I hate to tell you this, but all they had to do was buy you a plane ticket, and get a rollaway bed in the hotel. The travel agency that handled the arrangements for Jeopardy would just have billed your folks the difference.
Your mom just didn’t want you along. 
Yeah, you were required to spend all your money until you couldn’t afford anything that was left. The ceramic dalmatian was the cheapest thing there. So, if after other “purchases” you wound up with a balance large enough to buy the dog but not enough to buy the second-most expensive item, you had to buy the dog. So, I’m guessing there are a lot of ceramic dalmations in the attics and second-hand stores of America thanks to Wheel of Fortune.
Hey now, don’t be baggin’ on the ceramic dalmatian! That was always my favorite prize. I loved it so much my grandmother made one for me when she was going through a ceramics phase. Sadly, both dog and grandmother are now gone. If someone has an old WoF ceramic dalmatian in their attic, let me know.
Could someone give us young’uns some idea of what they mean by Wheel of Fortune lousy prizes?
I knew 5 time champ was on Jeopardy from a thread about screen names, but I didn’t know Mr. Moto was on the show as well.
Only on the SDMB.
What was it like, both of you? My wife is always telling me to try out when they are in our area.
Regards,
Shodan
And if you still had money left, you had to grease the weasel.
Back to the OP for just a second…
I once worked for a radio station that gave away big prizes (for our market) every Arbitron. At that time had to warn people who won over $690 in cash or prizes that we were required to report the winnings to the IRS.
A friend of mine worked at a station in Houston that gave away a Rolls.
The winners got a shock when the IRS hit 'em with a bill on THAT one.
In our case and in the cases of co-workers at other gaming stations we always gave big winners a cash option. Our promotion people thought that offering a flashy car or a fancy swimming pool gave the contest sizzle. After it was all over they’d hope the winner would take the cash because it was easier for us to cut a check and have them sign a release.
If the winners actually wanted the car or the pool then we’d go through with the purchase and title and all the other rigamarole.
Back in the day (the early '80’s) when you won a round on Wheel of Fortune, they’d bring out a bunch of prizes (like on The Price Is Right) and you would spend your winnings on the prizes. It was mostly crap and all overpriced (like a toaster for $100 or a blender for $150, or the aforementioned kitchy ceramic dalmation whose price I don’t remember but it was pretty cheap. If you won several thousand dollars, you could blow it on a washer or dryer or something bigger like that. When you couldn’t afford anything else (not even the ugly-ass dog statue) they would ask you if you wanted the rest of the money in a gift certificate or an account. I don’t know what store the gift certificates were for, but most people took this option. If you chose “an account,” they would hold onto the remaining money and if you won another round later they’d add the money to your new total. If you hit bankrupt, however, you lost the money in the account.
It was all pretty stupid, so eventually they just let the winners keep the money.
There was no option to take cash, which I would havemuch preferred.
Well, each of the selected prizes got a blurb from the announcer, and no doubt these plugs helped pay the show’s production costs. When the show began rising in popularity after Pat Sajak ‘n’ Vanna took over in 1981, the ratings generated sufficient revenues to make the blurbs uneccessary. Just as well. Those “shopping sprees” always brought the show to a screeching halt.
In 1961, my good friend’s mother won a Ford Falcon on a game show.
Tom still has that car, he rebuilt it in 1975 while we were in high school with a supercharged 289 and a four speed Hurst shifter.
Back in 1961, it was a very nice family vehicle. In 2004, it’s a screamer that has a top speed of over 150 miles per hour.
How do they value the car for tax purposes? Is it list price? Or can you make the case that the value of the car is what you could reasonably buy it for in your market?