![]() ![]() The most striking difference between the old version and the updated one is its inclusion of, well, everyone! I remember watching Sweep as a kid and noting how the show clearly centered white people. In the first four episodes, the show’s exhilarating formula combined with Jones’ energetic presentation has not disappointed. I was thrilled when I heard this show was coming back, and even more so upon learning comedian Leslie Jones would be hosting. By playing clue games about popular household brands found in any superstore, competitors are given the opportunity to participate in the “Big Sweep” to either earn or gamble their winnings in a frenzied race across the store. ![]() For the uninitiated, the premise is as follows: teams of contestants compete for a cash prize by showing off their spending skills in a staged supermarket. The most contemporary version that most Americans remember aired in the late 1990s and early aughts. The show began, believe it or not, in the 1960s in New York, and has seen multiple revivals over the past five decades. A viewer randomly tuning in would just see a bunch of people running around, and likely wouldn’t understand the plot.The game show revival of the last decade finally touched the classic Supermarket Sweep this fall. (Ruprecht told TMZ this summer that he auditioned for the announcer role, but the producers had Jones fill the role instead.) While showing enthusiasm for the contestants’ efforts, Jones doesn’t do a good job of weaving a clear narrative. In the modern version, Jones doubles as the announcer during the “Big Sweep,” and the show suffers for it. His voice-overs explained what the teams had loaded into their carts, and the strategies they used while prowling the market, bringing valuable context to the chaotic footage. ![]() Excitement, Or Just Chaos?Īt times, however, Jones’s style means the show gets lost in a cacophony of noise, most notably during the “Big Sweep.” In the 1990s version of “Supermarket Sweep,” announcer Johnny Gilbert gave a detailed narration of the contestants’ movements throughout the market. The fact that “Supermarket Sweep’s” producers replaced the prior theme song with Salt-N-Pepa’s hip-hop anthem Push It demonstrates the brash, up-tempo style they wish the newest version to exhibit. Whereas Ruprecht employed gentle ribbing or corny jokes while interacting with contestants, Jones will jump and shout right along with them. In promoting its “Supermarket Sweep” reruns, Buzzr went so far as to air commercials claiming his mother had knitted him the sweaters he wore religiously on the Lifetime episodes of the show-a real-life Ned Flanders turned game show host.īy contrast, Jones, a former “Saturday Night Live” cast member, exudes energy, enthusiasm, and confidence. Louis to a Lutheran minister, Ruprecht’s genial demeanor made him seem so inoffensive as to be bland. David Ruprecht, who hosted the 1990s cable version, represented the epitome of Middle America. “Supermarket Sweep” features new graphics, and more visually based clues consistent with our digital age.īut the biggest differences come when comparing the two hosts. While using the same general format as the 1990s cable version, the ABC remake also features modernized touches. The network remake features higher cash prizes-$25,000 for collecting three clues within a minute, with the opportunity to risk that sum to win $50,000 or $100,000. In the 1990s cable version, teams that could solve three puzzles about grocery products, and gather the items referred to in the clues, within one minute won a prize of $5,000. ![]() The team with the highest total in the “Big Sweep” goes on to the bonus round. Following the question round, the teams all compete in the “Big Sweep,” rushing through the aisles with shopping carts to gather as many groceries and bonus prizes as they can with the time they had previously banked. Three pairs of contestant teams answer questions about food and grocery products, winning time to spend out in the market. (Reruns of these shows air frequently on Buzzr, a digital game show channel available on many cable systems.) In substance, the ABC show largely resembles the version that aired on Lifetime from 1990-95, and later on PAX-TV from 2000-03. ![]()
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