The Price is Right (Australia, 1957)

Game Format
Four contestants big on items or ensembles of items in an auction-style format.

A prize was presented for the contestants to bid on with a minimum bid specified. After the opening was made, contestants bid on the item in turn with each successive bid a certain amount higher than the previous bid. Instead of increasing their bid, a contestant could freeze their current bid on their turn if he/she believed his/her bid was close enough to win. A later rule added allowed contestants, on their opening bid only, to "underbid" the other bids, but this automatically froze their bid and prevented them from later increasing the original bid. Also, some rounds were one-bid rounds, where only one round of bidding was held, and sometimes the minimum bid and higher bid threshold rules were also waived.

The bidding process continued until a time's up buzzer sounded, at which point each contestant who had not yet "frozen" was given one final bid, or at least three of the contestants had frozen. The fourth contestant was allowed one final bid, unless he/she already had the high bid. The actual retail price was revealed; the contestant who's bid was closest without going over won the item. If everyone overbid; the prize is not won; however, sometimes the bids were erased and everyone instructed to give lower bids.

Frequently, a bell rang after the winner was revealed, indicating a bonus prize accompanied the item up for bids.

After a set number of rounds, the contestant who accumulated the most money in cash and prizes became the champion.

Merchandise
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