Weekly Comments (November-December)

Comments for the Week of November 2-6
Biggest winners this week: Melissa Crosse ($61,893) (November 3) and Ahmed Sublaban ($50,524). Melissa is the sixth contestant to win at least $60,000 this season. All five two-prize games played this week (Bargain Game, Double Cross, Magic #, 1 Right Price, Switch?) were won. On Tuesday, Cliff Hangers was lost for the first time since May 14, 2015. That ended a 6 game winning streak for this game, which included three straight wins to start this season. The $11,000 bid on the first Showcase offered on Tuesday's episode (on a $26,606 Showcase) was the lowest bid for the first Showcase since a contestant bid $8,000 on the December 16, 2013 episode (on a $22,989 Showcase). For the first time since Season 33, Line em Up was won on the first try in consecutive playings (in Season 33, it happened three times in a row - on the November 4, November 17 and December 1 episodes.) There was a difference of $4,699 between the value of both prizes offered in Magic # on Wednesday's episodes ($6,699 and $2,000). That's a new record for this game. The previous biggest spread was $3,896 on February 26, 2015. Not surprisingly, the Honda ATV (worth $6,699) is the most expensive prize ever offered in Magic #. The previous high was a $6,099 Almost Heaven Sauna offered on the March 24, 2010 episode. Contestants have quit with money in each of the last three playings of Spelling Bee, including both playings this season. Contestants have taken the money 21 times in the 59 playings since the value of the cards were increased to $1,000 (35.6%) (14 quit without having any cards revealed). By comparison, only 7 contestants quit in the final 59 playings where the cards were worth $500 (11.9%).(7 quit without having any cards revealed.) Thursday's episode was only the second time this season where less than $50,000 in cash and prizes was won. At that pace, there will be 16 sub-$50,000 episodes this season, which would be significantly less than the 32 occurrences in Season 43. Also on Thursday, Double Cross was won for only the second time in its history when the prices at the top of the game board were correct. Its overall record is now 2-4 when that is the winning combination. Lucky $even is now 0-5 to start the season. Lucky $even also started Season 30 and Season 40 at 0-5, but picked up a win in its sixth playing in both seasons. Will Lucky $even continue that trend, or will it start a season at 0-6 for the first time since at least Season 29?

Comments for the Week of November 2-6

Biggest winners this week: Melissa Crosse ($61,893) (November 3) and Ahmed Sublaban ($50,524). Melissa is the sixth contestant to win at least $60,000 this season.
All five two-prize games played this week (Bargain Game, Double Cross, Magic #, 1 Right Price, Switch?) were won.
On Tuesday, Cliff Hangers was lost for the first time since May 14, 2015. That ended a 6 game winning streak for this game, which included three straight wins to start this season.
The $11,000 bid on the first Showcase offered on Tuesday's episode (on a $26,606 Showcase) was the lowest bid for the first Showcase since a contestant bid $8,000 on the December 16, 2013 episode (on a $22,989 Showcase).
For the first time since Season 33, Line em Up was won on the first try in consecutive playings (in Season 33, it happened three times in a row - on the November 4, November 17 and December 1 episodes.)
There was a difference of $4,699 between the value of both prizes offered in Magic # on Wednesday's episodes ($6,699 and $2,000). That's a new record for this game. The previous biggest spread was $3,896 on February 26, 2015.
Not surprisingly, the Honda ATV (worth $6,699) is the most expensive prize ever offered in Magic #. The previous high was a $6,099 Almost Heaven Sauna offered on the March 24, 2010 episode.
Contestants have quit with money in each of the last three playings of Spelling Bee, including both playings this season. Contestants have taken the money 21 times in the 59 playings since the value of the cards were increased to $1,000 (35.6%) (14 quit without having any cards revealed). By comparison, only 7 contestants quit in the final 59 playings where the cards were worth $500 (11.9%).(7 quit without having any cards revealed.)
Thursday's episode was only the second time this season where less than $50,000 in cash and prizes was won. At that pace, there will be 16 sub-$50,000 episodes this season, which would be significantly less than the 32 occurrences in Season 43.
Also on Thursday, Double Cross was won for only the second time in its history when the prices at the top of the game board were correct. Its overall record is now 2-4 when that is the winning combination.
Lucky $even is now 0-5 to start the season. Lucky $even also started Season 30 and Season 40 at 0-5, but picked up a win in its sixth playing in both seasons. Will Lucky $even continue that trend, or will it start a season at 0-6 for the first time since at least Season 29?

