History YMMV / PressYourLuck

* AdaptationDisplacement: Very few viewers (and virtually no one under the age of 40) are aware that ''Press Your Luck'' was a retooling of the 1977 Creator/{{ABC}} game ''Series/SecondChance'', also by Bill Carruthers. It doesn't help that ''Second Chance'' aired for only four months and only three episodes are known to exist, with a fourth on audiotape.

** Some people dislike Michael Larson's run on the show for exploiting the rules to its breaking point, to where the legal team had to get involved. Other people admire him for that exact same reason.

* LifeImitatesArt: One Whammy animation introduced in March 1984 had a politician Whammy barking "If elected, I will raise your taxes!" before getting a pie to the face. A few months later at the Democratic Convention, Reagan's opponent Walter Mondale admitted he will raise taxes if elected as president, citing that Reagan would do so as well and not be honest about it. [[CurbStompBattle Mondale was beaten soundly on Election Day.]]

** In the July 28, 2022 episode of the revival, [[spoiler: the winning contestant, Zachary Flax, had over $420,000 in cash and prizes including two cars, a cruise to Antarctica, and the North ''and'' South Poles, and a Harley Davidson motorcycle BEFORE heading into the final round. Most contestants would probably stop right there, but Zach was determined to win that million, so he decides to go into the Big Bucks Bonanza... and ''HITS A WHAMMY on the penultimate spin, losing everything, when he was a little over $60,000 away from the million''. As Todd Newton once said, "That was the most ''painful'' Whammy in television history." When it was all said and done, Zach left with an all-cash total of $27,750. Not a bad consolation prize for coming SO CLOSE to the jackpot. That could have been ''so much more'', but to be fair, he didn't make the wrong choice by going for it. When you're $100,000 or less away from the $500,000 you need to win the million heading into the final round, you kind of HAVE to go for it at that stage.]]

* NightmareFuel: One Whammy in the 2019 reboot?[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmD-Gr27W78 It's based off]] [[Film/It2017 Pennywise]], where Whammy has sharp ScaryTeeth instead his usual human-like ones, and stands still with none of his usual humour... before a JumpScare occurs, suddenly gaining a lot more shading.

### Having AI opponents that [[ArtificialStupidity lacked the "I"]], rarely getting more than two spins per round and posing a very little challenge. Upon their turn, they usually pass their spins immediately. (The PC version subverts this; as you progress the contestants get smarter, with one in particular that appears every few games and gets the right answer every time they buzz in.)

### Having Big Bucks always redirect to said generic trip in Round 1 instead of the big-money square ($1,000/$1,250/$1,500). [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEzWa_0GoUg This playthrough]] shows the absurdity of this at 4:21 and 4:49, as the player hits Advance Two Spaces in Square 10 (which wasn't there in the actual show) which leads to Big Bucks...
---->'''Host''': Big Bucks! You win--You won a trip! A value of... $3,000!

** By early August 1985, the Big Board had settled into a respectable configuration for both rounds. During the final season, however, the Round 2 layout had various slides needlessly moved around while nearly the entire board was in flux, with values going up and down so often that the ultimate victim ended up being [[http://users.btes.tv/syoder/pylboard/articles/pac.html Pick-A-Corner]] — the day the slides went neon was when the once-"fixed" directional square began breaking, as the values in the three other corners never remained static for very long and consistently conflicted with each other (including three layouts where players chose between ''identical values''). Instead of correcting the problem, Pick-A-Corner was simply replaced on July 25, 1986, with a $1,000 + One Spin slide.[[note]]The space returned for ''Game Show Marathon'' in 2006, but remained broken. It returned once again in the 2019 reboot, and apparently the board designers ''still'' don’t appear to know how to make the space work (though to be fair, it’s by far the least broken it’s been since the “neon shift” broke it beyond repair over 30 years prior).[[/note]]

