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Hosts
Scott Herriott (1991 pilot)
Pat Finn (1991–2002)
JD Roberto (2003–2005)
Hostess (Pilot Only)
Susie Faucett
Announcers
Mark L. Walberg (1991–1994)
Jason Grant Smith (1996–1997)
Dee Bradley Baker (1997–2002)
Don Priess (2003–2005)
Broadcast
Shop til You Drop Pilot Logo
Pilot: 1991
Styd
Shop Til You Drop Logo 1993 a
Shop Til You Drop Logo 1993 b Shop Til You Drop Holiday Special
Lifetime (Daily): 7/8/1991 – 9/30/1994 (reruns aired until 5/31/1996)
Styd96
Family Channel (Daily): 9/30/1996 – 12/26/1997 (reruns aired until 8/14/1998)
Styd00
PAX (Daily): 4/3/2000 – 1/29/2002 (reruns aired until 5/24/2002)
Styd03
PAX (Daily): 10/6/2003 – 5/27/2005 (reruns aired until 8/11/2006)
Packager
Stone-Stanley Productions

(The New) Shop 'til You Drop was an American game show where couples test their knowledge of retail items and perform wacky stunts while hoping for the chance to go on a shopping spree. this aired on a number of broadcast television networks and in syndication.

Gameplay[]

Mall Format (1991–2002)[]

The backdrop of Shop 'til You Drop was a 14-store, two-story shopping mall (later a megastore in 2003). Two teams of two contestants (almost always male-female; married, engaged, dating, siblings, or best friends) competed.

Main Game[]

Stunt Rounds[]

Nearly all of the stunts were one-minute mini-games, which tested popular culture and consumer knowledge.

A coin toss backstage before the show determined which couple would have the option of playing the first stunt. The host described the first of two stunts and the team who won the toss chose to play or pass to the other team. Stunts varied widely, but most involved the team answering questions based upon a pop culture category, or various other games based on pricing merchandise. During the first season of the Lifetime version, stunts similar to those on Beat the Clock were also played (such as the female partner stuffing a certain number of balloons into a pair of oversized trousers worn by her husband without breaking any). Most stunts had a 60-second time limit; however, some early stunts were played with a 30-, 45-, or (rarely) 90-second time limit.

Successfully completing the stunt earned points (100 points in round 1, and 200 points in round 2), and allowed the team to pick a prize from one of the stores in the mall. Originally the team was limited to the seven stores on the lower floor of the mall, later on they were allowed to pick one from the top level. Although the stores and prize specialty associated with each store varied from episode to episode, each generally featured prizes typical of game shows (furniture, electronics, artwork, etc.). One of the stores also hid a mini vacation dubbed the "Shopper's Special". Sometimes a bonus prize was added to the Shopper's Special.

Two stunt rounds were played, with stunts in the first round worth 100 points, and 200 points in the second round; plus, the team who did not have the choice of playing or passing the first stunt in Round 1 had the option in Round 2.

List of Stores[]

1991 Pilot
Most of these stores were carried over into the series.

  • 24 Karats
  • Baby Land
  • The Book Nook
  • Card Sharks (not to be confused with the game show of the same name)
  • Circuit Center
  • Fashion Fair (renamed Melanie's Fashion Fair)
  • Fun & Games
  • Good Scents (renamed Lotions & Potions)
  • Leaning Tower of Pisa Records and Videos (renamed Harry's House of Music & Video)
  • The Locker Room (renamed Good Sports)
  • Pizza Pizzazz
  • The Shoe Tree (renamed Harris' Bootery)
  • Shutter Bug
  • Top Chef Kitchen Accessories

1991–1994
Stores in bold were reused.