Comments for the Week of November 9-13
Biggest winner this week: Jennifer Marsha Rivas ($38,065) (November 11) On Monday, Gwen only managed to try two combinations in a losing effort in Race Game. Last time that's happened: February 6, 2012. (Contestants tried at least three combination in all 21 losses since that date.) Also on Monday, Bargain Game was lost for the first time since April 17 of last season, which ended a 10 game winning streak for this game . Despite the loss, this was a very good run for Bargain Game. This was the first time since Season 30 where this game had managed to go a winning streak of longer than 7 games. The car has now been won in each of the past five playings of Master Key, dating back to March 24 of last season. Five wins is the longest winning streak for this game since at least Season 29. (The previous high during this span was 4 straight wins in Seasons 30 and 36.) On Tuesday, Claire overbid in Card Game by $180 - the second smallest overbid since the start of Season 32. Only the $85 overbid on the January 21, 2015 episode was more painful. Claire also assigned a value of $3,270 to her ace in Card Game - the first time since April 6, 2006 ($5,077) where a contestant did not make the ace an amount that is divisible by 100. On Wednesday, Tonya punched all four corners in Punch a Bunch, which has not happened since at least the start of Season 30. (Last time three corners were selected: February 5, 2010.) While contestants like to pick the corners, since Season 30 the top prize has only been revealed to be in the top right corner four times and in the bottom right corner once. The top prize has never been revealed to be in the top left or the bottom left corners during this span. On Thursday, Allen stopped the rangefinder at $60 from the bottom of the scale. That's the lowest stopping point since at least the start of Season 32. (Previous low: $63 on June 4, 2008) Overall, the rangefinder was $80 away from the actual retail price of the prize in Range Game - the biggest miss in this game since April 2, 2014 ($114). Based on the available information, Friday was the first time ever where Check-Out was the first Pricing Game played on an episode. The game was also won, improving Check-Out's record to 4-14 since Season 29 when played for a car.

Comments for the Week of November 9-13

Biggest winner this week: Jennifer Marsha Rivas ($38,065) (November 11)
On Monday, Gwen only managed to try two combinations in a losing effort in Race Game. Last time that's happened: February 6, 2012. (Contestants tried at least three combination in all 21 losses since that date.)
Also on Monday, Bargain Game was lost for the first time since April 17 of last season, which ended a 10 game winning streak for this game . Despite the loss, this was a very good run for Bargain Game. This was the first time since Season 30 where this game had managed to go a winning streak of longer than 7 games.
The car has now been won in each of the past five playings of Master Key, dating back to March 24 of last season. Five wins is the longest winning streak for this game since at least Season 29. (The previous high during this span was 4 straight wins in Seasons 30 and 36.)
On Tuesday, Claire overbid in Card Game by $180 - the second smallest overbid since the start of Season 32. Only the $85 overbid on the January 21, 2015 episode was more painful.
Claire also assigned a value of $3,270 to her ace in Card Game - the first time since April 6, 2006 ($5,077) where a contestant did not make the ace an amount that is divisible by 100.
On Wednesday, Tonya punched all four corners in Punch a Bunch, which has not happened since at least the start of Season 30. (Last time three corners were selected: February 5, 2010.)
While contestants like to pick the corners, since Season 30 the top prize has only been revealed to be in the top right corner four times and in the bottom right corner once. The top prize has never been revealed to be in the top left or the bottom left corners during this span.
On Thursday, Allen stopped the rangefinder at $60 from the bottom of the scale. That's the lowest stopping point since at least the start of Season 32. (Previous low: $63 on June 4, 2008)
Overall, the rangefinder was $80 away from the actual retail price of the prize in Range Game - the biggest miss in this game since April 2, 2014 ($114).
Based on the available information, Friday was the first time ever where Check-Out was the first Pricing Game played on an episode. The game was also won, improving Check-Out's record to 4-14 since Season 29 when played for a car.

