Bargain Hunters

Format

Six contestants compete in three different games, two per game, where they determine whether an item's value is a bargain. The first round, Bargain Quiz, asks trivia questions about item values; the first to three points wins a prize. In Bargain Trap, five prizes are shown, four marked below retail and one overpriced trap; contestants pick prizes to avoid the trap, and if all four bargains are chosen, they guess the trap's overprice.

The third round, Bargain Busters, shows a prize with three price options; contestants lock in guesses, scoring a point for the correct price over three prizes, with a tiebreaker if needed. Winners of each round advance to the Super Savers Round. Between rounds, merchandise is offered at reduced prices to home viewers via a toll-free number.

Development

Merrill Heatter created Bargain Hunters for Merrill Heatter Productions. Episodes were recorded at Hollywood Center Studios in Los Angeles. Peter Tomarken hosted, Dean Goss announced, Jerome Shaw directed, and Score Productions composed the music. The show aired from July 6, 1987 to September 4, 1987 on ABC.

Tomarken recalled that test audiences liked his hosting but disliked the format. The show was the lowest-rated daytime program on network television and was canceled in September 1987, replaced by Home. Columnist Gary Deeb attributed its failure to waning interest in the home shopping fad.

Reception

Mark Schwed of United Press International criticized the show harshly, calling its merchandise junk and its format a bad imitation of other game shows. Rick Bentley of The Town Talk described it as a thinly veiled 30-minute commercial derivative of The Price Is Right. Lynn Hoogenboom noted similarities to The Price Is Right but saw potential in the bargain focus. Joyce Millman of the San Francisco Examiner called the format combination crafty.

Did You Know?

• The show's host Peter Tomarken was also known for hosting Hit Man and Press Your Luck.
• Test audiences reacted positively to Tomarken's hosting but negatively to the show's format, according to Tomarken himself.
• Unlike other game shows at the time, Bargain Hunters did not require potential contestants to take a test or play a practice game first.