  • 24 Karats
  • Art Attack (Later Andrea's Art Attack)
  • Baby Land
  • Back to Nature
  • The Book Nook
  • Brendlinger's Bed & Bath (Later Birkeland's Bed & Bath)
  • Circuit Center
  • Decorator's Showcase
  • Food Gloria's Food
  • Fun & Games
  • Gadgets & Gizmos
  • Gifts Galore
  • Good Sports (Renamed from The Locker Room from the Pilot)
  • The Green House
  • Harris' Bootery (Renamed from The Shoe Tree from the Pilot)
  • Harry's House of Music & Video (Renamed from Leaning Tower of Pisa Records and Videos from the Pilot)
  • Heidi's Hair Hunt
  • Heidi's Healthy Living
  • Jerome's Leather & Luggage Goods
  • Justin Time
  • Lotions & Potions (Renamed from Good Scents from the Pilot)
  • Melanie's Fashion Fair (Renamed from Fashion Fair from the Pilot)
  • The Pet Shop
  • S&S Clothiers
  • Shutter Bug
  • Sweet Sensations
  • Tania's Beauty Secrets
  • Top Chef Kitchen Accessories
  • Von Schiffendecker's Furniture

1996–1997
Stores in bold were reused.

  • 24 Karats
  • Andrea's Art Mart
  • Beauty Secrets by Tania
  • Bob's Camera Shop
  • Chuck's Department Store
  • Circuit Center
  • Dave's Home Furnishings
  • Downtown Designs
  • Gifts Galore
  • The Greenery
  • Heidi's Housewares
  • J&B Sports of All Sorts
  • JJ's Fashion Fair
  • Mister Gadget
  • RCA/BMG Music & Video Store (sometimes just RCA Music & Video Store)
  • Scotty's Luggage Rack (later renamed Leather & Luggage Rack)
  • Sleep On It
  • World of Discovery

2000–2002
Stores in bold were reused.

  • 24 Karats
  • Andrea's Art Attack (reusing the classic name from 1991)
  • Bob & Steve's Camera Shop
  • Brighten Up!
  • Chez Gourmet
  • Cosmetics Plus
  • Decker Marcus Department Store
  • Gary's Gadgets
  • Gifts Galore
  • Global Wonders
  • Good Time Charli's Clocks
  • The Greenery
  • Heidi's Housewares
  • J&B Sports of All Sorts
  • JJ's Fashion Fair
  • Kanthony's Furniture Mart
  • Leslie's House of Music (sometimes just House of Music)
  • Leather & Luggage Rack
  • Outdoor Explorer (Later Levy's Outdoor Explorer)
  • Sally's Bedding & Beyond
  • Sue's Book Nook (renamed from The Book Nook in 1991)
  • Von Schiffendecker's Furniture (was replaced by Kanthony's Furniture Mart in the second season of the first generation PAX run)

NOTE: Many of the stores were named after people who worked on the show and for Stone Stanley Entertainment; one exception, "Cosmetics Plus", was actually based on a New York-based chain.

Shopper's Challenge Round[]
Challenge Round

We are ready to start the Shopper’s Challenge Round.

Round 3 was the "Shopper's Challenge" round, a 90-second series of rapid-fire questions, again related to entertainment and shopping. Correct answers were worth 50 points each and an incorrect answer gave the other team a chance to respond. Only one team member could answer each question, and the partners switched places after each question.

The team with the most points at the end of the round won the game and advanced to the bonus round. If a tie occurred, a final question was asked. If the player answered correctly, his/her team went to the bonus round. If the player answered incorrectly, the opposing team automatically went to the bonus round.

Shop 'til You Drop Round[]

Dee as some tough guy

Dee Baker as some tough guy shows us to hit the button whenever bringing a prize at the table.

The bonus round was a shopping spree where the team tried to reach a specific goal in 90 seconds. One of the team members was the shopper (usually, but not always the female) while the other team member was the runner (usually, but not always the male).

One at a time, the team opened one of six packages on a table, each concealing a prize. The shopper decided whether to keep the gift or exchange it with another gift from one of the other stores in the mall. If they decided to exchange it, the runner scurried to one of the stores for another prize. In either case, the runner had to take the item to a prize table on the other side of the set and hit a bell before the shopper could open another box.