** By early August 1985, the Big Board had settled into a respectable configuration for both rounds. During the final season, however, the Round 2 layout had various slides needlessly moved around while nearly the entire board was in flux, with values going up and down so often that the ultimate victim ended up being [[http://users.btes.tv/syoder/pylboard/articles/pac.html Pick-A-Corner]] — the day the slides went neon was when the once-"fixed" directional square began breaking, as the values in the three other corners never remained static for very long and consistently conflicted with each other (including three layouts where players chose between ''identical values''). Instead of correcting the problem, Pick-A-Corner was simply replaced on July 25, 1986, with a $1,000 + One Spin slide. [[note]]The space returned for ''Game Show Marathon'' in 2006, but remained broken. It returned once again in the 2019 reboot, and apparently the board designers ''still'' don’t appear to know how to make the space work (though to be fair, it’s by far the least broken it’s been since the “neon shift” broke it beyond repair over 30 years prior).[[/note]]

* NeverLiveItDown: Michael Larson is best remembered for "cheating" during his miracle run, and many media sites and clickbait Website/YouTube videos place him on "Top Game Show Cheaters" lists. In actuality, he was playing by the rules; [[GameBreaker he just paid very close attention to the light patterns the show used and took advantage of them not being as random as the show claimed due to technological limitations of the day]].

* CommonKnowledge: The game show is ''Press Your Luck'', not ''Whammies'' (unless you literally ''are'' thinking of ''Series/{{Whammy}}!'').

** Fans' opinions regarding the bonus round in the 2019 revival are quite mixed. Some have criticized the round's length (often taking up more than 20 minutes of the hour-long timeslot), forced pathos a la ''Series/DealOrNoDeal'', and an all-but-impossible to win advertised top prize of $1,000,000[[note]]To get to it, the contestant must rack up at least $500,000 (not counting their main game winnings), which requires defying the odds and avoiding the Whammy for quite a while longer than most contestants would reasonably risk.[[/note]] Others have defended the round as a natural extension of a mostly pure-luck game, and even if one doesn't care for it, they can still enjoy the first part of the show as a very faithful re-creation of the original. Plus the inclusion of personalized prizes at least gives distinction from previous incarnations.

---->'''Host''': Big Bucks! You win--You won a trip! A value of...$3,000!

* {{Padding}}: In [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pj41rOFnOHU one episode]], the contestants acquired only five spins overall: three from the questions and two from landing on "+ One Spin" squares. As a result, Peter spent the rest of the round explaining the special squares on the board. To prevent this from happening again, the rules were changed so that if contestants were struggling in a Question Round, A) Peter would be directed to use an easier stack of questions, or B) the segment would simply be reshot with said easier stack.

* {{Squick}}: A Season 2 episode of the revival had Tammy Whammette in labor, giving birth to a wad of cash (with bills flying out of her...nether regions in the process). Even though she's covered up by a blanket, it brings ideas to mind about Whammy's anatomy that nobody ever wanted. Even Elizabeth Banks was surprised that Standards and Practices let the animation through.

* AdaptationDisplacement: Very few viewers (and virtually no one under the age of 40) is aware that ''Press Your Luck'' was a retooling of the 1977 Creator/{{ABC}} game ''Series/SecondChance'', also by Bill Carruthers. It doesn't help that ''Second Chance'' aired for only four months and only three episodes are known to exist, with a fourth on audiotape.

** The prize cue music, made even more awesome when a contestant wins enough to have it played in full. In one particularly memorable instance during Christmas 1984, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzNanw_ga90 it played to nearly two full loops (starting 29 seconds in).]]

* JustHereForGodzilla: The Whammy animations had their own charm. You just never know which one would come up when one was hit. Many people watched the show mostly for the animations (including kids who were too young to follow the game's rules), and there's compilations of just the Whammy animations on [=YouTube=] for all incarnations of the show.

** In the July 28, 2022 episode of the revival, [[spoiler: the winning contestant had over $430,000 including two cars, a cruise to both Antarctica, the North ''and'' South Poles, and a Harley Davidson motorcycle. Most contestants would stop right there. The contestant instead goes into the final round, and ''hits a Whammy on the penultimate spin, losing everything, when they were a little over $60k away from the million''. As Todd Newton once said, "that was the most ''painful'' Whammy in television history." They still left with $27,750 in cash when it was all said and done, but that could have been ''so much more''.]]

* {{Padding}}: In [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pj41rOFnOHU one episode]], the contestants acquired only five spins overall: three from the questions and two from landing on "+ One Spin" squares. As a result, Peter spent the rest of the round explaining the special squares on the board. To prevent this from happening again, the rules were changed so that if contestants were struggling in a Question Round, A) Peter would be directed to use an easier stack of questions or B) the segment would simply be reshot with said easier stack.

