Supermarket Sweep - General Discussion

[FormerMod-a1]

This show is being rebooted!

Quote

A game show that combines an ordinary team-based quiz show with a live, timed race through a supermarket.  Will air on ABC.

 

[Maverick]

 Leslie Jones, who is a fan of the original, is executive producing and hosting it.   I was hoping it would be part of ABC's summer game shows (taking the place of the apparently cancelled Card Sharks) but I don't see any sign of it.  This was announced sometime back in the winter but I guess there wasn't time to get it produced for this summer.  

[FormerMod-a1]

I love Leslie Jones - she's one of my draws to this reboot.  I hope we hear more about it soon. 

[gsnrocks92]

On 6/13/2020 at 2:30 PM, Maverick said:

 Leslie Jones, who is a fan of the original, is executive producing and hosting it.   I was hoping it would be part of ABC's summer game shows (taking the place of the apparently cancelled Card Sharks) but I don't see any sign of it.  This was announced sometime back in the winter but I guess there wasn't time to get it produced for this summer.  

Card Sharks was renewed for another season though I wouldn’t be shocked if they just never brought it back. 
 

Anyways SS will probably be on for fall or maybe winter depending on how soon they can film. Seems it shouldn’t be too difficult to adhere to socially distant guidelines, no audience is necessarily and they can sterilize the “groceries” in between games. 

[Maverick]

 I had no idea there was a British version of this show in the 90s and that it too has recently been rebooted.   Does anybody know if there's a way to stream either series in the US?

[screengem]

There are some teaser clips to watch on their Youtube Channel.  The link follows:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCH5RX8ZFMA5-KwVnopGUfiA

[Maverick]

 There were commercials during Press Your Luck last night promoting the new Leslie Jones version as coming soon.

[Swenson]

The next time you're in the checkout aisle and you hear that beep......think of all the fun you can have on ......SUPERMARKET SWEEP!

[CrazyInAlabama]

I hope this as good as the original.   I lived a block from where they filmed a couple of episodes.   I always loved this show. 

[fuzzyreception]

The new Supermarket Sweep, debuting Oct. 18 on ABC, is upping the ante not just on the products that contestants can use to add to their total — Jones excluded...she's the host — but also the grand prize: up to $100,000. In EW's exclusive preview of the show, above, Jones sends the players (three teams of two) dashing through the supermarket in search of specific products, and, finally, on one big shopping trip. The team that racks up the biggest grocery bill at the end wins and gets to play for the big money.

The show, which was supposed to film in the spring, was able to start production in a 35,000-square-foot hangar at the Santa Monica, Calif., airport at the end of July, according to the Los Angeles Times, after pandemic-created restrictions were eased. The production team made adjustments in the set in order to distance contestants from each other, and from Jones — complying with all COVID protocols, of course, including frequent testing of players and crew — and groceries were sanitized using electrostatic sprayers (and later donated to local charities and food banks).

[Swenson]

Longtime host David Ruprecht very much wants to be part of the show.....doing the announcers play by play part for the big sweep formerly done by Johnny Gilbert among others during his run as host.  I'm all in on that.   Would love to have him.

[FormerMod-a1]

A little bit about how it was filmed and stayed virus compliant.  What amazes me is it was all filmed in 2 weeks.  Granted, I knew many shows, especially game shows, are filmed in a short time frame, but 2 weeks is mighty short.  Glad it all worked out though.  Love having Leslie Jones on my screen.

https://www.thecinemaholic.com/supermarket-sweep-filming-locations/

 

[Diana Berry]

Fun show great job Leslie

[mtlchick]

Either you love Leslie Jones or you don’t. You can’t fault her for enthusiasm though. 
 

My main thought: yelling at Team Sugar in the first game to go for the meat. Why the hell was she hanging around the spatula area? 

[Swenson]

As a long time fan.....this version just doesn't connect for me.  Nice try.

[SHD]

2 hours ago, mtlchick said:

My main thought: yelling at Team Sugar in the first game to go for the meat. Why the hell was she hanging around the spatula area? 

