‘The Price Is Right’ Fans Slam Contestant’s ‘Maddening’ $1 Bidding Strategy
The Price Is Right tactic of bidding $1 more than a rival contestant on the show has long been a viable strategy, but on Monday’s (July 1) episode, one player might have taken it too far.
The contestant in question was Danielle Wagner, who was the first person of the night to be called down to the stage. After failing to win anything in the first two rounds of Contestant’s Row, Wagner changed up her strategy by using the $1 bid method.
For those unfamiliar, this tactic involves a contestant bidding one dollar higher than the previous contestant’s bid to try and secure a win without going over the actual retail price. It can be a risky strategy but one that can often pay off if other contestants have overestimated their bids.
On three separate occasions, Wagner bid just $1 more than the previous bidder, going $551 over $550, $527 over $526, and $2,001 over $2,000. Eventually, it paid off for her, as she came closest and bagged herself trips to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and Auckland, New Zealand.
She also got a chance to make it up to the main stage to play Showcases, where she earned herself even more prizes, including a collection of Ralph Lauren clothes, a trip to Paris, France, and two Kawasaki Vulcan S motorcycles.
However, many fans weren’t happy about the way Wagner won and took to social media to share their thoughts.
“I understand it’s a game and it is ~strategy~ but to bid $1 over the same person multiple times seems kind of shiesty to me,” wrote one viewer on the Price is Right Reddit forum. “Then to win it all this way? I guess all is fair in love and war. It’s a ruthless world out there, Drew.”
“We’re talking about the woman in the pink shirt, right?” replied another commenter. “She won her showcase. I was hoping the mountain climber guy would win. She seemed very obnoxious. Whatever, I guess, she got a total of 3 trips, and she will be interacting with lots of people. It will not go well for her.”
Another added, “I’ve always felt that the first time is fair game. It’s a tried and true strategy. If you keep doing it to the same person, it’s s****y. You should at least give them a $25-$50 cushion after the first time.”
“For me it was her attitude and somewhat odd behaviour,” said another. “Her scrunched up smile and little happy dance felt arrogant in some way…. Maybe because people usually show some sort of remorse or grace for $1-ing when they win, and she was just like yay me! I did it! whilst the other person literally provided her with her bid.”
“Absolutely maddening,” wrote one fan. “I wanted her to lose so badly. I was really rooting for the kid. But, I knew the he was either dead on or over. If only he bid $500 less! Sad day.”
Another stated, “I don’t care if it’s an unpopular opinion. I despise people who bid $1 more than someone else. If I somehow became the executive producer, it’s the first thing I’d change. I’d set all bids to be in $10 increments.”
“It’s not right!!! It sickens me to see that,” wrote another. “And the original bidder claps for him/her..if that was me I would tell the clown to watch themselves when they leave..lol lol. !!!”
However, others defended Wagner and the one-dollar bid strategy, with one fan writing, “I’m all for it. And if you want to get up on stage, you do what you have to do.”
Another added, “Getting bid $1 over is the WORST feeling imaginable. It’s how the game works though.”
“You don’t win anything unless you get on the stage. I was against it when I was younger, but today, this is the way,” said another.
“It is just smart strategy and no one should take offense to it. Bidding $20 or $50 over instead of $1 is just silly and a poor strategy and could cause them to lose when they would have won otherwise,” stated one user.
What do you think of the one-dollar bid strategy? Did Wagner deserve to win all those prizes? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
The Price Is Right, Weekdays, 11a/10c, CBS
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