Comments for the Week of November 16-20
Biggest winner this week: Kevin Chesshir ($43,030) (November 16) On Monday, Pathfinder was won for the first time since February 16 of last season, which snapped an eight game losing streak for this game. Pathfinder was also played perfectly for the first time since July 17, 2008 and for only the seventh time since the start of Season 29. Since the July 17, 2008 perfect playing, the next best performance had been three instances where contestants played perfectly right up to the last number (October 14, 2009, June 11, 2012, November 5, 2012 - with the October 14, 2009 playing dramatically winding up being lost.) The win in Rat Race on Tuesday snapped another eight game losing streak - prior to this week, February 25, 2015 was the last time a car had been won in this game. With three wins and a second place finish, the orange rat is on fire so far this season. This week's race was also the orange rat's 20th career win. The orange rat is the first rodent to reach this milestone. (Second place is the green rat with 15 wins.) Marc wound up winning $33,000 on Tuesday's episode. It's been since at least the start of Season 40 where a Showcase winner's total winnings wound up being divisible by 1000. In Pocket Change, Barbara wound up needing to accumulate $2.50 in order to win the car. $2.50 is the highest finishing price for a car in the game's history, besting three instances where the car wound up at $2.25. This was also the fifth time in Pocket Change's history where a contestant needed five tries in order to get the second number in the price of the car. (It also happened on October 27, 2005, April 7, 2006, April 14, 2009 and March 10, 2011). After an eight week absence, Triple Play was played for the first time this season on Thursday. Nine weeks is the longest it's ever taken for Triple Play to received its first playing, beating eight weeks in Seasons 41 and 43. On Friday, Jeffrey won $85 in Money Game, which is the least cash ever won in this game (when it was lost) since at least the start of Season 32. (The previous high during this span was $108 on October 2, 2009.) For the first time since October 30, 2013, an amount of 10 or lower was one of the choices in Money Game and that number did not wind up being the last two numbers in the price of the car. That ended a streak of 12 straight instances where contestants had to pick "el cheapo" in order to win the game.

Comments for the Week of November 16-20

Biggest winner this week: Kevin Chesshir ($43,030) (November 16)
On Monday, Pathfinder was won for the first time since February 16 of last season, which snapped an eight game losing streak for this game.
Pathfinder was also played perfectly for the first time since July 17, 2008 and for only the seventh time since the start of Season 29. Since the July 17, 2008 perfect playing, the next best performance had been three instances where contestants played perfectly right up to the last number (October 14, 2009, June 11, 2012, November 5, 2012 - with the October 14, 2009 playing dramatically winding up being lost.)
The win in Rat Race on Tuesday snapped another eight game losing streak - prior to this week, February 25, 2015 was the last time a car had been won in this game.
With three wins and a second place finish, the orange rat is on fire so far this season. This week's race was also the orange rat's 20th career win. The orange rat is the first rodent to reach this milestone. (Second place is the green rat with 15 wins.)
Marc wound up winning $33,000 on Tuesday's episode. It's been since at least the start of Season 40 where a Showcase winner's total winnings wound up being divisible by 1000.
In Pocket Change, Barbara wound up needing to accumulate $2.50 in order to win the car. $2.50 is the highest finishing price for a car in the game's history, besting three instances where the car wound up at $2.25.
This was also the fifth time in Pocket Change's history where a contestant needed five tries in order to get the second number in the price of the car. (It also happened on October 27, 2005, April 7, 2006, April 14, 2009 and March 10, 2011).
After an eight week absence, Triple Play was played for the first time this season on Thursday. Nine weeks is the longest it's ever taken for Triple Play to received its first playing, beating eight weeks in Seasons 41 and 43.
On Friday, Jeffrey won $85 in Money Game, which is the least cash ever won in this game (when it was lost) since at least the start of Season 32. (The previous high during this span was $108 on October 2, 2009.)
For the first time since October 30, 2013, an amount of 10 or lower was one of the choices in Money Game and that number did not wind up being the last two numbers in the price of the car. That ended a streak of 12 straight instances where contestants had to pick "el cheapo" in order to win the game.

Comments for the Week of November 23-25 & 30
Biggest winner this week: Karen Hundgen ($54,197) (November 25) For the second time this season, the two-prize games went a perfect 5-0 during this week. (Make Your Move, 2 for the Price of 1, Safe Crackers, Switch? and Double Cross were all won). The two-prize games have a current record of 29-14 (67.44%) this season. If that pace holds, that would be the best overall record since the 2-prize games went 88-42 (67.69%) in Season 31. On November 24, Five Price Tags was won for the second straight time even though only one choice was won. That's a pretty impressive streak, considering the game had a record of 6-36 between Seasons 32 and 43 under these conditions. This was also the first time this season (and the first time in four playings) where a contestant guessed "true" for a small prize in Five Price Tags. Bt being played second on November 25 and fourth on November 30, Plinko and Lucky $even became the second and third Pricing Games to be played in all six slots at least once this season (joining Side by Side, who achieved this feat earlier this month). Both games have now achieved this feat for the fourth straight season. On November 25, Rosalyn got all four numbers wrong in Temptation. Last time that's happened: April 4, 2013. (It also happened for only the fourth time since the start of Season 29 - contestants took the gifts in three of those playings.) With the $2,100 win on November 25, Plinko has finally managed to surpass $10,000 in cash winnings this season. Overall, $12,000 has been won in 7 Plinko playings this season, compared to $35,600 after 7 playings in Season 43. Current totals for the other cash games: $11,110 in Grand Game (6 playings), $11,000 in 1/2 Off (5 playings), $18,000 in It's in the Bag (4 playings), $100,000 in Pay the Rent (2 playings), $11,250 in Punch a Bunch (4 playings) and $25,039 in Time I$ Money (4 playings). Also on November 25, Karen missed the target by $15.92 with one of her shots in Bullseye. That was the largest miss in this game since at least the start of Season 32. (Previous high: $15.45 on March 4 from last season). November 25 was the third time this season (along with September 28 and October 28) where all six Pricing Games were at least partially won. On November 30, Richard found the last two numbers before the first two numbers in Money Game. Last time that's happened: May 11, 2012. It's now happened 6 times since the start of Season 32 - the car was won each time.