Wasn’t a spatula one of the three items on the special grocery list that would’ve earned a bonus?

I see they updated the old grinding coffee task in the big sweep to waiting for your inept barista to give you your drink. LOL  

[mertensia]

"Give me the damn roses, Richard!" Hee!

It's fun. And you can tell Leslie just loves this show.

[Irlandesa]

I enjoyed it.  I love how Leslie Jones is invested in all the game shows.

I wonder if they'll get closer once we're not in a pandemic.

[readster]

7 hours ago, SHD said:

Wasn’t a spatula one of the three items on the special grocery list that would’ve earned a bonus?

I see they updated the old grinding coffee task in the big sweep to waiting for your inept barista to give you your drink. LOL  

I remember when they had a guy in a costume going around keeping them out of shopping isles. There were a few episodes where the actor would just stay there and then jump between isles. It lasted like 5 episodes before apparently they told the actors they were keeping the contestants from playing the game. I do agree about the coffee grounds, there was an episode where the machine broke during the sweep and the team lost out as a result. I did crack up when she told him: "Give me the damn roses!" 

[absnow54]

9 hours ago, Swenson said:

As a long time fan.....this version just doesn't connect for me.  Nice try.

I liked Leslie Jones well enough, but the energy during the big shop was just missing. Maybe it was the absence of the play by play announcer, who helped keep the chaos organized, more so than Leslie's string of consciousness.

[HelenBaby]

I’m not a prude because I cuss like a sailor, as they say. But in the first half she said what the hell a few times and I thought maybe she shouldn’t? 
Other than that, I liked it. 

[DanaK]

This didn't connect with me either. I guess I'm not into food shopping game shows.

[saber5055]

Never saw the original so have nothing to compare this with. I thought Leslie was great, but I've always been a fan so she could do no wrong here IMO. Not sure if I "got it" when shoppers were trying to get the most value. Was waiting for the coffee or roses worth more than scooping 10 $20 hams into your basket? And why not push/stuff those inflatables into the underneath rack on the cart instead of trying to carry them while shopping.

I guess I'll have to pay more attention next time. I wasn't a huge fan but since nothing else is on ... it's a brainless distraction.

[mertensia]

There is a limit to how many of one item you can get; it was 5 on the old show. So it does take some thinking. "Can I grab $300 in groceries in the same time it takes me to get some roses?" 

[absnow54]

2 hours ago, mertensia said:

There is a limit to how many of one item you can get; it was 5 on the old show. So it does take some thinking. "Can I grab $300 in groceries in the same time it takes me to get some roses?" 

Yes, and generally the giant hams and turkeys, meant you were filling a basket and would have to run back to get another. I always joked that if I were on the show, I’d be raiding the spice and pharmacy aisles. 

[Yeah No]

I only saw the older version a few times but liked it better than this.  I think Leslie should take it down a few notches, I found her hard to take.  When the game show becomes more about the host than the game, it's distracting and annoying, IMO.  I'm a fan of Guy's Grocery Games and find that more appealing, especially because I like to watch cooking competitions.  Even though Guy is a huge personality I don't find him annoying on that show.

Also I am completely confused about the rules.  It seems like there's a lot the contestants know that isn't explained to the audience, like the relative value of some of the things they're throwing in their basket, and any limit to what they can take of one item.  Who would know that except die-hard fans of the old series? Or is this different from the old series?  I don't even know.  I think I'm going to pass on this one. 

[Taeolas]

Game shows often have a whole slew of additional rules that aren't explained to the audience at large, so this show probably has some too. (Like limits on how much of something you can grab or how far you can go from the cart and so forth). Many of the rules are for safety reasons and/or to keep things saner for the camera people filming it. Other rules are for game balance and fairness. Usually after watching for a few episodes you start to get a feel for these additional rules, 

[Swenson]

It actually plays out more like a SNL skit based on Supermarket Sweep rather than the emphasis being on the actual game   We don't need inept employees or flirtatious cashier's.

