Bargain Hunters

The short-lived daytime game show that combined The Price is Right with home shopping.

Broadcast
ABC July 6, 1987- September 4, 1987

Packagers
Merrill Heatter Productions/Josephson Communications Inc. (JCI)

Host
Peter Tomarken

Announcer
Dean Goss

Premise
Six contestants played three games (two for each contestant) all focusing bargain prices of everyday items. The winners of each of the game played one final game called Super Savers (referred to by Peter as the Main Event).

Bargain Quiz
Host Tomarken asked "Yes or No" questions about several items with a price attached to each. The contestants' job was to buzz-in and guess if the price attached to the item is or is not a bargain. Here's a sample question: Would a 10-speed bicycle with a price of $221 be a bargain? A correct answer scored a point, but an incorrect answer gave the opponent a point (points were indicated by diamonds lit up on their podiums). The first player to score three points won a bonus prize package.

Bargain Trap
The two contestants for this game were shown up to five prizes with prices for each. Four of them were bargains (prices under the retail price), one was not, for it had a price above the actual prize, that prize was the trap. Players alternated turns picking prizes he/she thought were bargains. Picking a bargain won the prize selected by the contestant in control, but hitting the trap lost the game giving the opponent the win. Hitting the trap on the first pick, gave the opponent the Bargain Trap prize and the game. If neither contestant picked the trap after all four picks (two for each contestant), then a tiebreaker was played to determine who won the game. In the tiebreaker, players wrote down how much they thought was added to the actual retail price. The closest guess won. The winner of the game got to keep all the prizes he/she selected.

Bargain Busters
Three prizes with closeout prices selected from stores across the nation were shown one at a time to the contestants. Host Peter would announce the store’s name and location before each item. On each item, the players were given three possible prices, then they locked in their answers and a correct answer from any of the players scored a point. The player with the most points won the game. If there was a tie after the third prize, one last prize was brought out. No choices were given, the players simply wrote down their answers and the closest guess won. The winner of the game won all the prizes shown in the game.

Super Savers (The Main Event)
The day's winners of the three main games were shown seven prizes with bargain prices. Each contestant during the final commercial break selected three prizes each (the ones they thought would save them more money than anything else). The difference of the prizes chosen by each player were then added together, and the player who has saved the most money won the game, all the prizes chosen plus a grand prize.

Home Shopping
After each of the first three games, a trumpet fanfare sounded signifying a "Bargain Shopper" segment. Home viewers were offered an item (usually the one(s) shown from the game just played) at a bargain price, and could call a number to order it. The three items were shown again at the end of the show.

Links
Screengrabs of Bargain Hunters

YouTube Videos
These are videos of a full episode of Bargain Hunters.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3