Comments for the Week of November 23-25 & 30

Biggest winner this week: Karen Hundgen ($54,197) (November 25)
For the second time this season, the two-prize games went a perfect 5-0 during this week. (Make Your Move, 2 for the Price of 1, Safe Crackers, Switch? and Double Cross were all won). The two-prize games have a current record of 29-14 (67.44%) this season. If that pace holds, that would be the best overall record since the 2-prize games went 88-42 (67.69%) in Season 31.
On November 24, Five Price Tags was won for the second straight time even though only one choice was won. That's a pretty impressive streak, considering the game had a record of 6-36 between Seasons 32 and 43 under these conditions.
This was also the first time this season (and the first time in four playings) where a contestant guessed "true" for a small prize in Five Price Tags.
Bt being played second on November 25 and fourth on November 30, Plinko and Lucky $even became the second and third Pricing Games to be played in all six slots at least once this season (joining Side by Side, who achieved this feat earlier this month). Both games have now achieved this feat for the fourth straight season.
On November 25, Rosalyn got all four numbers wrong in Temptation. Last time that's happened: April 4, 2013. (It also happened for only the fourth time since the start of Season 29 - contestants took the gifts in three of those playings.)
With the $2,100 win on November 25, Plinko has finally managed to surpass $10,000 in cash winnings this season. Overall, $12,000 has been won in 7 Plinko playings this season, compared to $35,600 after 7 playings in Season 43.
Current totals for the other cash games: $11,110 in Grand Game (6 playings), $11,000 in 1/2 Off (5 playings), $18,000 in It's in the Bag (4 playings), $100,000 in Pay the Rent (2 playings), $11,250 in Punch a Bunch (4 playings) and $25,039 in Time I$ Money (4 playings).
Also on November 25, Karen missed the target by $15.92 with one of her shots in Bullseye. That was the largest miss in this game since at least the start of Season 32. (Previous high: $15.45 on March 4 from last season).
November 25 was the third time this season (along with September 28 and October 28) where all six Pricing Games were at least partially won.
On November 30, Richard found the last two numbers before the first two numbers in Money Game. Last time that's happened: May 11, 2012. It's now happened 6 times since the start of Season 32 - the car was won each time.

Comments for the Week of December 7-11
Biggest winner this week: Ruby Lewis ($48,822) (December 7) On Monday, Ruby won Card Game after picking an ace on her first draw. Prior to this playing, Card Game had been lost at least five straight times when contestants drew an ace on their first pick. The $44 miss in Spelling Bee ($65 bid on a $21 travel mug) was the largest miss for a small prize in this game since a $47 miss on April 9, 2014 ($18 bid on a $65 food chopper). On Tuesday, the car was won in Switcheroo for the first time since November 12 of last season. The win snapped a seven game losing streak in this game. It was also the third time since Drew became host where a contestant did not make any changes on their second try. The $502 Bradley digital smoker offered on Tuesday was the cheapest one bid offered on the show since a $500 internet radio was offered on January 6 of last season. On Wednesday, Cliff Hangers was won with Hans stopped on the 25th and final step. Last time there was such a dramatic win: September 30, 2011. Brian also won Cliff Hangers by getting the third small prize exactly right. Lat time that's happened: December 19, 2006. With Wednesday's win, Flip Flops's record has improved to 20-80 since the start of Season 32 when both flipping and flopping was right. During this same span, Flip Flop has a record of 51-34 when flipping is right and 76-43 when flopping was right. Flipping and flopping has rarely been the correct answer in the past few seasons. Between Seasons 40 and 44, it was right 15.4% of the time. But between Seasons 35 and 39 it was right 51.3% of the time. The prize packages offered in Bargain Game have been very consistent so far this season. Excluding October 7 (when it was played for trips), the prize packages have all been between $5,147 and $5,828. 1/2 Off was played sixth on Thursday's episode, which means it was played in a different slot in each of its first 6 playings this season (second, third, first, fourth, fifth, then sixth). 1/2 Off was played in all six slots at least once for the first time since Season 42. On Friday, at least $10,000 was won in Plinko for the first time since June 15 of last season. That snapped a streak of eight straight playings where less than $10,000 had been won. It took 37 drops before a Plinko chip landed in a $10,000 slot for the first time this season. That set the record for the longest streak of futility to start a season since at least the start of Season 30. (The previous worst was Season 33 where the first 33 chips dropped all landed in amounts other than $10,000.) Coming or Going's loss on Friday's episode prevented the one prize games from going a perfect 7-0 this week. Season 41 (two 7-0 weeks) was the last time where the one prize games had a perfect record in a five episode week. Conversely, Hi Lo's win was the tenth straight time a Pricing Game was won when it was played for a trip. November 19 (Coming or Going) was the last time a trip game has been lost. There have only been 16 Showcase overbids so far this season. We are currently on pace for 56 overbids this season, which would be well below the mark set last season (91 overbids) and would be the fewest since at least Season 30 (the current low is 79 in Season 32).