[saber5055]

1 hour ago, Taeolas said:

Game shows often have a whole slew of additional rules that aren't explained to the audience at large, so this show probably has some too. (Like limits on how much of something you can grab or how far you can go from the cart and so forth). Usually after watching for a few episodes you start to get a feel for these additional rules, 

It would make sense if, before a team is sent to "shop," Leslie said, "Remember, no more than five of the same item, and you can't leave the cart" so viewers know what's going on and why shoppers don't just stick their arm in a shelf and "sweep" everything into their cart.

As for the catching on after watching a few episodes, if viewers don't know there even ARE rules, good luck with anyone watching more than one or two episodes. Viewers shouldn't have to come online to learn how a tv game show is played. I can't see continuing to watch when I don't know what I'm watching.

Yeah, it was kinda like an SNL skit. Maybe exactly like an SNL skit.

[Taeolas]

Time is Money for a TV show. The host needs to give enough rules on air for viewers to understand what is going on, without eating up TOO much time to show the rest of the action (and for Supermarket Sweep, to show all those products on the shelves). 

The first time you see the show and see them only snag 3 out of all the ham hocks, or see them being somewhat careful to be grabbing everything they put in their cart, you might think they are being stupid in not grabbing it all and/or sweeping the shelf. 

But by the second, third, fourth time of all the teams acting that way, viewers would realizes (most of the time) that there must be extra rules keeping those 'obvious' tactics in check. It was just the first episode, maybe they'll expand on the viewer briefing rules in future eps, or just leave them as un-viewered rules.

 

Guy's Grocery Games clearly has some rules for their games that viewers aren't told. I'm pretty sure most of the games, even the ones without weight/price/aisle limits, have a "Use what you take" rule that is never really explicit. (Or at least I've never really noticed chef's grabbing things they don't use; but I could be wrong). 

Amazing Race fans know there are a whole slew of rules we don't see, including how separated contestants can be, rules on interacting with locals and taxi drivers, when they can and can't ditch their gear, etc.... 

Ninja Warrior, it is clear each obstacle has rules for what can be done and not done on them, like how some areas can or can't be used to beat the obstacle which we are rarely explicitly told about as viewers. Like the balance obstacle most courses have; apparently you are NOT allowed to let your arms/hands touch the obstacle when you run across some of them. (Something that applied in last week's course, The Host, Matt mentioned it in passing but I'd never really realized it before)

[Yeah No]

1 hour ago, Taeolas said:

Game shows often have a whole slew of additional rules that aren't explained to the audience at large, so this show probably has some too. (Like limits on how much of something you can grab or how far you can go from the cart and so forth). Many of the rules are for safety reasons and/or to keep things saner for the camera people filming it. Other rules are for game balance and fairness. Usually after watching for a few episodes you start to get a feel for these additional rules, 

Well, I've been watching game shows since 1962 and I've never been so lost....not even close.

1 minute ago, Taeolas said:

Guy's Grocery Games clearly has some rules for their games that viewers aren't told. I'm pretty sure most of the games, even the ones without weight/price/aisle limits, have a "Use what you take" rule that is never really explicit. (Or at least I've never really noticed chef's grabbing things they don't use; but I could be wrong). 

Guy has different rules for different games, but he always nutshells them before he does the "3, 2,1, GO".  If they are allowed only one shopping trip he says so.  I have seen chefs take things they don't use, never heard about any penalty for doing that.  If there was one he would say so.  His games are pretty simple and straightforward.  No hidden rule book necessary.

[CrazyInAlabama]

On the original, years ago, people would run to the meat section, and fill their cart with big roasts.    They definitely had rules for the contestants very quickly about limits on specific items.     

