Things can get expensive during the holiday gift-giving season, but The Price Is Right typically doesn’t worry about cutting costs.
However, host Drew Carey recently remarked that a few contestants may have helped “save money.”
The show recently aired holiday-themed episodes, and the set featured festive decorations, including Christmas trees, wrapped presents, and more.
Audience members wore holiday outfits, including some dressed in ugly holiday sweaters or as Santa, Mrs. Claus, and their helpers.
Drew didn’t don a fancy costume for the December 23 show, opting for a sharp dark suit as he helped contestants try to win some great prizes.
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Among them was a couple dressed as Santa’s helpers. They wore matching green and brown outfits and hats with noticeable elf ears.
Despite early bad luck in a game, they had a memorable moment, which The Price Is Right cast and viewers enjoyed witnessing.
Drew quips that contestants ‘saved money’ for TPIR
A pair of contestants, Kathleen and Stephen, got on stage to play Plinko. Up for grabs was $50,000 in cash. Drew handed them one Plinko chip worth up to $10,000 if it landed in the right spot on the board.
They could earn four more chips by determining which of the two numbers was accurate in each of the smaller prizes shown.
The first was a gravy boat with a warming tray; the price started with a two or ended with a zero. The couple chose two, but they and Drew were shocked to learn it was $80.
“What? 80 dollars?!” The Price Is Right host exclaimed, joking, “I’m just gonna squeeze my gravy out of the bottle, thanks.”
Next up was a set of candle sticks with a fake price of $14, meaning it either started with one or ended with four. They chose the four, but unfortunately, the candlesticks were $18.
They achieved their first win on cookie cutters, shown at a fake price of $50. After checking with the audience, the couple chose the zero.
“Finally!” Drew said before telling George Gray, “Next one, please.”
Unfortunately, that was also a wrong guess, leaving the couple with just two Plinko chips.
Despite their bad luck guessing the prices, their first chip drop on the Plink board was a big winner, earning them $10,000. After some celebration, Drew had them drop their second chip.
After bouncing around and down the board, it also landed in the $10,000 spot, giving the couple a $20,000 win off just two chips.
“$20,000, oh my goodness!” Wow! Wow! Wow!” Drew said as he high-fived model Amber Lancaster, and the couple celebrated.
The couple joined Drew and Amber back on stage after their surprising win on Plinko.
“Who needs a gravy boat?” Drew asked twice.
“I think we just saved $30,000,” the host said as he looked at the camera before a commercial break.
TPIR fans either love or hate Plinko
Fans had mixed reactions to the Plinko game from this holiday episode. One individual called out Drew for his remarks about one of the prize’s prices.
The commenter said they wondered “how the gravy boat manufacturers feel about Drew’s ‘WHAT?’ ‘I’ll just squeeze my gravy out of the bottle’” remarks.
“This is why I can’t stand this game,” a commenter added, “These two airheads got $20,000 from 2 chips but people with 5 chips get like $1,500.”
Another commenter wrote, “What a comeback only two chips and they scored $20,000 awesome win!”
A fan called Plinko “the best game on the whole show” and blasted the game Lucky 7, where contestants try to win a car.
“Not too many people have won that stinkin’ game,” they commented.
Plinko debuted on the longtime game show in 1983, and many fans consider it one of the all-time classic games on The Price Is Right.
For the primetime version of Plinko, that $10,000 spot is worth $20,000, and contestants have a chance to win up to $100,000.
However, it’s challenging to achieve that, as most viewers indicate they haven’t seen a perfect game happen.