After all six boxes had been exchanged/kept, or if the 90-second time limit expired (the rarer of the two), the host and announcer described the prizes and added up each item's retail price, starting with those they wanted to keep. The couple kept everything they selected (including any prizes from the first two rounds and the "Shopper's Special" if won), but if they exceeded the winning threshold, the couple won a vacation.

In the pilot the couple had one minute to reach a goal of $1,000. The only difference was the price of each prize was deducted from the $1,000 goal. (The series host only said the money needed to win while the current total bill was shown.)

During the show's first two seasons, the couple needed to obtain $1,000 in prizes. In the first season with the $1,000 goal, there was always at least one prize that was worth at least $500. In the second season, there were two prizes worth at least $300. In addition, some of the packages in these seasons contained gag gifts (related to the store, with no photos of them shown during descriptions as was the case with the larger prizes), which were typically worth less than $50. The gag gifts were eliminated when the required money amount was raised to $2,500 in the third season. When this happened, there was one store in the mall that contained a prize worth at least $700.

1993 Christmas Special[]

On December 19, 1993, to commemorate the holiday season, a one-hour Christmas special aired, featuring celebrities playing for charity. The celebrities were J.C. Wendel & Joe E. Tata (Homestead Hospice), Victoria Rowell & Michael Tucci (Foster Youth Connection), Mother Love & The Nelsons (Lyphnoma Research Foundation America), and Farrah Forke & Brad Maule (Alzheimer's Association).

The basic format remained the same, but four teams competed (three teams of two and one team of three), there were higher-priced prizes, and cash was used instead of points. And instead of having every being all or nothing, each awarded cash per correct answer, with each event awarding a maximum of $500 in Round 1, and $1,000 in Round 2. In addition, the celebrity teams picked a prize from one of the 14 stores in both the upper and lower floors of the mall, regardless if they completed the stunt. Also, the two low-scoring teams were eliminated before the "Shopper's Challenge Round", in which all questions were related to entertainment and shopping, including the holiday season. Each correct answer was worth $500, and the time limit in Shopper's Challenge Round was changed to two minutes. All teams won at least $2,500 for their charities. Finally, in the bonus round, the target was raised to $5,000, and reaching or exceeding that goal won an additional $10,000. Farrah Forke & Brad Maule defeated Mother Love & The Nelsons $6,300-$2,450, and went on to win the endgame with a score of $6,192. Their grand total for the Alzheimer's Association was $26,287. All told, the four charities represented on the show earned a total of $48,554.

Megastore Format (2003–2005)[]

In the new version, two pairs competed (regardless of marital status). The show was set in a 14-department warehouse store (similar to warehouse stores like Costco, Sam's Club, or BJ's). The podiums had sponsors of products found in the store. The 14 departments were played similar to the stores from the mall version (see below), and each had a blue light.

Main Game[]

Stunts were replaced by simple questions and pricing segments based upon specific categories, which were puns relating to their content. The first team in each round was given a choice of two categories. After choosing one, host Roberto let the contestants know what the category entailed, and then gave the play-or-pass option to the team. Whichever team played the chosen category chose one player to play the category (though conferring was allowed).

Like the stunts in the previous version, the questions dealt with pricing items or knowledge of celebrities. The team was given one minute to come up with a set number of correct answers. As in the original version, completing the category earned 100 points in Round 1, and 200 points in Round 2.

Unlike the previous version, where teams verbally chose a store in the mall, the other member of the team went into the store to grab a gift box from any department that had a flashing light, then ran back to Roberto, who opened the box and revealed their prize. As before, there was also a Shopper's Special which earned the team a bonus trip for finding it.

Round 3, the Shopper's Challenge round, remained the same as in the previous version.

List of Departments[]

Departments in bold are used.

