‘The Price Is Right’ Player Wins $7,000 on Hated Game Despite ‘Dumb’ Mistake

The Price Is Right contestant won $7,000 on a game that could have given away $20,000. However, she made a dumb mistake that cost her time and money.

Lucy made one right move as she won the third item up for bid, which was four pairs of Brook designer sunglasses. She bid $400 on the $660 glasses. The other contestant, Steven, was closer with his $750 bid but was over, so Lucy won.

She came up to the stage to play Time Is Money, which host Drew Carey said is one of his favorites. “I don’t have a favorite, but this is one of my favorites,” he said.

“Drew likes it because it’s about money. You’ve got the chance to win $20,000,” announcer George Gray said.

“In this game, time really is money,” Carey said. He then explained how the game works. A player is shown five grocery items and then has just 10 seconds to place each item on three shelves based on their prices: $0 to $2.99, $3 to $5.99, and $6 and up. If they are correct, they win $20,000.

“Speed is not my thing,” Lucy said.

Drew Carey helped her and told her to decide where she was going to put the items as Gray described the food. Lucy put the items on the amounts, but she was incorrect.

Carey told her the game was built to give contestants a second chance. “But, again, time is money,” he said. When the clock started, the money began to dwindle down in $500 increments every second. She would win the amount that was left on the board when she was correct.

The one mistake that she made was listening to the audience and asking them where she should put the items instead of just thinking about it on her own. “You’ve lost $5000 just looking at the audience,” Drew Carey noted.

When Lucy rang in again, she was wrong, and the host said, “She’s lost almost $10,000 now just looking at the audience.”

The Price Is Right contestant went back and moved one more item before ringing in again. She was correct that time, for a final total of $7,172, which Carey called “not bad at all.”

Lucy went to the Showcase Showdown, where she spun a 110 and did not advance to the Showcase.

Fans of the game show commented how contestants always make the dumb mistake of looking at the audience and wasting time.

“Don’t get me wrong, but Lucy winning $7172.00 is not bad. My opinion is when contestants play Time is Money they need TO STAY FOCUSED AT NOT LOOK AT THE AUDIENCE! WHEN THEY DO THAT THEY LOSE CONCENTRATION,” a YouTube user wrote. 

“Stop looking at the audience. That is the worst way to lose the game & win nothing. Most times the audience knows nothing,” another said. 

“They still need to retire this game. It’s hard to follow, rarely gives anything more than $10k, and is the weakest of all the grocery cash games,” a third wrote. 

Reddit users agreed that Time Is Money is one of the hardest games and that they “hate it.”

“Time is money is horrible. I hate that one,” one fan said.

“I leave the room whenever that one comes on,” replied another.

“I second this,” said one Reddit user.

“I enjoy that one. The contestant has a lot of time to think about it while all the items are being described. The mistake they make is looking at the audience for help,” one last fan said.

Fans in the past have asked producers to extend the time on the first round after one contestant was severely out of breath.