So called, because the contestant is tempted with four prizes (which he/she doesn't have to try to win) plus a brand new car.
Gameplay
The contestant is shown the first digit in the price of the car. They are then shown four prizes, referred to as "gifts", one at a time. On occasion, cash is one of the four prizes in this game. Each prize's price or total cash amount is displayed, with one of the digits being the next digit in the price of the car. The contestant must guess which is the correct next digit for each of the four prizes. There are only two unique digits in the price of each small prize (eg: $488, or $1,331), making the choice an either-or proposition.
Once all of the digits have been selected, the contestant is given one last opportunity to change any of the four digits they have chosen. The total value of the four gifts is then stated, and the contestant is given the choice to take the gifts and quit, or see if the price of the car is correct. If it is, the contestant wins the car and all four gifts; if it is not, the contestant wins nothing.
History
When Temptation debuted, the contestant did not have the option of changing any digits, and that contestant took her prizes. This rule was introduced by July 12, 1974.
The Temptation board was originally green, and the "actual price" displays were orange with black numbers. The font for the "Temptation" logo changed by October 23, 1979. The large gap at the bottom was filled in by November 6, 1980. The game's pink color scheme debuted on April 11, 1988. The Temptation board was modified on February 26, 1993 with the four-digit display expanded to accommodate five digits, but still offered four-digit cars until March 29, 1993, using the first space as a dollar sign, until the first five-digit car was offered on April 15, 1993. The current color scheme debuted on March 26, 2010, and the contestant's choices now appear in the same font as the actual digits of the car's price, now using electronic displays and using gold 3D Pricedown dollar signs before showing any digits, and lights were also added at the bottom.
During the days of four-digit car prices, there would be no free digit given, and there would sometimes three choices for the first number, but one of them was obviously wrong (for instance, $189).
On November 18, 2013, this game was played for a Porsche 911 Carrera, valued at $92,745. In the game, the contestant actually had all 5 numbers correct, but had chosen to take the sure-thing prizes worth $3,983.
Pictures
YouTube Videos
Temptation Debut Episode
A malfunction-type win from Christmas 1983 (December 22, 1983)
Last Temptation Winner under Bob Barker's Tenure(February 13, 2007)
1st Temptation Winner under Drew Carey's Tenure (January 10, 2012)
Temptation played for a Most Expensive Car from 2013 (November 18, 2013)
1st Ever Team to Win Temptation for Valentine's Day 2014 (February 14, 2014)
2nd Temptation Winner under Drew Carey's Tenure (November 3, 2014)