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Super Ball!! was a pricing game based on the arcade game skee ball. It was played for three large prizes, each worth more than $1,000 and a cash prize of up to $3,000; this game also used small prizes.

Gameplay

  • The contestant was shown three large prizes, each behind one of The Big Doors. The contestant was also shown three small prizes on the turntable, one at a time; each prize had a ball with it that was associated with one of the large prizes. Each small prize also displayed two prices; the contestant had to choose the correct price for the prize. If they were correct, they won the small prize and the ball. Otherwise, they lost the prize and the ball.
  • After all three prizes were played, assuming the contestant had won at least one ball, they were taken to a standard arcade skee ball lane. The center ring, marked "win," was surrounded by a "$100" ring and a "$50" outer area. $50 was the minimum a contestant could win for each ball earned.
  • After a practice roll, The contestant rolled each ball they had won on the lane. If they rolled the "win" ring, they won the large prize associated with the ball; otherwise, they won the amount of money associated with the cash ring they rolled into.
  • Once all of the earned balls were rolled, the contestant attempted to win the "Super Ball" by choosing between two prices for one more small prize. If the contestant won the Super Ball, they would roll it on the lane, with a "win" earning them all three large prizes. If the contestant had already won all three prizes with the standard balls, a Super Ball "win" would earn them a $3,000 cash bonus. If the Super Ball landed in either cash ring, the contestant earned triple the value of that ring, making them worth $300 and $150, respectively.
  • Super Ball!! is one of only three pricing games, along with Hole in One (or Two) and On the Nose, in which a task of physical skill is required to win. Other games, such as Race Game and Bonkers, give the contestant more chances to win if they perform better physically, but they can still be won without the physical skill.

History

  • The $3,000 cash bonus came into play only twice, on September 23, 1992 (#8503D) and June 1, 1995 (#9614D), and was won only once, on September 23, 1992 (#8503D) (see below); the latter playing on June 1, 1995 (#9614D), the contestant guessed the small prize of the Super Ball incorrectly and did not win the Super Ball.
  • In the beginning, only one small prize was shown on the turntable at a time. By May 20, 1987 (#6513D), all of the first three small prizes appeared at once on the turntable.
  • On the episode that aired on November 14, 1991 (#8184D), a contestant named Mohini Khaled could not grasp the concept of skee ball; rather than rolling the balls, she tried to throw them into the rings, causing them to bounce off and roll back down the lane. Bob joked said that someone would get hurt the way she played. Bob did indeed get hurt, when he later went to retrieve a ball that had stopped halfway down the lane and he hit his shin on a wire that was part of the prop. In the end, Mohini ended up with $250 in cash, but no prize. The game normally takes 5-6 minutes (including the announcer describing the prizes), but this particular playing took over eight minutes, making it one of the longest pricing game playings in the show's history, which may have led to the game's retirement after its last playing on January 12, 1998 (#0601K).
  • Mohini wasn't the only contestant who had trouble with the game. On May 20, 1987 (#6513D), a contestant named Yvonne had similar struggles with the game, as she was trying to throw the balls into the rings, rather than roll them down the lane. She actually managed to get one of the balls caught on top of the rings where it was completely out of reach, to Bob's dismay. Ball #1 was put out of the machine and was treated as Ball #2. As such, Bob was so flustered by her playing that he forgot to ask Rod to describe the Super Ball!! small prize. She ended up winning $200 in cash, with Bob saying he'd need thousands for a psychiatrist after Yvonne's playing.
  • At least three other contestants also managed to get one of the balls stuck behind the $50 circle. On one playing from the 1980s, a contestant got a ball stuck behind the $50 circle and even had Bob use his Plinko stick to get the ball out, and kept holding on to it for the rest of the game. Another, from December 5, 1994 (#9381D), had a contestant get the Super Ball!! stuck, leading Bob to vamp about what happened and to see if he can manage to get the ball out, but couldn't, and then his next idea was to get an extra ball from one of the stage managers, Doug Quick. Doug thus gave an extra ball to the contestant and managed to get it in the Win circle, making a comeback. One last playing, from November 17, 1997 (#0531K, the second last playing), contestant Rodrigo got ball #2 stuck, in which Bob declared to give him $54.78 for getting it stuck behind the $50 circle.
  • Super Ball!!'s set was not destroyed when it was retired and the skee ball prop currently resides in Bob Boden's garage.
  • The prize cue, strictly used for this game, was the theme from Match Game/Hollywood Squares Hour, which is often used when giving away cars in other games. Prior to the usage of the MGHS theme on the show, "Starcrossed" was primarily used as the prize cue.
  • The dollar signs on the game's props were the same ones used on the Showcase Showdown wheel from 1988-2008.
  • On an episode of Doug Davidson's TNPIR airing 11/8/1994, the show accidentally went to commercial after the contestant won the car with Ball #3, instead of allowing her to play for the Super Ball. This proved to be a very expensive mistake. It is not known if the show later allowed her a shot at the Super Ball, or if it did, how she did with it. She went on, however, to win her Showcase.

Trivia

  • The most number of times this game was played in any season was 19.

Retirement

  • Super Ball!! was among the longest pricing games to play. Bob Barker determined, based on the in-studio audience reaction, that the time it took to play Super Ball!! could be put to better use and the game was retired.

International versions of Super Ball!!

  • Despite its retirement in the US, the French version had this game translated to "La Superballe". A diamond-shaped skeeball area was featured into which the balls land; the middle diamond into which the ball lands to win the prize(s) are indicated by a star, with the two outer diamonds worth 500 F/76€ and 100 F/15€.

Gallery

Maureen's Perfect Super Ball!!

Custom photos

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