<P> At the beginning of the show, four contestants are called from the audience by the announcer to take a spot in the front row behind bidding podiums, which are embedded into the front edge of the stage . This area is known as "Contestants' Row". The announcer shouts "Come on down!" after calling each selected contestant's name, a phrase which has become a trademark of the show . The four contestants in Contestants' Row compete in a bidding round to determine which contestant will play the next pricing game (the round is known as "One Bid," which gets its name and format from one of two types of bidding rounds that existed on the 1950s version of the show). A prize is shown and each contestant gives a single bid for the item . In the first One - Bid game of each episode, bidding begins with the contestant on the viewer's left - to - right . In subsequent One - Bid rounds, the order of bidding still moves from the viewer's left - to - right, but it begins with the contestant most recently called down . Contestants are instructed to bid in whole dollars since the retail price of the item is rounded to the nearest dollar and another contestant's bid cannot be duplicated . The contestant whose bid is closest to the actual retail price of the prize without going over wins that prize and gets to play the subsequent pricing game . If all four contestants overbid, several short buzzer tones sound, the lowest bid is announced and the bids are erased . The host then instructs the contestants to re-bid below the lowest previous bid . If a contestant bids the actual retail price, a bell rings and the contestant wins a cash bonus in addition to the prize . From the introduction of the bonus in 1977 until 1998, the "perfect bid" bonus was $100; it was permanently increased to the current $500 in 1998 . On The Price Is Right $1,000,000 Spectacular, the bonus was $1,000 . After each pricing game except the final one, another contestant is called to "come on down" to fill the spot of the contestant who played the previous pricing game . The newest contestant bids first in each One Bid round . Contestants who fail to win a One Bid round--thus never making it onstage to play a pricing game--receive consolation prizes, currently $300, often sponsored by companies revealed by the announcer near the end of the show, before the Showcase . </P> <P> After winning the One Bid, the contestant joins the host onstage for the opportunity to win additional prizes or cash by playing a pricing game . After the pricing game ends, a new contestant is selected for Contestants' Row and the process is repeated . Six pricing games are played on each hour - long episode; three games per episode were played in the original half - hour format . Pricing game formats vary widely, ranging from simple dilemma games in which a contestant chooses one of two options to win to complex games of chance or skill in which guessing prices increases the odds of winning . On a typical hour - long episode, two games are played for a car, one game is played for a cash prize and the other three games offer expensive household merchandise or trips . Usually, at least one of the six games involves the pricing of grocery items, while another usually involves smaller prizes that can be used to win a larger prize package . Originally, five pricing games were in the rotation . Since then, more games have been created and added to the rotation and, starting with the 60 - minute expansion in 1975, the rate at which games premiered increased . Some pricing games were eventually discontinued, while others have been a mainstay since the show's debut in 1972 . As of 2017, the rotation is among 77 games . On the 1994 syndicated version hosted by Doug Davidson, the rules of several games were modified and other aesthetic changes were made . Notably, the grocery products used in some games on the daytime version were replaced by small merchandise prizes, generally valued at less than $100 . Beginning in 2008, episodes of The Price Is Right $1,000,000 Spectacular featured rule changes to some pricing games which rewarded a $1 million bonus to the contestant if specific goals were achieved while playing the pricing game . </P> <P> Since the show's expansion to 60 minutes in 1975, each episode features two playings of the Showcase Showdown, occurring after the third and sixth pricing games . Each playing features the three contestants who played the preceding pricing games spinning "The Big Wheel" to determine who advances to the Showcase, the show's finale . The contestants play in the order of the value of his or her winnings thus far (including the One Bid), with the contestant who has won the most spinning last . </P> <P> The wheel contains 20 sections showing values from 5 ¢ to $1.00, in increments of five cents . Contestants are allowed a maximum of two spins . The first contestant spins the wheel and may choose to stop with his or her score or spin again, adding the value of the second spin to their first . The second contestant then spins the wheel and tries to match or beat the leader's score; if he or she fails to do so, the contestant must spin again . If the second contestant's first spin matches or beats the score of the first contestant, he or she has the option of stopping or spinning again . The third contestant then spins; if his or her score is less than the leader then he or she will be required to spin again . In the event the second or third contestant's first spin ties the score of the leader, he or she will be given the option of spinning again as an alternative to entering a "spin - off" as described below . </P>

When did the showcase showdown start on the price is right