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Finish Line

A clone of Give or Keep, themed around horse racing.

The game was played identically to its predecessor. Three pairs of small prizes were shown; in each pair, the contestant chose the product he/she believed to be most expensive. The three unpicked products would advance the “finish line” further left down the prop away from the start line.

After all selections had been made, the horse would begin “racing” towards the finish line using the three products the contestant selected. If the horse crossed the finish line, the contestant won a large prize.

Finish Line seems to be an attempt to replace Give or Keep with a more elaborate theme, as the two games were never in the rotation at the same time. It’s possible that the game malfunctioned too frequently and required Give or Keep to step back in. Bob later claimed he was not a fan of the game, although at the time the game was in the rotation he had neither a producer title nor a strong public stance on animal rights.

Finish Line was considered one of The Price is Right’s most obscure games for many years. It is possible that after Bob became EP he requested that episodes containing Finish Line never be rerun, although it’s also possible its rarity was due to GSN skipping over many Season 6 and 7 episodes. TPIR producers granted the original Golden Gallery the right to publish exclusive photos of a playing, preserving a small part of TPIR history.

A game show set depicting the Finish Line theme with a presenter and contestant discussing prize products in front of a decorated game board.
37th pricing game to debut
S6, February 21 1978 – S7, September 22 1978
Likely created by Andy Felsher
FAQ
S6, June 28 1978
A model stands beside a vintage travel trailer, showcasing the prize the contestant could win in on The Price is Right.

A lovely travel trailer is at stake…

A game show set for 'Finish Line' featuring a host in a suit talking to a female contestant, with a colorful backdrop and a display area showing various prizes.

…if Linda can get the horse to cross the Finish Line!

A contestant smiles while presenting two products on a game show setup, with a coffee maker and a canister of oxygen displayed. The backdrop features colorful stripes.

Linda will have to try to choose the most expensive product out of each pair. First up, a welding kit, or a coffee maker?

A television host stands next to a female contestant on a game show set, both smiling. The host is wearing a light gray suit, and the contestant has a name tag that reads 'Linda.' The colorful backdrop features bold patterns.

Linda says the coffee maker is more expensive, so Bob assigns that to the horse…

A toy horse is shown in a starting gate with a scoreboard displaying the number 14, indicating the progress in the game 'Finish Line' themed around horse racing.

…and the finish line begins to move the value of the welding kit.

The finish line display showing a price of with a yellow marker on a green racetrack.

It stops at $35. Let’s hope the coffee maker is worth at least that much!

A female contestant stands beside a table displaying a set of colorful towels and various cosmetic products, smiling at the camera during the game 'Finish Line.'

Next, a set of towels and Maybelline cosmetics. Linda chooses the towels for the horse…

Close-up of a digital display showing the number 74, next to a measuring scale with values ranging from 60 to 80.

…and the cosmetics move the finish line an additional $39 away.

A female model stands beside a display featuring various products including boxes and a golf club, with colorful flags in the background.

Finally, a set of rechargeable batteries and a candle extinguisher. Linda keeps the snuffer…

Close-up of a game board showing a finish line with the number '99' illuminated, indicating the target score to win.

…and the finish line moves $25 more. Linda will receive the snuffer, cosmetics, and coffee maker regardless of the outcome, but if her products total at least $99, she’s a winner!

A game show host and contestant stand beside a large, green game board labeled 'FINISH LINE', displaying product names and prices, with a prominent score of 99.

“It’s post time!” shouts Bob. A bugle call announces the start, and the horse begins its sprint!

A horse and jockey racing towards a finish line marker showing a score of 47, set against a green turf background.

The lights at the top of the board lit up with each price as the jockey passed, but they were not shown on camera. Instead, Bob kept a commentary of the race as the horse ran. He remarks the coffee maker is a good pick at “forty” something dollars.

A toy horse moves in motion down the Finish Line board but stops short of crossing the finish line, representing a loss.

Will the jockey make it to $99? No. Bye bye, trailer.

A contestant walks away from the Finish Line game on The Price is Right, with the host beside her, and the scoreboard in the background displaying prices.

Linda gives Bob a kiss goodbye. The prices for each prize are lit up in red, but reading them is nearly impossible.

S6, June 13 1978
Display showing the finish line with a score of 11 and a measuring ruler ranging from 0 to 30.

Here’s a Finish Line error. The red price readout says that this silver plate is $19, and the finish line has moved 19 spaces, yet the total is only counting 11.

A scoreboard displaying product values for a game show, with 'Yogurt Maker' priced at 17, 'Paint' and 'Dish' unpriced, and a total score of 28 displayed on the top.

Bob confirms that 17 and 19 ought to make $36, not $28 as the counter has listed.

A scoreboard displays a score of 54 in a horse racing game setting, with a ruler marked with measurements in the background.

With all his picks in, William’s finish line has moved $62 down the line, even though the counter reads $54.

A horse racing scene from the game 'Finish Line', with a digital scoreboard showing '50' as the horse approaches the finish line.

Ultimately, the error ended up not mattering; the horse cleared the finish line with a length to spare.

S7, Sep 22 1978
A horse racing game display showing a black horse and jockey in motion, with a score of 92 and a finish line marked at 98.

By the game’s final playings, the picture-in-picture readout showed both the eggcrate readouts for both the finish line and horse.

A host gestures while standing in front of the Finish Line game board from The Price is Right, displaying products and their prices.

This contestant won by only $6!

Bob Barker Television Academy Interview, 2000
Bob Barker speaking during an interview, gesturing with his hand while wearing a black suit and striped shirt.

In 2000, Bob was asked about games that didn’t work out. “We had a horse racing game, which I didn’t like, because I don’t like horse races. I didn’t know enough about horse racing to complain about [it] before we had lost the game.”