Comments for the Week of December 7-11

Biggest winner this week: Ruby Lewis ($48,822) (December 7)
On Monday, Ruby won Card Game after picking an ace on her first draw. Prior to this playing, Card Game had been lost at least five straight times when contestants drew an ace on their first pick.
The $44 miss in Spelling Bee ($65 bid on a $21 travel mug) was the largest miss for a small prize in this game since a $47 miss on April 9, 2014 ($18 bid on a $65 food chopper).
On Tuesday, the car was won in Switcheroo for the first time since November 12 of last season. The win snapped a seven game losing streak in this game. It was also the third time since Drew became host where a contestant did not make any changes on their second try.
The $502 Bradley digital smoker offered on Tuesday was the cheapest one bid offered on the show since a $500 internet radio was offered on January 6 of last season.
On Wednesday, Cliff Hangers was won with Hans stopped on the 25th and final step. Last time there was such a dramatic win: September 30, 2011. Brian also won Cliff Hangers by getting the third small prize exactly right. Lat time that's happened: December 19, 2006.
With Wednesday's win, Flip Flops's record has improved to 20-80 since the start of Season 32 when both flipping and flopping was right. During this same span, Flip Flop has a record of 51-34 when flipping is right and 76-43 when flopping was right.
Flipping and flopping has rarely been the correct answer in the past few seasons. Between Seasons 40 and 44, it was right 15.4% of the time. But between Seasons 35 and 39 it was right 51.3% of the time.
The prize packages offered in Bargain Game have been very consistent so far this season. Excluding October 7 (when it was played for trips), the prize packages have all been between $5,147 and $5,828.
1/2 Off was played sixth on Thursday's episode, which means it was played in a different slot in each of its first 6 playings this season (second, third, first, fourth, fifth, then sixth). 1/2 Off was played in all six slots at least once for the first time since Season 42.
On Friday, at least $10,000 was won in Plinko for the first time since June 15 of last season. That snapped a streak of eight straight playings where less than $10,000 had been won.
It took 37 drops before a Plinko chip landed in a $10,000 slot for the first time this season. That set the record for the longest streak of futility to start a season since at least the start of Season 30. (The previous worst was Season 33 where the first 33 chips dropped all landed in amounts other than $10,000.)
Coming or Going's loss on Friday's episode prevented the one prize games from going a perfect 7-0 this week. Season 41 (two 7-0 weeks) was the last time where the one prize games had a perfect record in a five episode week.
Conversely, Hi Lo's win was the tenth straight time a Pricing Game was won when it was played for a trip. November 19 (Coming or Going) was the last time a trip game has been lost.
There have only been 16 Showcase overbids so far this season. We are currently on pace for 56 overbids this season, which would be well below the mark set last season (91 overbids) and would be the fewest since at least Season 30 (the current low is 79 in Season 32).

