Weekend

May 1-2


This week in ShortShots:

Friday
Thursday
Wednesday
Tuesday
Monday

All times eastern

Reruns:
I've Got a Secret
Jeopardy!
Lingo
Pyramid
Russian Roulette
Wheel of Fortune

Some game logo captures appear courtesy of Mike Klauss, Jay Lewis, and David Livingston.


Host: Bob Barker
8p Saturday: CBS

It's the young people's voting edition of the million dollar spectacular! I have no clue what that means, except as an excuse to show signs like 'Bob - 4 More Years' 'A Car in Every Garage' 'Beware of El Cheapo' and 'Say no To Double Overbids'. Annie Lee, Rafael Flores, Noah Silverman and Jillian Bitt really don't care, because they are bidding on a new 'Lord of the Rings' Pinball Machine. The machine, a whopping $4,495, goes to Jillian - and so could A NEW CORVETTE! She gets the second number right - but she loses $6 on the next two numbers and the needs to get the last number perfect. She doesn't, and loses out on the $54,367 car.

Jillian's loss could be Brittney Logan's gain, as she is the first person to bid on a pair of gold watches. Annie wins the $4,045 watches - and she can buy some batteries for them with $16,000 in cash! Annie uses Alavert, Citracal, Campbell's Soup, Chips Ahoy Cookies, Polident and plant food - and she says that the cookies are 55 cents, $1.19 is the soup, The Alavert is $12.99, The Citracal is $10,89 and the Polident is $5.59. She gets the first 2 right - and then she quits at $2,000. It's a good thing, because she mixes up the Citracal and the Alavert in the wrong spots (the Polident in the last spot was right).

Jenna McGuire feels that she is in the right spot - Contestant's Row, as she starts off the bidding on a home gym. The right price on it is $2,500 - which is exactly what Jenna bids! As a result (since it's primetime), she wins $1,000 - and she can use the money to gas up A NEW JEEP!!!! Jenna plays Pathfinder - and she gets the first two numbers right off the bat en route to winning the $22,895 car! She also gets into the Showcase - but doesn't win the $1,000, so we have no bonus million dollar spin...yet...

Will Alaa Isa get the Million Dollar spin? He could be if he wins an air hockey table, but Rafael wins the $2,495 table. He'll be playing the Range Game for a plasma TV and Entertainment Center - and he nails it for the $11,696 win!

Nicholas Siebert is the next person to come on down - and some water sports equipment is the next prize to be offered. Alaa wins the $3,330 equipment - and he can store it in the back of A NEW TRUCK!!! He doesn't have to win the truck, though, he can quit and take a grandfather clock worth $3,330, a gas barbecue worth $4,414, a music system worth $1,199 and a diamond pendant worth $5,550 as he plays Temptation. Alaa is apparently playing a different game than the rest of us, as he is thrilled that he lit up the numbers - unaware that he's not necessarily right. He comes back to reality and goes on with his guess of $23,490 - but reality comes crashing down as the car is $23,415 and he wins nothing.

We need one more player - and that would be Allison Tobika. She goes after a game table with chairs - and she watches Britney win the $3,500 prize. She can win a new drumset ($5,879) and an all-terrain vehicle ($4,292) - if she knows whether the prices should be switched. She switches the prices - and she's right. She's also right on the wheel with a score of 85 cents.

This makes the Showcase even more important, since the winner will also get a spin on the Million Dollar wheel. The key to spinning the wheel could be with a new computer, a trip to Washington DC., and a CADILLAC SUV, all things helping you to go vote. That is the first Showcase, and Jenna, the top winner, keeps it, bidding $55,000. Britney gets a sauna, a swimming pool, and a cabin cruiser - and she bids $64,000 on it.

Who wins? Britney's showcase is worth $88,719 - off by $24,719. Jenna's Showcase is...$65,497, off by $10,497. She also gets to spin for a million dollars, and she is....not even close. Still she is the big winner of the day as she takes home $91,971 worth of income tax claims.

-Gordon Pepper