ECONOMY & WORK
MONEY 101
NEWS
PERSONAL FINANCE
NET WORTH
About Us Contact Us Privacy Policy Terms of Use DMCA Opt-out of personalized ads
© Copyright 2023 Market Realist. Market Realist is a registered trademark. All Rights Reserved. People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.
MARKETREALIST.COM / ECONOMY & WORK

'Price is Right' contestant loses almost $14,000 in what many fans call a brutally hard game

The game was an incredibly difficult one to be fully successful in. One instance of hesitance can cost thousands
PUBLISHED JAN 12, 2026
Screenshot showing Drew Carey and the contestant. (Image credit: YouTube | The Price Is Right)
Screenshot showing Drew Carey and the contestant. (Image credit: YouTube | The Price Is Right)

Not all games on “The Price Is Right” are loved by fans; some are subject to a lot of criticism. That is what happened in a recent episode of the show as fans were left disappointed after a contestant lost close to $14,000. She had a chance to win $20,000, but the structure of the game forced her to walk away with only a little over $6,000. The game, however, was exciting to watch.

Screenshot showing the contestant. (Image credit: YouTube | The Price Is Right)
Screenshot showing the contestant. (Image credit: YouTube | The Price Is Right)

The contestant was a woman named Maya, who had made her way to the stage from Contestant’s Row. She was playing the game Time Is Money to win $20,000. The rules of the game are simple. A contestant will have to correctly guess the prices of five small grocery items. In Maya’s case, the items were condensed milk, an organic protein bar, a box of Spanish rice, Frizz hair serum, and Irish butter with olive oil.

Three tables were placed on the stage with varying price ranges: $0-2.99, $3-5.99, and $6 and above. The contestant had to place the items in the correct order to win the big prize. However, she only had 10 seconds to do so. Maya took the items and ran to the tables. She placed the items as the clock ticked down and made a last-second switch. “Last minute, switcharoo. Let’s find out if that hurts her or helps her,” host Drew Carey said.

Screenshot showing Drew Carey explaining the game. (Image credit: YouTube | The Price Is Right)
Screenshot showing Drew Carey explaining the game. (Image credit: YouTube | The Price Is Right)

The buzzer eventually sounded, meaning that the contestant did not get it right. However, the showrunners knew that this was a tough game and decided to give her a second chance. This time, the prize money would start counting down from $20,000 to 0. If the contestant gets the order of the products right, she will win whatever amount was displayed on the screen at that time.

It is important to note that the money doesn’t go down at a slow pace. A few seconds of hesitation could cost you thousands. Maya might not have realized that at one point, as she looked to the audience for quite a while and lost more than $5,000. “She just lost $5,000, $6,000,” Carey said at the time. She was finally able to get the order right when the prize money was at $6,360.

Screenshot showing the contestant on
Screenshot showing the contestant on "The Price Is Right." (Image Source: YouTube | The Price Is Right)

That was the amount she won. Maya seemed quite happy about it, but fans of the show were not. "I wish they'd put the button closer to the grocery items for this game. Too much time is spent racing back and forth,” one fan wrote in the comments section on YouTube. “Better than nothing - most contestants flame out completely with this pricing game,” quipped another. “The fact that someone won anything in Time is Money is always a win, good for Maya, $6000 is nothing to (be) sneezed at,” a third user commented.

Watch the video here.

More on Market Realist

'Price is Right' host Drew Carey screams as player loses everything due to a single number

'Price is Right' contestant falls to her knees in dramatic celebration after winning a car

'Price is Right' fans witnessed a 'Christmas miracle' after player pulls off an unexpected win

RELATED TOPICS PRICE IS RIGHT
MORE ON MARKET REALIST
As regulators tighten rules and refineries shut down, the Golden State, also known as the ‘fuel island’, grapples with extremely high gas prices.
2 hours ago
The answer isn't clear yet, but early signs point to his policy backfiring in a bad way.
2 hours ago
Find out how to identify the affected products and what steps to take.
2 hours ago
From skipping meals to avoiding driving, Americans have been backed into a corner financially.
3 hours ago
The company followed the likes of Block and Oracle in axing thousands of jobs.
4 hours ago
In the end, it all came down to luck, and the contestant simply did not have that.
4 hours ago
US consumers could witness another wave of inflation in March despite the IEA releasing oil reserves
1 day ago
There are safeguards to the use of the technology but day-to-day activities are allowed.
1 day ago
The contestant came quite close to winning but it was not to be.
1 day ago
A budget watchdog has sounded the alarm, warning that this would not be sustainable.
1 day ago
Multiple states are taking part in testing programs to ensure that the dream becomes reality soon.
1 day ago
Homeowners are going for adjustable mortgage rates in record rates, reminiscent of the 2008 crisis.
2 days ago
The contestant’s win was impressive, as the game she played is not easy to get right.
2 days ago
The contestant was just happy to be on the show but a surprise win made her experience even better.
2 days ago
People are already struggling with affordability and the war could make things a lot worse.
2 days ago
If consumed, the products could pose serious health risks to some people.
2 days ago
The Trump administration has assured that prices will be back to normal within weeks.
3 days ago
The move reflects a broader shift in tech as companies redirect money from payroll to AI infrastructure
3 days ago
The Energy Secretary said that the uptick in gas prices would only a few weeks.
3 days ago
Carey even ended up having chili spaghetti after feeling the symptoms for the first time.
3 days ago