But having a crew member delay the contestant’s progress is considerably different than giving someone a task that takes time. The classic version had time-consuming ways to make offered teams a premium in exchange for time: standing and grinding fresh coffee, for example. This set-up leads to a moment of humor that provided the premiere’s title (“Give Me The Roses, Richard!”), but it’s another example of blunting the momentum of a Sweep. But his instruction seems to have been to do that very slowly, to cost the team some time in exchange for that $300 item. There’s a florist, “Richard,” who fetches $300 worth of roses for the teams during the Big Sweep. Maybe if the winning team was just given two minutes to gather all five items, and the clock kept running while they decided whether or not to go for the next item or not, it’d work better, but this structure just deflates the ending like one of those inflatable bonuses being stabbed by the thorns on a rose from the floral section. The original had bells and whistles when a team found the final item ABC’s version has literal silence as they decide what to do next. It’s like being on a roller coaster that accelerates from zero to 60 in a few seconds, and then comes to a complete stop, only to accelerate again a few seconds later. I appreciate the desire to make the round even more exciting or challenging, but this isn’t a complication, it’s a momentum-killer. They have the option of cashing out or risking everything to go for $100,000, with another 15 seconds added to their time. If they risk their money and find the next product, they’ve won $50,000.īut wait: there’s still more. This is never really explained, it just happens. They also get 20 seconds added to their remaining clock time. The teams have the option of cashing out, or to go for $50,000. Find three, and they win $25,000.īut wait: ABC’s Supermarket Sweep has decided that is not enough. There, a clue leads them to a product, which has a clue for another product. The winning team goes on to the Super Sweep. Meanwhile, another contestant meanders through the aisles and stares at products without putting anything into her basket. “These bitches is heavy,” Jaleah says as she struggles to heave frozen turkeys into her cart, which she then has to maneuver to the front of the store. The majority of Supermarket Sweep’s entertainment comes from watching contestants’ strategy run up against the layout of the store and the clock’s limited time. That’s the part where everyone runs around the store and throws expensive items (no more than five of each!) into their carts. Prices also seem to have gone up, though I really want to see the receipts: even with bonuses and $300 in roses, one team gets $2,909 worth of groceries.Ĭontestants’ correct answers to questions, which are usually about brand, earn time for the Big Sweep. The format remains relatively similar to the 1990s version, while the production design has been modernized, from the sweatshirts to Salt ‘N’ Pepa’s “Push It” replacing the original theme song.
Like Match Game, an hour of Supermarket Sweep is two separate episodes, a smart choice rather than trying to stretch it into one episode. Supermarket Sweep contestant Jaleah Wilder with an inflatable bonus prize in her cart (Image via ABC) The Super Sweep and other changes Supermarket Sweep made That actually took place in a different time, where as ABC’s version tries to ignore what’s taking place. Having a zany game show set in a grocery store at this moment in history makes it less of an escape than watching reruns of the 1990s version on Netflix. It’s nowhere near as lifeless as NBC’s The Weakest Link, but it’s made some odd choices that blunt its effectiveness as a freewheeling trip through the aisles of a pretend grocery store. And for Leslie Jones’ sake, I want this show to succeed to, because how much she loves this show is palpable.Īlas, it’s not hitting the nostalgia button in quite the same way as its predecessors. You can see how badly she wants them to succeed. “Get it together, girl!”Īs a pair of contestants run through the aisles in their matching but now couture sweatshirts, she watches from a booth, grimacing and gripping the mic in front of her as the seconds tick away. In one round of game play, when all three contestants get the right answer, she yells, “10, 10, 10 across the board!” She screams “yes, Momma!” at one contestant and asks, “What is she doing?” while another contestant just stares at products.
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