  • Electronics
  • Grocery
  • Appliances
  • Housewares
  • Sporting Goods
  • Big Savings
  • Music & More
  • Health & Beauty
  • Home & Garden
  • Bed & Bath
  • Furniture
  • Toys
  • Jewelry
  • Gifts (originally Gifts Galore in early episodes)
  • Price Busters
  • Office Supplies
  • Candy
  • Automotive
  • Frozen Foods
  • Beverages
  • Dairy
  • Clearances
  • Pets

Shop 'til You Drop Round[]

Styd roberto bell bonus round

In the Roberto era, the bell was rung and lit up automatically when JD told the contestants what to do in the bonus round.

In this version, team members alternated roles instead of one defined as the shopper and the other as the runner. One team member opened a box and the other handed the item off to their partner, who decided whether to keep or exchange the item for any prize in a department with a flashing light (with one department having a prize worth over $1,000), then brought the associated box to a table and rang a bell. That team member then came back and handed off the next item to their teammate, who repeated the process. In addition, an off-screen stagehand organized the exchanged/kept prizes. The 90-second time limit and $2,500 goal remained the same.

For the second season, the clock had a sponsor, just as the contestants' podiums did.

Broadcast History[]

The show ran on Lifetime from July 8, 1991 to September 30, 1994, with reruns airing from October 3, 1994 to May 31, 1996.

On June 3, 1996, the show moved to The Family Channel and was renamed The New Shop 'til You Drop. There it ran from September 30, 1996 to December 26, 1997, and then it reran until August 14, 1998. After airing reruns for a year, on April 3, 2000, PAX (later ION) began airing new episodes before canceling it on May 27, 2005. Reruns continued through August 11, 2006. PAX re-aired the 1996-1997 (Family Channel) episodes of The New Shop 'til You Drop from April 19, 1999 to October 29, 1999, and the final season of the Lifetime version from November 1, 1999 to March 31, 2000.

One episode from 2000 aired on GSN, during The 50 Greatest Game Shows of All Time series in 2006, even though GSN never owned the rights to the show. The episode that aired on GSN had the biggest record in the Shopper's Challenge Round, which was 950 Points. However, on November 15, 2013, it was announced that the network had officially acquired the 2000 PAX version of the series (Finn version only) and is currently being rerun daily at 4 & 4:30 pm Eastern starting on December 2, 2013.[1][2]

Merchandise[]

Mobile Game[]

A mobile game based on the show was released by Reaxion, and plays mostly to the PAX-era "warehouse store" format of the show from 2003 to 2005. JD Roberto does make an animated appearance on this game. Reaxion closed up in 2010.[3]

Video Slot Machine[]

[]

A video slot machine based on the show was released to American casinos by WMS Gaming in 2006, In place of traditional reel spins, the reel symbols cascade into place as if dropped from above. All winning combinations pay as normal, but then something extra happens. The symbols in the winning combination disappear and new symbols cascade down to take their place. this process continues until no new winning combinations form.[4]

Three bonus symbols on an active pay-line trigger the Shop 'til You Drop bonus. The bonus begins by showing a man and a woman along with an array of 16 boxes on shelves. The players selects boxes from shelves to reveal shopping items such as jewelry, clothes, sporting goods, etc. An award is paid for the item and then it is placed to the side in a template with four "Trip Lists". For each specific trip list that becomes filled, the game show awards a vacation trip paying an additional award. The bonus ends whenever two funny looking "honky" geese are found. (NOTE: This bonus may also trigger randomly at the end of a non-triggering play.) The theme song used in the slot machine game is the 2003-2005 Megastore version of the theme song.

Online Game[]

In 2007, a WarioWare-like online minigame called Lightspeed 2 (produced by Pacdude Games) features a minigame based on Shop til You Drop where you have to drop a blue rectangular package in one of these six stores which are Radio Shack, Tower Records, PacSun Pacific Sunwear, Blockbuster Video, Target & Modell's Sporting Goods. It is based on the original mall format.

