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'Price is Right' viewers unhappy with contestant's $11,000 win because the game seemed 'too easy'

Fans often slam hosts for not being helpful and games for being too hard when contestants lose.
PUBLISHED JAN 25, 2025
Screenshots showing the contestant with Drew Carey on "The Price is Right" (Cover image source: Instagram | @therealpriceisright)
Screenshots showing the contestant with Drew Carey on "The Price is Right" (Cover image source: Instagram | @therealpriceisright)

It's not uncommon for fans to call out hosts who aren't helpful or games that are too difficult when game show contestants lose out on a big prize. But it's rare for people to be upset about a game, which is so easy that there's no fun left on the show. One such game called Vend-O-Price was called out by a few users on Instagram commenting under a video clip from "The Price is Right." It involves three shelves, each with different products, and players need to guess which rack is the most expensive.

A contestant named Brian took on the challenge. The first shelf, which was blue, had eight cans of Pringles potato crisps. The second shelf, which was green, had six packs of sunflower kernels. The third was an orange shelf with three bottles of chocolate milk. The only hint Drew Carey gave was that the individual items on the lower shelf were the most expensive followed by the middle and the top shelf.

Screenshot showing the three shelves on
Screenshot showing the three shelves on "The Price is Right" (Image source: Instagram | @therealpriceisright)

The prize for winning the game was a hot tub worth $11,000. Contestants had to indicate their choice by pulling a lever with a color corresponding to that of the shelf. On this occasion, Brian picked the green shelf and then the values of the items on the shelves were revealed. The shelf with Pringles was worth a total of $13.52 while the chocolate milk shelf was valued at $14.97. Finally, the one with the sunflower kernel was revealed to be worth $22.74, allowing the contestant to win the hot tub.

According to TV Insider, several fans had their reservations about this game as it just seemed too easy. “This game may be the easiest. It’s always the green,” one user commented. “Good job Brian, when Drew laughs like that means this contestant did something special,” another one quipped.


 
 
 
 
 
View this post on Instagram
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by The Price Is Right (@therealpriceisright)


 

While everyone felt winning Vend-O-Price wasn't a big deal, many were stunned when a contestant named Baoan aced a game called The Big Wheel. His first spin didn’t send the wheel around the whole way but what happened next was magical. On his second attempt, he spun the wheel with the right force to hit the $1 mark and won $1,000 along with a shot at Showcase Showdown. On his next attempt, he tried to use a similar amount of force but was off by just a little bit as it landed on the $0.15 mark. Even then, it meant that he won an additional $10,000.


 
 
 
 
 
View this post on Instagram
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by The Price Is Right (@therealpriceisright)


 

“You say redemption I say he was using skill to determine how hard he needed to spin,” one user commented under the Instagram post. “He did say he was from Vegas. He knows how to finesse the wheel,” quipped another. This means that if a contestant is lucky to hit the dollar mark on the first spin, they can replicate the amount of force used on the second spin to achieve the same feat.

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