Like, sometimes on The Price is Right or whatever, they might offer a trip to, say, Seattle. What happens if the contestant already lives in Seattle and wins the trip? Do they just stay in a hotel and such in their own city? Can it be exchanged for a trip somewhere else? I always thought that would be rather lame, winning a trip to the city you already live in.
I think you just get a nice trip to a decent hotel in your own city.
A large percentage of the time, contestants take the cash value of their prizes. They’re happier with money rather than an inconvenient trip or year’s supply of vanishing cream. The show doesn’t care what happens afterward. Even the prize givers don’t care whether the prizes are claimed or not. They already got their desired advertising value out of their having been announced on the show. Everybody has massive incentive to just take the money.
There is also no Easter Bunny. Santa Claus is real but has terrible backne.
I imagine it’s the same way with people who win shit like bedroom/dining room/living room sets on The Price is Right.
I mean, obviously not everyone can use a brand new couch, love seat, recliner, grandfather clock, end table, and credenza. So to get $3000 instead, even if the furniture is worth $6000, is a better deal.
And more than once I’ve seen someone win multiple cars…ok, maybe if one is like a Ford Focus for everyday driving, and the other is a Corvette for fun you might keep both, but if you live in NYC and you just won a small sedan and a large truck, I’m pretty sure you’ll take cash for the truck, especially since it will help pay the taxes on all the other shit you just won (which actually might be the best incentive there is to take the cash instead of the prize.)
This actually happened to me. When I was on Jeopardy, I won a week at a hotel in Carmel, which, if not in my own city, is about 60 miles away - which is about the distance from reasonable airports. We drove, of course. I don’t think getting cash was an option.
I’m not complaining because a week in a hotel with $100 a day for meals is still fun.
So, the answer is, you go.
I’m not listening to you LA LA LA LA LA LA LA !
When a friend of mine was on TPIR a few years ago, there was no taking the cash – you either took the prize, or you didn’t. And if you did, there were friendly IRS folks ready right there with whatever forms you needed to do. They had all the bases covered.
They throw in a couple of classy hookers.
I always wonder about this too. I just saw them give a trip to Napa for a winner of a challenge on Top Chef and wondered if an alternate would be available. I grew up in Sonoma, which is right next to Napa. I would be pretty freaking let down if I won a trip to Napa, where I’ve been for very mundane reasons on many occasions.
Was this a special edition of Jeopardy? I’ve never seen anything but cash as a prize.
I saw this once when I was a teen so it had to be before 1984. I want to say “Price Is Right,” but I’m not sure. Anyway the host told the woman, who said, “But I live there,” that she’d be allow to choose another vacation package.
You have to remember all those packages, and airfare etc are given to the games shows in return for free publicity. So it’s not like it costs them anything really, though since there’s a bit more advertising on the winning package, they may have to make some adjustments in the future.
(My bolding)
The comment about the year’s supply of vanishing cream reminded me of this video that Jeopardy! champ Bob Harris put together showing all the crap he won on the show.
They had prize-prizes for the second and third place winners up to…a decade ago, maybe? They switched to cash all around around the time they doubled all the cash values, IIRC. (googles OK, looks like they changed to cash for second and third in 2002, about a year after the doubled values…so I did remember fairly well…)
Thanks.
A bit off the original topic perhaps: I actually met someone who won a dining room set of The Price is Right. They paid the taxes and the chairs were delivered. When I met them three years had past and they couldn’t get their table.
I’m sure many enquiring minds in L.A. have wondered about this.
Oh well, at least we can go to the tapings anytime.
I was on 13 years ago. I didn’t even realize they had changed it - I haven’t watched much since I was on, kind of takes the fantasy aspect away from it. I won second prize.
It is interesting that they changed it, because a book about the show I read while preparing said they had done away with cash prizes because the '60s vintage show had a problem with them. There were people who came on to win a certain amount of money, and basically dropped out of the game after they reached it. The producers hated that. Does that kind of thing happen now?
Wasn’t there a Cheech and Chong bit on this theme?
I thought it went something like:
Game Show Host: You just won a fantastic trip to luxurious Miami beach!!!
Contestant: Aww, man. I live there.
Host: And you’ll be staying three nights at the luxurious Ritz-Carlton!!
Contestant: Hey, I work there.
Host: And here comes your dream date for this vacation!
Contestant: Man, that’s my sister.
Why didn’t they get their table? 
Off-topic, but why would any tax authorities care about one-off winnings ? In GB at least, there was betting tax until 2001, but that applied to raising it through bookmakers, and conceivably a professional gambler might have to pay income tax on winnings if counted as earnings; but things like winning the Lottery aren’t subject to any tax.