### Having AI opponents that [[ArtificialStupidity lacked the "I"]], rarely getting more than two spins per round and posing very little challenge. Upon their turn, they usually pass their spins immediately. (The PC version subverts this; as you progress the contestants get smarter, with one in particular that appears every few games who gets the right answer every time they buzz in.)

** Adding insult to injury was the UpdatedRerelease [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mrt1qq9ZoI for the PlayStation 3]] containing the actual theme, a looping board sound, and '''actual prizes''', not to mention a more faithful board layout. Though to be fair, Fremantle apparently ''still'' couldn't find the master copy of the actual series theme and ''still'' didn't want to use a full-length clean copy, so they just went ahead and [[RearrangeTheSong made their own version themselves]]. This quasi-SuspiciouslySimilarSong version is also heard in the official Website/{{Facebook}} app.

** Originally, the contestant buzzers were supported by spring coils that would break if slammed too hard...which happened on occasion, resulting in some editing. On December 21, 1983, they changed the sticks that supported the buzzers. That didn't work, either, so the buzzers were completely redone on the February 14, 1984 episode to their more recognizable appearance with a yellow base.

* {{Squick}}: A Season 2 episode of the revival had Tammy Whammette in labor, giving birth to a wad of cash (with bills flying out of her...nether regions in the process). Even though she's covered up by a blanket, it brings ideas to mind about Whammy anatomy that nobody ever wanted. Even Elizabeth Banks was surprised that Standards and Practices let the animation through.

** The 2009 game used the pilot theme as, according to Ludia, Fremantle didn't have the master copy of the series' theme and forbade them from using the various full-length clean copies circulating on the Internet. To add further insult, the board sound used is the original one and plays for ''one second''. The later [=PS3=] version uses the series theme and a looping board sound.

** By early August 1985, the Big Board had settled into a respectable configuration for both rounds. During the final season, however, the Round 2 layout had various slides needlessly moved around while nearly the entire board was in flux, with values going up and down so often that the ultimate victim ended up being [[http://users.btes.tv/syoder/pylboard/articles/pac.html Pick-A-Corner]] — the day the slides went neon was when the once-"fixed" directional square began breaking, as the values in the three other corners never remained static for very long and consistently conflicted with each other (including three layouts where players chose between ''identical values''). Instead of correcting the problem, Pick-A-Corner was simply replaced on July 25, 1986 with a $1,000 + One Spin slide. [[note]]The space returned for ''Game Show Marathon'' in 2006, but remained broken. It returned once again in the 2019 reboot, and apparently the board designers ''still'' don’t appear to know how to make the space work (though to be fair, it’s by far the least broken it’s been since the “neon shift” broke it beyond repair over 30 years prior).[[/note]]

** While the front game on the ABC version is mostly the same as the original, the few changes are irksome. The multiple choice answers no longer appearing above the contestants (which, in Season 1, left over half the screen empty, whereas in Season 2 the camera was moved down and centered on the contestants) is a minor thing overall. The bigger issue is the structure of the show, mainly due to commercial breaks. Instead of following the "Question > Commercial > Big Board > Commercial > Question > Commercial > Big Board" format, the commercial breaks are inserted in the middle of the Big Board rounds, with no break between the Question and Big Board rounds. It ends up making the whole thing feel off-kilter.
* UglyCute: The Whammy. He's a monstrous red pest who lives to annoy the contestants, but his small stature, little mask and cape, high-pitched voice[[note]]barring later seasons and especially ''Whammy!'' where his voice is more gruff[[/note]] and big mischievous grin do make him oddly cute.

** The DS version, though it also contained the looping board sound, managed to be ''even worse'' than the Wii game. There are only a few Whammy animations (none of which you can skip), the Big Board doesn't even have its usual space structure, and your reward for clearing all the "episodes" is a credit roll ''you can already access from the Options menu''!

