Temptation (pricing game)

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A contestant playing Temptation
A contestant playing Temptation

Temptation is a pricing game on the American television game show The Price Is Right. Debuting on September 7, 1973, this game is played for a car, and four prizes (each worth between $500 and $9,999).

[edit] Gameplay

The contestant is shown the first digit in the price of the car. They are then shown four prizes, referred to as "gifts", one at a time. Each prize's price is displayed, with one of the digits being the next digit in the price of the car. The contestant must guess which is the correct next digit for each of the four prizes. There are only two unique digits in the price of each small prize (eg: $488, or $1,331), making the choice an either-or proposition.

Once all of the digits have been selected, the contestant is given one last opportunity to change any of the four digits they have chosen. The total value of the four gifts is then stated, and the contestant is given the choice to take the gifts and quit, or see if the price of the car is correct. If it is, they win the car and all four gifts; if it is not, they win nothing.

[edit] History

Here's the debut of Temptation in its original green appearance in 1973.
Here's the debut of Temptation in its original green appearance in 1973.

Temptation was created by former producer Jay Wolpert [1]. When it debuted, the contestant did not have the option of changing any digits. This rule was introduced several months later.

The Temptation board was originally green, and the "actual price" displays were orange with black numbers. The game's current color scheme debuted on April 11, 1988. The font for the "Temptation" logo changed around 1979.

During the days of four-digit car prices, there would be no free digit given, and there would sometimes three choices for the first number, but one of them was obviously wrong (for instance, $189).

On February 26, 1993, after the board was modified for 5-digit prices, a 4-digit car was offered. A dollar sign was lit in the space where the ten-thousands digit would have been.