Comments for the Week of December 14-18
Biggest winner this week: Bianca Taylor ($42,106) (December 17) For the second straight week, the one prize games were denied a chance to go a perfect 7-0. Freeze Frame's loss on Friday prevented the one prize games from having a perfect week. Nevertheless, the one prize games have a combined record of 52-26 this season (66.7% win rate) which is way ahead of the 53% win rate between Seasons 41 and 43. Only four cars were won this week (2 in Pricing Games, 2 in the Showcase), which ties the week of October 5-9 for the fewest car wins in a week this season. On Monday, One Away was played fourth for the first time since January 3, 2014. On Tuesday, a contestant putted from one of three closest lines to the hole in Hole in One for the first time since November 19, 2013. That ended a streak of 16 straight playings where contestants putted from one of the three furthest lines from the hole. Since Season 32, Hole in One is 30-2 when contestants putted from one of the three closest lines to the hole. Tuesday's episode and the February 6, 2007 episodes were the only two losses during this span. At seven seconds, Wednesday's episode featured one of the fastest Race Game wins in recent memory. It tied the May 26, 2003 and May 1, 2009 episodes for the fastest win since the start of Season 29. Also on Wednesday, Shell Game was lost for the first time since October 13, 2014, which ended an eight game winning streak for this game. Shell Game's record also fell to 5-2 (since the start of Season 29) when played for a car. Eight straight wins is the longest winning streak in Shell Game since it was won eight straight times between October 23, 2007 and September 28, 2010. On Thursday, the top prize was won in Grand Game for the first time since October 5, 2015. That snapped a five game losing streak for this game. Also on Thursday, Frank missed the second digit in the price of the car by 5 in Lucky $even. Previous time a contestant lost $5 on the second number: October 30, 2012 (Coincidentally, a Jeep Compass was offered in both playings.) Since Season 29, no contestant ever lost all their money on the second number. However, a contestant did lose $6 on the May 22, 2009 episode. Check-Out's loss on Friday's episode was the first time since November 19 (Coming of Going) where a Pricing Game played for a trip was lost. That snapped a streak of 14 straight wins for the trip games.

Comments for the Week of December 14-18

Biggest winner this week: Bianca Taylor ($42,106) (December 17)
For the second straight week, the one prize games were denied a chance to go a perfect 7-0. Freeze Frame's loss on Friday prevented the one prize games from having a perfect week. Nevertheless, the one prize games have a combined record of 52-26 this season (66.7% win rate) which is way ahead of the 53% win rate between Seasons 41 and 43.
Only four cars were won this week (2 in Pricing Games, 2 in the Showcase), which ties the week of October 5-9 for the fewest car wins in a week this season.
On Monday, One Away was played fourth for the first time since January 3, 2014.
On Tuesday, a contestant putted from one of three closest lines to the hole in Hole in One for the first time since November 19, 2013. That ended a streak of 16 straight playings where contestants putted from one of the three furthest lines from the hole.
Since Season 32, Hole in One is 30-2 when contestants putted from one of the three closest lines to the hole. Tuesday's episode and the February 6, 2007 episodes were the only two losses during this span.
At seven seconds, Wednesday's episode featured one of the fastest Race Game wins in recent memory. It tied the May 26, 2003 and May 1, 2009 episodes for the fastest win since the start of Season 29.
Also on Wednesday, Shell Game was lost for the first time since October 13, 2014, which ended an eight game winning streak for this game. Shell Game's record also fell to 5-2 (since the start of Season 29) when played for a car.
Eight straight wins is the longest winning streak in Shell Game since it was won eight straight times between October 23, 2007 and September 28, 2010.
On Thursday, the top prize was won in Grand Game for the first time since October 5, 2015. That snapped a five game losing streak for this game.
Also on Thursday, Frank missed the second digit in the price of the car by 5 in Lucky $even. Previous time a contestant lost $5 on the second number: October 30, 2012 (Coincidentally, a Jeep Compass was offered in both playings.)
Since Season 29, no contestant ever lost all their money on the second number. However, a contestant did lose $6 on the May 22, 2009 episode.
Check-Out's loss on Friday's episode was the first time since November 19 (Coming of Going) where a Pricing Game played for a trip was lost. That snapped a streak of 14 straight wins for the trip games.