** Fans' opinions regarding the bonus round in 2019 revival are quite mixed. Some have criticized the round's length (often taking up more than 20 minutes of the hour-long timeslot), forced pathos a la ''Series/DealOrNoDeal'', and an all-but-impossible to win advertised top prize of $1,000,000[[note]]To get to it, the contestant must rack up at least $500,000 (not counting their main game winnings), which requires defying the odds and avoiding the Whammy for quite a while longer than most contestants would reasonably risk.[[/note]] Others have defended the round as a natural extension of a mostly pure-luck game, and even if one doesn't care for it, they can still enjoy the first part of the show as a very faithful re-creation of the original. Plus the inclusion of personalized prizes at least gives distinction from previous incarnations.

** Fans' opinions regarding the bonus round in 2019 revival are quite mixed. Some have criticized the round's length (often taking up more than 20 minutes of the hour-long timeslot), forced pathos a la Series/DealOrNoDeal, and an all-but-impossible to win advertised top prize of $1,000,000 [[note]]To get to it, the contest must rack up at least $500,000, which requires defying the odds and avoiding the Whammy for quite a while longer than most contestants would reasonably risk.[[/note]] Others have defended the round as a natural extension of a mostly pure-luck game, and even if one doesn't care for it, they can still enjoy the first part of the show as a very faithful re-creation of the original. Plus the inclusion of personalized prizes at least gives distinction from previous incarnations.

** Fans' opinions regarding the bonus round in 2019 revival are quite mixed. Some have criticized the round's length (often taking up more than 20 minutes of the hour-long timeslot), forced pathos a la Series/DealOrNoDeal, and an all-but-impossible to win advertised top prize of $1,000,000 [[note]]To get to it, the contest must rack up more than $500,000, which requires defying the odds and avoiding the Whammy for quite a while longer than most contestants would reasonably risk.[[/note]] Others have defended the round as a natural extension of a mostly pure-luck game, and even if one doesn't care for it, they can still enjoy the first part of the show as a very faithful re-creation of the original. Plus the inclusion of personalized prizes at least gives distinction from previous incarnations.

** While the front game on the ABC version is mostly the same as the original, the few changes are irksome. The multiple choice answers no longer appear above the contestants (in Season 1, this left over half the screen empty, whereas in Season 2 the camera was moved down and centered on the contestants) is a minor thing overall. The bigger issue is the structure of the show, mainly due to commercial breaks. Instead of following the "Question > Commercial > Big Board > Commercial > Question > Commercial > Big Board" format, the commercial breaks are inserted in the middle of the Big Board rounds, with no break between the Question and Big Board rounds. It ends up making the whole thing feel off-kilter.

** In the July 28, 2022 episode of the revival, [[spoiler: the winning contestant had over $420,000 including two cars, a cruise to both Antarctica, the North ''and'' South Poles, and a Harley Davidson motorcycle. Most contestants would stop right there. The contestant instead goes into the final round, and ''hits a Whammy on the penultimate spin, losing everything, when they were a little over $60k away from the million''. As Todd Newton once said, "that was the most ''painful'' Whammy in television history." They still left with $27,750 in cash when it was all said and done, but that could have been ''so much more''.]]

* AdaptationDisplacement: ''Press Your Luck'' was a retooling of the 1977 Creator/{{ABC}} game ''Series/SecondChance'', also by Bill Carruthers. It doesn't help that only three episodes of ''Second Chance'' are known to exist, with a fourth on audiotape.

* AuthorsSavingThrow: Amid complaints that the reboot's BonusRound drug on for too long, season 2 saw the second round[[note]]the one with $15,000 as the top prize[[/note]] removed, taking the total number of rounds down from six to five. This had the intended effect of making the round go much quicker; however, as a pleasant side effect, it also made big wins more commonplace since not only was it easier to reach the final round, but said round no longer had cheap $15,000 spaces cluttering the board.

* CriticalResearchFailure: The June 14, 1985, episode had a question regarding ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'' and who said "Sufferin' Succotash!" Although all three contestants answered with Sylvester (who is commonly associated with it), Peter Tomarken revealed that the answer was in fact ''WesternAnimation/DaffyDuck'' (who also uses the phrase, but very infrequently). This mistake prompted Creator/MelBlanc (who voiced both) to call the show and explain the mistake. In his Sylvester voice. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpKjGWBBrNE Here's]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wNWbNm_hLI the]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lvNKSQpVKos episode.]] After the call, Peter stated that the three contestants would be invited back.