Bargain Hunters
| Bargain Hunters | |
|---|---|
| Presented by | Peter Tomarken |
| Narrated by | Dean Goss |
| Country of origin | USA |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 45 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Production company(s) |
Merrill Heatter Productions Josephson Communications Inc. |
| Release | |
| Original network | ABC |
| Original release | July 6 – September 4, 1987 |
Bargain Hunters is a game show that aired on ABC daytime from July 6, 1987, to September 4, 1987. The series, a summer replacement and the first daytime game show to air on ABC since it ended its game show block a year earlier, ran only nine weeks. it was temporarily replaced by reruns of Mr. Belvedere before being permanently replaced with The Home Show on January 18, 1988. ABC would not attempt another daytime game show after Bargain Hunters until three years later, when it revived Match Game.
Bargain Hunters featured home shopping segments in which viewers could purchase items featured on the show, a unique feature among daytime game shows. The central conceit of the show was that contestants were pitted directly against each other in a series of small games, all of which centered around the contestants assessing which prize from a given selection was marked furthest below its retail price. The series was hosted by Peter Tomarken and produced by Merrill Heatter Productions.
Games
Each episode featured six contestants, with two competing in each of three separate games. The winner of each game advanced to the Super Savers round.
Bargain Quiz
Tomarken announced an item and asked whether or not it would be a bargain at a certain price. Players buzzed-in to guess. Getting it right won a point (indicated by a diamond lit on their podium). Getting it wrong meant their opponent received a point. The first player to get three points won the round and received a bonus prize.
Bargain Trap
Five prizes were shown on stage, each with a price tag. Four of the prizes were bargains, meaning that the price on the tag was lower than the actual price of the prize. The fifth was the Trap, and the price on the tag was higher than the prize was actually worth.
Players went back and forth, picking items they believed were bargains. If one of them picked the trap, they automatically lost and their opponent won the round, along with whatever prizes they had already chosen. If the Trap was the first item picked, their opponent won the Trap.
If both players picked two bargains, leaving only the Trap, then a tiebreaker was played. Both players wrote down what they believed was the mark-up added to the actual price of the Trap. The player who came closest won.
Bargain Busters
A prize was shown and players chose a price from three choices. The prizes were selected from stores across the country, and listed at a closeout price. Tomarken would announce the store’s name and location before each item. Each player locked in their choice, and a right answer won a point. The one with the most points after three prizes won the round, and received all three prizes shown.
If there was a tie after three prizes, a fourth was brought out. This time the players weren’t shown any choices; the two would have to write down what they believed was the price. Whoever came closest won.
Super Savers
The three winners came onstage to play the final round. Seven prizes were shown, each with a price tag. All are bargains, some bigger than others.
Each player chose three prizes that they believed would save them the most money. The player who saved the most money was declared the winner, won the three prizes they selected plus a grand prize (usually a trip, but a car was the grand prize at least once).
Home Shopping
After every game, a trumpet fanfare sounded signifying a "Bargain Shopper" segment. Home viewers were offered an item at a bargain price, and could call a number to order it. Usually the item being offered was just seen in the previous game. The three items were shown again at the end of the show.