LS2 STYD

T-Shirts[]

The online clothing store Empire T-Shirts released Shop 'Til You Drop T-shirts depicting the logo from the 1991 Pilot episode. They are available online and are choosable in any size and different colors.

Rating[]

72px-TV-G icon svg

Studios[]

Hollywood Center Studios (1991–1993, 1996–2005)
Universal Studios Hollywood (1993–1994)

Music[]

Gary Scott

Many of the cues from College Mad House were recycled into the Lifetime and Family Channel versions.

Theme Lyrics (2003–2005)[]

Shop 'Til You Drop!
It's a game full of prizes
and a few surprises!
So if you love to shop,
come on and play
Shop 'Til You Drop!

Shop 'Til You Drop!
You can win a dream vacation
and have a celebration!
So if you love to shop,
come on and play
Shop 'Til You Drop!

Spinoffs[]

Spend it Fast! - a short lived spinoff that aired in 2002 where contestants had to purchase items in a store in less than 5 minutes.

Additional Pages[]

Shop 'til You Drop/Quotes & Catchphrases
Shop 'til You Drop/Gallery

Trivia[]

JD Roberto guest announced on The Price is Right in 2010 shortly after Rich Fields left the show.

While Don Preiss was present in the studio for all episodes of the Roberto version, he was never shown on-camera.

The 1991 pilot had Scott Herriott as the host and Suzie Fawcett as the hostess.

Two pilots were made for a kids version: one targeted at younger kids, the other targeted at older kids. Unfortunately, neither pilot has been aired and neither version was sold.

Pat Finn hosted the 1990–1991 version of The Joker's Wild, as well as The Big Spin.

Mark L. Walberg hosted The Big Date, Russian Roulette, and The Moment of Truth, and The Game Plane. He is currently the host of Antiques Roadshow.

Jason Grant Smith continues his career after he left the show after one season.

Dee Bradley Baker is a voice actor and is well known as Olmec on Legends of the Hidden Temple.

From 1991 to 1993, the theme song from College Mad House and many of its cues were recycled to this show. Beginning with the 1993 Holiday Special until 2002, the show's traditional theme was used with new music cues debuting in 1994 (one of them became the main theme for Quicksilver). In 2001–2002, the techno theme song was used in the closing credits. The show's final two seasons used a remix of the Shop 'til You Drop theme song with lyrics.

Throughout the entire Lifetime era, Pat's question cards were either red, purple, pink, orange, and blue with the Shop 'til you Drop logo during either Stunts or the Shopper's Challenge Round. When the program moved to the Family Channel as The New Shop 'til you Drop in 1996, as well as the PAX era in 2000, Pat's question cards were regular light blue with the new Shop 'til you Drop logo.

When PAX (then i, now Ion) reran the final Lifetime season in 1999–2000, they edited out Mark L. Walberg's segments with the couple selected from the studio audience.

When GSN reruns the last two Lifetime seasons, they edited out fee plugs, the contestants hotline, and Pat's signoff (used in both of those seasons), and they edited out Mark L. Walberg's segments with the couple selected from the studio audience that was used on the final Lifetime season.

In the early episodes of the Roberto version, the Gifts Department was still under the name of "Gifts Galore".

References[]

Links[]

Shop 'til You Drop: Megastore Edition @ Game Show Garbage

Official Sites[]

Finn era (via Internet Archive)
Roberto era (via Internet Archive)
Information about the show itself
Shop 'til You Drop - SS - Stone & Company Entertainment
Shop Til' You Drop New Media Vision

Rules[]

Jay Anton's Rules for Shop 'til You Drop
Travis Eberle's Rules for Shop 'til You Drop
Rules for Shop 'til You Drop @ Loogslair.net
Rules for Shop 'til You Drop @ The Game Show Temple
The Unofficial Shop 'til You Drop Homepage

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