Clock Game

1972 - Present

Third time was a charm in the case of the Clock Game. This game represented the third attempt to use the Bullseye I format of narrowing in on the price of a prize. In Clock Game, a contestant has thirty seconds to guess the values of two prizes. After each bid, Bob tells the contestant to go higher or lower, hopefully narrowing in on the price exactly. After the first prize has been guessed, the contestant uses the remaining time to guess the price of the second prize. Even to this date, the game uses only three-digit prizes, although failed attempts to use four-digit prizes have been tried. At first, contestants would have to spit out all four digits in their bids when Clock Game was played for four-digit prizes. Later, Bob told the contestant the first digit of the prize, and asked the contestant to guess the last three (i.e., if the prize were $3593, the contestant would have to guess $593 to win the prize.) Stupid contestants were tripped up by this format quite often and four-digit prizes are no longer used in the game. However, to compensate for the relative cheapness of the prizes, a $1,000 cash bonus is now given to contestants who can guess both prizes under 30 seconds. On the nighttime specials in 1986, a contestant who guessed both prizes under 30 seconds won the right to choose one of four envelopes that contained a cash bonus ranging from $1,000 to $5,000.  On the $1,000,000 Spectacular Specials in 2003, Clock Game was played with a $5,000 bonus offered for guess both prizes within 30 seconds.

Clock Game has provided some of the most hilarious bloopers in TPiR history with contestants who simply can not figure out how to play the game. Clock Game still remains one of the only games in which skill can guarantee you a win no matter how clueless you are about the prices.

Set Changes: This game has remained relatively untouched since its inception. The "Clock Game" name was added around 1974 or 1975. The blue area in the upper left allows for chroma key shots of the contestant's face as s/he bids (see below). The short-lived Doug Davidson version used an electronic clock.  In 2003, the entire board endured a color flip to make it blend in with the new turntable background.

There's good 'ol Clock Game. Note that the name hasn't been added yet.	That clock hasn't changed in over 25 years!

She's looking pretty pensive...time is ticking! She wound up hitting this right as the clock struck zero!	Here's the Clock Game board we all know and love.

This guy looks like he's having fun no matter what the outcome of the game!	What a disaster! Clock Game for a car? That's too many numbers to spit out with a clock ticking against you!

It's the nighttime specials in 1986 and that means this Clock Game winner wins a bonus cash prize!	And today it's $2000! The maximum was $5000.

This sailor netted a $1,000 bonus for guessing both prizes under 30 seconds in 1998.	This contestant did the same in 1999, but they'd streamlined the graphic by then.
From the $1,000,000 Spectacular Special in 2003.  This girl guessed the second price ON THE NOSE on her first guess!	Oh dear.