1984 - 1985 (Retired)
Balance Game was a short-lived oddity that never really got off the ground. The contestant was given 5 "Barker silver dollars" to begin the game. The contestant was then shown five two-digit small items. A bucket in front of each item contained Barker silver dollars in the amount of the price of the item (e.g., a $50 prize had 50 Barker silver dollars). The contestant would pick one of the small items and the Barker dollars representing that item would be placed on one side of the scale. The contestant would then pick another item and place that item's Barker dollars on the other side of the scale. If the scale balanced (i.e., if the prizes were equal in price), the contestant won a bonus prize. If they were not equal, but they were within $5 dollars of each other, s/he could use the "free" 5 Barker dollars s/he had received at the beginning of the game to balance the scale and win the bonus prize. If two items were not within $5 of each other, the contestant picked another small item and placed it on one of the sides to attempt the balance the scale. The contestant could use his/her 5 free Barker dollars at any point if it would cause a win. The game continued until the contestant balanced the scale (and won) or used up all five prizes without balancing (and lost).
Balance Game was a pitiful disaster that nonetheless was tried for about six months or so. Contestants had no idea how to play it and the wins were very anticlimactic, especially if the contestants had to use the free Barker dollars. Bob basically wound up telling contestants what to do (as much as he could without giving the answers away) in order to speed the game along.
The one silver lining in the cloud of Balance Game was the actual Barker dollars themselves, which were literally coins with Bob's face that had been especially minted for the game. Contestants who didn't need to use any or all of their "free" Barker dollars could keep them as souvenirs. In fact, two sets of Barker dollars were recently given away on Ebay earlier this year.
Surprisingly, this game actually was given new life 21 years after its retirement. A new game called Balance Game was introduced in 2006 with slightly simliar play.
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| It's everyone's favorite anomaly, Balance Game! | Here are the five prizes our contestant can use in his balancing... |
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| There's a genuine Barker silver dollar! | I have to agree with the WinTV guy here... |
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| The first prize tipped the scale $45 to the right... | He added the second price to the left, and it was worth $66. The scale is now tipped $21 to the left. |
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| He added a $25 prize to the right, making the total on the right $70. The total on the left is still $66, so we have a $4 tilt to the right. | He adds four of his five "free" Barker silver dollars to the left, and the scale is balanced at $70. In other words, he wins. |
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| Bob is pointing upwards to Pricing Game Heaven, which is where Balance Game is headed. Check out the neat "WIN" sign on the scale, though! |