzzles that served as clues to a famous person, place, or thing. To win, the champion had to solve a set amount of them within a time limit. The limit was originally five puzzles in 25 seconds, later reduced to four in 20 seconds. The clock began when the first word of a puzzle was revealed and stopped when the champion hit a plunger and gave an answer. Passing was allowed, and the champion could continue playing after one wrong guess or failure to respond immediately upon hitting the plunger. A second such mistake ended the round immediately. The Winner's Big Money Game had a series of eight prize levels. The first six levels were played for cash prizes that started at $5,000 and increased by $1,000 for each subsequent game the champion won, up to $10,000. The seventh level was played for a car, and any champion who failed to win it was forced to retire. Winning the car allowed the champion to return for one last match, with $50,000 available in the Winner's Big Money Game if he/she won. ==Personnel==