The Ultimate Price is Right Strategy Guide: Pay the Rent

Pay the Rent

Rules

6 grocery items are shown, as is a "house" with 4 floors. The bottom floor of the house has room for 1 item, the second and third floors have room for two items each, and the top floor has room for the last grocery item. The contestant must arrange the items so that each floor is worth more than the floor below it. The bottom floor is worth $1,000; the second floor is worth $5,000; the third floor is worth $10,000; the top floor is worth $100,000. For each floor the contestant has right, they win that amount of money. After each floor is revealed, the contestant can stop with the money or continue. If they continue and the next floor's worth is less than the last floor's worth, they lose everything.

Random fact

When they first debuted this game in season 39, they usually arranged it so there was only one possible solution. However, since season 43, there have been at least two possible solutions to every playing. Thus, most of my stats will be from season 43 onward.

Win-loss record

• Actual (seasons 39-47): 5-75 (6.25%)
• What it would be by random chance: N/180, where N is the number of solutions the game has. For example, if the setup has exactly two solutions, then the probability of winning by random chance would be 2/180 (1.11%).

The game had exactly how many solutions? (seasons 43-47)

• 1: 0 playings (0%)
• 2: 9 playings (23.08%)
• 3: 23 playings (58.97%)
• 4: 2 playings (5.13%)
• 5: 1 playing (2.56%)
• 6: 1 playing (2.56%)
• 7: 0 playings (0%)
• 8: 1 playing (2.56%)
• 9: 1 playings (2.56%)
• 10: 0 playings (0%)
• 11: 1 playings (2.56%)
• 12 or more: 0 playings (0%)

How often was each combination a correct solution? (seasons 43-47)

• (1) < (2) + (3) < (4) + (5) < (6): 2 playings (5.13%)
• (1) < (2) + (4) < (3) + (5) < (6): 3 playings (7.69%)
• (1) < (2) + (5) < (3) + (4) < (6): 3 playings (7.69%)
• (1) < (3) + (4) < (2) + (5) < (6): 3 playings (7.69%)
• (2) < (1) + (3) < (4) + (5) < (6): 2 playings (5.13%)
• (2) < (1) + (4) < (3) + (5) < (6): 3 playings (7.69%)
• (2) < (1) + (5) < (3) + (4) < (6): 20 playings (51.28%)
• (2) < (3) + (4) < (1) + (5) < (6): 9 playings (23.08%)
• (3) < (1) + (2) < (4) + (5) < (6): 1 playing (2.56%)
• (3) < (1) + (4) < (2) + (5) < (6): 7 playings (17.95%)
• (3) < (1) + (5) < (2) + (4) < (6): 13 playings (33.33%)
• (3) < (2) + (4) < (1) + (5) < (6): 25 playings (64.10%)
• (4) < (1) + (3) < (2) + (5) < (6): 2 playings (5.13%)
• (4) < (1) + (5) < (2) + (3) < (6): 4 playings (10.26%)
• (4) < (2) + (3) < (1) + (5) < (6): 32 playings (82.05%)
• (5) < (1) + (3) < (2) + (4) < (6): 1 playing (2.56%)
• (5) < (1) + (4) < (2) + (3) < (6): 2 playings (5.13%)
• (5) < (2) + (3) < (1) + (4) < (6): 2 playings (5.13%)

(1) means the cheapest item, (2) means the second cheapest item, and so forth. The percentages add up to over 100 because there are multiple solutions that can win the game.

Strategy

Step 1: Decide how much you want to play for

Your strategy changes based on whether you'll be happy with the $10,000 or go for the whole $100,000.  Given the unlikelihood of winning $100,000*, I personally would go for the $10,000, but it's entirely up to you. 

*Exception: if you're playing this during a season opening show or Big Money Week, the producers may have set this up to be much easier than usual. Use your judgement to decide if they're doing that or not.

Step 2a: If you're playing for $10,000

If you're playing for $10,000, just put the items from cheapest to most expensive. You'll have wiggle room to make mistakes, and if there's an item you're not sure of at all, just wait until the end and put it in the attic. Even just having an idea of which items are cheaper and which are more expensive should result in an easy $10,000. Just remember to bail out after you reach the $10,000 mark.

Step 2b: If you're playing for $100,000

If you're going for the full $100,000, then do not, I repeat, do NOT, I repeat DO NOT place the cheapest item in the mailbox (the bottom floor). That's a guaranteed loss unless the producers are being really really nice. Instead, the correct way to play this game for $100,000 is to solve this game mentally before you give Drew any selections. You should think top to bottom, not bottom to top. The most expensive item must be placed in the attic. Then you're looking for two products whose total is just below that; mentally place those in the third floor. Then look for two items whose total is just below that; mentally place those in the second floor. Whatever's left must go in the mailbox. That's the way you have to do it--if you just place items on each floor without thinking about the placements on the other floors, you're going to have to get really lucky to win the full $100,000.

All that said, do note there is one combination that is quite frequently correct: (4) < (2) + (3) < (1) + (5) < (6) wins over 82% of the time. If you know the prices of each of the items but can't do the mental arithmetic to figure what goes where, follow that particular pattern.