Comments for the Week of December 21-24
Biggest winner this week: William Watkins ($87,043) (December 22) - The 25th biggest win in daytime history. Second biggest winner this week: Jesus Munoz ($64,290) (December 21) After an impressive 18-6 week (with 2 of the losses being partial wins), the Pricing Games currently have a combined record of 192-186 (50.97%) this season. The Pricing Games have not managed to finish above .500 in any of the past 15 seasons. (Season 30 came closest, with an overall record of 521-529, or a 49.6% win rate.) Pricing Game winning or losing streaks snapped this season: Triple Play - snapped a 22 game losing streak - first win since December 6, 2007 Double Prices - ended a five game winning streak - first loss since October 16, 2015 Do the Math - ended a five game winning streak - first loss since October 21, 2015 Lucky $even - snapped a 12 game losing streak - first win since May 6, 2015 With Triple Play's win, Punch a Bunch is now the Pricing Game that has gone the longest without being fully won (excluding Plinko). The top prize was last won on June 19, 2014. The Pricing Game that has gone the longest without a win of any sort is Hole in One. The game was last won on May 14, 2015. In fact, Hole in One, Grocery Game and Stack the Deck are the only games without a win of any sort this season. Thanks to the Triple Play win, four cars were won on the same episode for the first time since the Season 40 premiere (when four cars were won in Race Game.) On Tuesday, 1/2 Off was won with eight boxes left for the first time since April 17, 2014. That improved 1/2 Off's overall record to 6-43 when contestants only manage to eliminate eight boxes. Also on Tuesday, 3 Strikes was played sixth for the first time since September 19, 2011. (The only other time it has been played sixth in the past 15 seasons.) On Wednesday, Jeremiah was $955 away from the actual retail price of his Showcase, but he did not go on to win the Showcase. That is the second closest bid for a non-Showcase winner in the past two seasons. Only the June 4, 2015 Showcase ($520) was closer. Also on Wednesday, Squeeze Play became the first Pricing Game to be played 10 times this season (to be joined by Lucky $even and That's Too Much! on Thursday's episode). This is nothing new - all three games also tied as the most frequently played games in Season 43. Lucky $even and Squeeze Play were also two out of the three most frequently played games in Season 42. Lucky $even's 0-9 start to this season easily surpassed Seasons 30 and 40 (0-5 starts before finally picking up a win) as its longest losing streak to start a season since at least Season 29. Lucky $even continues its recent trend of having impressive wins whenever it is won. In the past two seasons, contestants have won with $5 or $6 left in 4 out of the 8 Lucky $even wins. Balance Game has already been played 7 times this season and is on pace to be played 25 this season. That would be a new record - the current high is 18 playings in Season 37. It also has already been played as much this season as it was played in all of Season 41. Friday's episode was the first time Lucky $even and That's Too Much! were both played and won on the same episode.

Comments for the Week of December 21-24

Biggest winner this week: William Watkins ($87,043) (December 22) - The 25th biggest win in daytime history.
Second biggest winner this week: Jesus Munoz ($64,290) (December 21)
After an impressive 18-6 week (with 2 of the losses being partial wins), the Pricing Games currently have a combined record of 192-186 (50.97%) this season. The Pricing Games have not managed to finish above .500 in any of the past 15 seasons. (Season 30 came closest, with an overall record of 521-529, or a 49.6% win rate.)
Pricing Game winning or losing streaks snapped this season:
- Triple Play - snapped a 22 game losing streak - first win since December 6, 2007
- Double Prices - ended a five game winning streak - first loss since October 16, 2015
- Do the Math - ended a five game winning streak - first loss since October 21, 2015
- Lucky $even - snapped a 12 game losing streak - first win since May 6, 2015
With Triple Play's win, Punch a Bunch is now the Pricing Game that has gone the longest without being fully won (excluding Plinko). The top prize was last won on June 19, 2014.
The Pricing Game that has gone the longest without a win of any sort is Hole in One. The game was last won on May 14, 2015. In fact, Hole in One, Grocery Game and Stack the Deck are the only games without a win of any sort this season.
Thanks to the Triple Play win, four cars were won on the same episode for the first time since the Season 40 premiere (when four cars were won in Race Game.)
On Tuesday, 1/2 Off was won with eight boxes left for the first time since April 17, 2014. That improved 1/2 Off's overall record to 6-43 when contestants only manage to eliminate eight boxes.
Also on Tuesday, 3 Strikes was played sixth for the first time since September 19, 2011. (The only other time it has been played sixth in the past 15 seasons.)
On Wednesday, Jeremiah was $955 away from the actual retail price of his Showcase, but he did not go on to win the Showcase. That is the second closest bid for a non-Showcase winner in the past two seasons. Only the June 4, 2015 Showcase ($520) was closer.
Also on Wednesday, Squeeze Play became the first Pricing Game to be played 10 times this season (to be joined by Lucky $even and That's Too Much! on Thursday's episode). This is nothing new - all three games also tied as the most frequently played games in Season 43. Lucky $even and Squeeze Play were also two out of the three most frequently played games in Season 42.
Lucky $even's 0-9 start to this season easily surpassed Seasons 30 and 40 (0-5 starts before finally picking up a win) as its longest losing streak to start a season since at least Season 29.
Lucky $even continues its recent trend of having impressive wins whenever it is won. In the past two seasons, contestants have won with $5 or $6 left in 4 out of the 8 Lucky $even wins.
Balance Game has already been played 7 times this season and is on pace to be played 25 this season. That would be a new record - the current high is 18 playings in Season 37. It also has already been played as much this season as it was played in all of Season 41.
Friday's episode was the first time Lucky $even and That's Too Much! were both played and won on the same episode.