Edited October 21, 2020 by CrazyInAlabama

[Swenson]

Having Leslie Jones be a absolute junkie for this show is what made this  happen.  And she's worked her butt off.....I appreciate all that.  All the reason why you stick with what worked.   I liked the brand logo recognition game....I like that they start at two minutes.  I didn't care for extending the bonus game....just have them do the three items in 60 seconds for like $20,000. Leslie's style will take getting used to if you're used to David, but that's just Leslie.  Give her a chance.  Still.....drop the inept employee angle.....the contestants can screw it all up WITHOUT extra help.

[Yeah No]

46 minutes ago, Taeolas said:

Time is Money for a TV show. The host needs to give enough rules on air for viewers to understand what is going on, without eating up TOO much time to show the rest of the action (and for Supermarket Sweep, to show all those products on the shelves). 

OK, I just watched a 1994 episode and realized why I never felt lost watching the older version - they had a separate announcer we don't see on screen (maybe a voiceover) explaining why they were taking what they took as they shopped, and how much they were going to earn from it.  Leslie did try to do this at times, but didn't really explain enough.  It's not really a job one person could do successfully, though, so that's why the older version had the additional announcer.  It was a good idea, and it didn't eat up any additional show time either.

[saber5055]

46 minutes ago, Yeah No said:

OK, I just watched a 1994 episode and realized why I never felt lost watching the older version - they had a separate announcer we don't see on screen (maybe a voiceover) explaining why they were taking what they took as they shopped, and how much they were going to earn from it.  Leslie did try to do this at times, but didn't really explain enough.  It's not really a job one person could do successfully, though, so that's why the older version had the additional announcer.  It was a good idea, and it didn't eat up any additional show time either.

Exactly this. Leslie could be doing informative VOs instead of just saying "That's right girl, go for the expensive honey." She could have said, "Girl better not take more than five of that honey." I watch ANW and the hosts talk about "Don't let your foot touch the water!" and other comments so viewers know how obstacles are scored.

Leslie jabbers constantly while contestants are shopping, and that's fine. BUT! She could be filling viewers in on what exactly shopprs are suppose to be doing/taking/not taking.

I thought the slow barrista and flower person were stupid. One team can be favored over another during those stalls.

This version is just a ... well, mess. Maybe Leslie, who I assume is running the show, thinks everyone is a big fan of the original. She forgets many viewers never saw it or even have never heard of it.

Or maybe she doesn't care.

[springbarb]

I really enjoyed it, but I agree that it would be better served with having someone else do the voiceover during the actual sweep. I've been watching a LOT of the classic version (Buzzr has a mini marathon of it every Sunday night), and Johnny Gilbert would often make comments about the rules throughout ("Oh no, don't drop that item! That'll be a penalty!" "Four--five! She has the five allowed hams!"). I was confused a few times because you could see that the contestants took multiples of some things (diapers, big boxes of candy), but it looked like there were some items that they only took one of (the fancy cheese, for example). The things with the roses/coffee were more self-explanatory.

I hope that everyone will be just a touch calmer in future episodes; that first group, particularly, were all a LOT--as was Leslie. Maybe it's to make up for what I assume was a lack of a studio audience?

I did love that the first mini-sweep was whoever got there first, and I liked the extended sweep at the end, too.

[Irlandesa]

I thought it was fun as it was but if it comes back for more episodes, I do think some of these ideas would be good to incorporate.

[MicheleinPhilly]

Having an infographic on the screen laying out the extra items they can get and how much they are worth would help. I can't be the only person that was yelling at the woman on Team Collard Greens because I thought she was just stopping to get a coffee. At first I thought she was going for a bag of a really expensive blend and when the barista handed her a single cup, I yelled, "What are doing???? You don't have time to drink coffee!!!" 🙄

[springbarb]

I assume the coffee was an update from the original--there, they had to grind a thing of beans, and it was worth $200 (I think). Just like you could get money for 1 pound of candy, or a certain mix of breads from the International Bread section, or three particular magazines, etc. Though they obviously shouldn't assume that viewers have the odd knowledge of the original that I have.

The announcer during the sweep would usually give dollar amounts for the stuff people were grabbing; I assume that those voiceovers were recorded after the show was taped exactly so we could get more information.

