$uper $aver

$uper $aver was a pricing game on the American television game show, "The Price Is Right". Played from May 10, 1989 to March 11, 1996, it was played for a large prize worth more than $2,000, and used grocery items.

Gameplay

The contestant was shown six grocery items, arranged in a circle on the game display. Each item had a false price attached; five of them were marked below their actual retail price, while the sixth item was marked above its actual price. To win the large prize, the contestant had to select four items whose marked prices totalled at least a dollar less than the total of their actual prices, thus "saving" a dollar or more.

The player selected four items, one at a time. As each item was chosen, its actual price was revealed, and the amount saved was added to a running total on a central screen. If the contestant chose the one item marked above its actual price, that difference was taken away from their savings.

The contestant had to use all four selections regardless if they made it to $1 within the first three picks. Unlike similar games of "avoid this item" (e.g. Shopping Spree, Danger Price, Credit Card), picking the marked-up item did not result in a loss all the time; if the contestant had picked and continues to pick the items that save the most money, the game can still be won. However, this characteristic of the game also led to the game's eventual retirement.

Retirement

Super Saver was retired due to an incident during one of the last playings of the game. Host Bob Barker forgot to specify to the contestant that the game could still be won after choosing the marked-up item. The contestant complained that Barker's failure to disclose this rule to her resulted in her losing the game. The show's staff, after consultation with Standards & Practices, decided to award her the prize.

Having concluded it was too easy to miss critical details, Barker – fearful such a mistake would come up again – had the game retired. The retirement had nothing to do with the mechanical problems, although several sources do state so.

Bob also explained the rules incorrectly on at least two earlier occasions in the spring of 1992 and on February 13, 1995. However, both playings resulted in a win.