Comments for the Week of December 28-31
Biggest winner this week: Dwayne Ocasio ($44,834) (December 31) Monday's Rat Race was the fourth straight win for the orange rat and the third time this season where the orange, pink and yellow rats finished first, second and third, respectively. Meanwhile, the blue rat has yet to finish in the top three in any race this season. On Tuesday, Pick-a-Number was lost for the first time since October 8, which ended a five game winning streak for this game. The loss ended one of the game's longest winning streaks in recent memory. Prior to this streak, Pick-a-Number had not been won more than three straight times at any point between seasons 29 and 42. Pick-a-Number's current record of 6-2 (75% win rate) is also way ahead of its results in recent seasons. Since Season 29, Pick-a-Number has finished at or above .500 only five times, with a best result of 3-2 in Seasons 31 and 32. Also on Tuesday, hole #24 (row 3, column 4) was selected in Punch a Bunch for the first time since November 12, 2013 (It held $10,000) and hole #9 (row 1, column 9) was selected for the first time December 27, 2013 (it held $5,000). The win in Now...or Then on Wednesday was the 200th time a Pricing Game was fully won this season. Last season, this milestone was reached only on January 15. The "then" grocery products on Wednesday's playing of Now...or Then were the Glad trash bags and the Blue Star ointment. Both products did in fact appear on The Price is Right during this month. For example, on the February 12, 2003 episode (taped on January 22, 2003), both products were used in the playing of Pass the Buck. Previous time the six Pricing Games played on Wednesday's episode were played on a perfect show: Any Number: February 12, 2010 (5th time since Season 30) Side By Side: December 31, 2013 (4th time since Season 30) Now....or Then: March 22, 2007 (2nd time since Season 30) Bargain Game: July 4, 2014 (7th time since Season 30) Pathfinder: Unknown Check Game: Unknown Grand Game has now been played for an amount in excess of $10,000 five times in daytime history (Once for $40,000 and four times for $100,000). $102,010 has been won in these five playings, with the lone win occurring on November 14, 2014. That's Too Much! has now been played for two cars three times in daytime history. The game has only been won once in these three playings - April 13, 2015. So far this season, Squeeze Play is 7-0 when contestants have to remove the second digit in the wrong price, but is 0-4 when contestants have to remove one of the other numbers. Both Showcases on Thursday's episode only offered two prizes. Last time that's happened: July 4, 2014. It was also only the second time this season (along with September 25) where neither Showcase offered a trip.

Comments for the Week of December 28-31

Biggest winner this week: Dwayne Ocasio ($44,834) (December 31)
Monday's Rat Race was the fourth straight win for the orange rat and the third time this season where the orange, pink and yellow rats finished first, second and third, respectively. Meanwhile, the blue rat has yet to finish in the top three in any race this season.
On Tuesday, Pick-a-Number was lost for the first time since October 8, which ended a five game winning streak for this game. The loss ended one of the game's longest winning streaks in recent memory. Prior to this streak, Pick-a-Number had not been won more than three straight times at any point between seasons 29 and 42.
Pick-a-Number's current record of 6-2 (75% win rate) is also way ahead of its results in recent seasons. Since Season 29, Pick-a-Number has finished at or above .500 only five times, with a best result of 3-2 in Seasons 31 and 32.
Also on Tuesday, hole #24 (row 3, column 4) was selected in Punch a Bunch for the first time since November 12, 2013 (It held $10,000) and hole #9 (row 1, column 9) was selected for the first time December 27, 2013 (it held $5,000).
The win in Now...or Then on Wednesday was the 200th time a Pricing Game was fully won this season. Last season, this milestone was reached only on January 15.
The "then" grocery products on Wednesday's playing of Now...or Then were the Glad trash bags and the Blue Star ointment. Both products did in fact appear on The Price is Right during this month. For example, on the February 12, 2003 episode (taped on January 22, 2003), both products were used in the playing of Pass the Buck.
Previous time the six Pricing Games played on Wednesday's episode were played on a perfect show:
- Any Number: February 12, 2010 (5th time since Season 30)
- Side By Side: December 31, 2013 (4th time since Season 30)
- Now....or Then: March 22, 2007 (2nd time since Season 30)
- Bargain Game: July 4, 2014 (7th time since Season 30)
- Pathfinder: Unknown
- Check Game: Unknown
Grand Game has now been played for an amount in excess of $10,000 five times in daytime history (Once for $40,000 and four times for $100,000). $102,010 has been won in these five playings, with the lone win occurring on November 14, 2014.
That's Too Much! has now been played for two cars three times in daytime history. The game has only been won once in these three playings - April 13, 2015.
So far this season, Squeeze Play is 7-0 when contestants have to remove the second digit in the wrong price, but is 0-4 when contestants have to remove one of the other numbers.
Both Showcases on Thursday's episode only offered two prizes. Last time that's happened: July 4, 2014. It was also only the second time this season (along with September 25) where neither Showcase offered a trip.

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