[Swenson]

Supermarket Sweep's debut episode pulled a 1.0 rating with 4.8 million viewers against the heavyweight competition of both the NLCS Game 7 and Sunday Night Football.   Pretty good.

[Swenson]

There's still one thing I wonder about regarding the rules.  If in the bonus sweep....the money is found without having solved the riddles....do they win?  Because on David's version....he never actually said they had to solve the clues first....just that you had to have the money in your hands before the Bell.   Because if it were me out there.... I'd claim the money and say I won.

[saber5055]

17 hours ago, Swenson said:

Supermarket Sweep's debut episode pulled a 1.0 rating with 4.8 million viewers against the heavyweight competition of both the NLCS Game 7 and Sunday Night Football.   Pretty good.

I'd watch an  hour of static before I'd watch any football game. At least this show is a bit better than static.

[Swenson]

39 minutes ago, saber5055 said:

I'd watch an  hour of static before I'd watch any football game. At least this show is a bit better than static.

I don't imagine football does too well among female viewers.

[saber5055]

3 minutes ago, Swenson said:

I don't imagine football does too well among female viewers.

I'd watch baseball all day long if the Cubs were playing. Am I male or female?

[Irlandesa]

42 minutes ago, Swenson said:

I don't imagine football does too well among female viewers.

Just under half of the NFL viewership are women.

[springbarb]

11 hours ago, Swenson said:

There's still one thing I wonder about regarding the rules.  If in the bonus sweep....the money is found without having solved the riddles....do they win?  Because on David's version....he never actually said they had to solve the clues first....just that you had to have the money in your hands before the Bell.   Because if it were me out there.... I'd claim the money and say I won.

I'm assuming that they don't have to say the answer to the clue--but I could be biased because that's how it worked in the original version. Just having the money in hand is enough. But I could be wrong, and I don't remember that first episode clearly enough.

[HelenBaby]

I think that the team can go after the clue is read in the bonus round, but they don’t necessarily have to say the answer out loud before they search. 

[Kromm]

I see the division in opinions above, but I love it. Leslie is having fun, so we're having fun.  It's as simple as that. 

[Kromm]

Is it only in the Guy Fieri take on this concept that they have to actually get the cart back to the cashier before time runs out? 

[Maverick]

 Guy's Grocery Games isn't a take on the original Supermarket Sweep.  Other than being set in a grocery store, they don't really have anything in common.  The finale of GGG is a bit like the finale of SS (moreso since they changed the concept of the final run on GGG in recent years) , but at the end of the day GGG is a cooking show.

  I agree that there's something missing from this version.   I like Leslie's enthusiasm and that she's a fan of the original.   It definitely adds to the energy of a show (contrast with Joel McHale on Card Sharks who's clearly just there for the paycheck).  Still, she could take it down a notch.   It's a gameshow, not a bit on SNL Weekend Update.   I don't like the Security Guard, Cashier, Barista or Flower Guy.   They're not a huge problem, but they're a distraction at best.   

 The main problem seems to be in the gameplay.   There are so. many. bonuses.  I know that original kept adding more and more bonuses opportunities but I think it was detrimental there too.   They spent almost all their time on them gathering their bonuses and none on getting the groceries.  I also don't like the change that the can drag their inflatable around with them.   In the old version, you had to pick it up and immediately take it back to the register.   The other problem, as, mentioned above, is the commentary on the player's shopping.   You need a play-by-play of what they're getting and why, not Leslie riffing on them.    I feel like this is where her enthusiasm works against the show the most.   They need an announcer to do this part,  

 For some reason, the show seemed to have a lot of filler.   The contestant interviews seemed to go on forever and there just felt like a lot of fluff.   I thought they were drawings things because they were going to have an extended bonus round like on Press Your Luck, but when it ended up just being two half an hour episodes I couldn't figure out why it seemed to drag compared to the old show which had the same run time.   They same to followed the same formula of gameplay.