The 1970s has been identified as the heyday for TV game shows in the United States. There were a wide variety available with the popular games from the 60s staying on air and with new games added every year.
Some—Match Game, Hollywood Squares, Pyramid—featured celebrities helping regular people win. Others—The Dating Game, The Newlywed Game, Family Feud—included plenty of double entendre and played mainly for laughs.
A few—The Price Is Right, Jeopardy!, Wheel Of Fortune—survived the 70s and are still popular today. And some—Let's Make A Deal, Password—were revived in recent years for new audiences to enjoy.
The prizes from back in the 70s all seem miniscule by today's standards.
A very popular prize in the 70s was a lifetime supply of some product. Rice-a-Roni was such a game show staple that it became a punchline on MadTV and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
Lifetime supplies aren't really associated with game shows in 2024 and are pretty rare.
They're more often part of a promotion directly from the manufacturer or a branding partner—like Mountain Dew Baja and Taco Bell. And most companies have opted for a year-long supply instead of a lifetime.
Reddit user isitterrifying asked:
"People who won a lifetime supply of a product, what did you win, how did you win it and are you still receiving said product?"
Movies At AMC Theaters
"I won a trivia thing from a radio station in 2015–the prize was a lifetime supply of passes/movie candy from AMC theaters. They gave me a gift card looking thing to show at AMC that allows up to $40 in snacks for free plus admission."
"It’s been almost ten years and this card still works."
"It’s saved my butt so many times when I was struggling financially—I could go get dinner or sit in air conditioning for a few hours."
"I’m honestly shocked that it’s still valid, but it’s probably the best thing I’ve ever won in my life."
~ Dry-Meeting-8763
Mini-Golf
"I won a lifetime pass to Smuggler's Cove mini golf when I was young by winning a monthly birthday drawing. It was in the shape of an embossed credit card."
"Raised numbers and name. They sold the location to Pirates Cove mini golf which did not honor my lifetime pass."
"Years later, Smugglers Cove returned to the original location and when I tried to use the lifetime pass, they did not honor it."
"It turns out it wasn’t valid for MY lifetime, rather the length of ownership of original Smugglers Cove mini golf course."
~ Jedidax
Dog Food
"One of my friends won a lifetime supply of dog food through a contest he entered on a whim."
"He was ecstatic at first—who wouldn’t be?—but then his dog developed an allergy to the specific brand after a year or so."
"Now he just donates the bags he still gets to the local animal shelter."
"So yeah, he’s still getting it, but it’s not exactly being used as originally planned!"
~ Ok_One501
Milk Duds
"I won a 'lifetime supply' of Milk Duds from a movie theatre contest in the 90s. But in fine print it said it was only for a year."
"I ate so much, in such a short amount of time, I am now disgusted by them."
"How it worked was, they send a big box of them every month for a year. In each box there was around 160 packs of them."
"So add that up over 12 months—1,920 boxes—and it was a ridiculous amount. Not lifetime, but close."
~ rottenragu
Movies At Marcus Theaters
"I was one of like 50 people who won a 'lifetime at the movies' contest back in 2010 from Marcus Theaters."
"They gave you a sleak, black card with an embossed metallic red 'M' on the front with 'Lifetime VIP' under it. On the back was an account number and my name."
"It allowed you to see a movie a week for free and a 75% off a second ticket if you brought a friend, along with free medium drink and large popcorn and one candy."
"I used the hell out of that card and it was great for dates."
"Then Marcus changed their rules in 2013 so I—and anyone else who had the card—could only use it for movies that had been out at least a couple of weeks and they got rid of the 75% off second ticket and made it only 25% off."
"In 2015, they stopped honoring the snacks/drinks part."
"In 2017, they just stopped honoring the cards all together."
"Still have the card just because it looks cool, and I'd never won a 'big prize' before, so it's a neat moment—but still, never trusted anything claiming to be a 'lifetime supply' ever again."
"About six years of free movies...can't really complain."
~ bschott007
Feminine Hygiene Products
"I had a (male) buddy in college whose legal name was a traditionally 'female' name who got drunk one night and entered a contest to win a lifetime supply of feminine hygiene products."
"He won and it was really awkward."
"So here's what he ended up doing: For a few years afterward, he donated to a local women's shelter and was like one of their absolute favorite people."
"Nowadays, however, he's not donating the products anymore because he ended up getting married and now has two daughters."
"I don't really ask how they feel about their husband/dad's monthly influx of pads and tampons."
~ billyhtchcoc
Oil Change
"Got lifetime oil changes from a car dealership promotion."
"They went out of business after 2 years."
~ ResearchDisastrous38
Bubble Tea
"Won a lifetime supply of bubble tea."
"I only go for one or two a month since I became pre-diabetic."
~ jayhy95
Car Washes
"'Won' a lifetime of free car washes with the purchase of my truck."
"They went out of business, but I also stopped using the service because the car washes consisted of running my truck through an old car wash that was doing more damage than good."
~ notedrive
Internet Gaming Access
"Back in the time of LAN shops/cybercafes, I won a Counterstrike tournament and was awarded with 'lifetime free gaming' at my local LAN shop."
"It was more like 50-ish free hours a year, every year. Still a decent deal."
"Unfortunately the whole cybercafe thing faded the very next year as people got home internet and places started offering free Wi-Fi and the shop closed."
~ anangrypudge
Toilet Paper
"My friend won a lifetime supply of toilet paper. It started as a joke, he entered the contest just for fun, never expecting to win."
"But then the company called him up, and next thing we know, he’s got a garage full of toilet paper because it was a one-time bulk delivery."
"The funny part is, my friend is the last person who’d ever think about needing that much toilet paper. He’s super organized, and he lives alone, so he’s always been the type to buy in bulk and have a stockpile of essentials. Winning this contest was like hitting the jackpot for him."
"He got so much toilet paper that he ended up giving it away to friends and family. For months, everyone knew that if they were running low, they could just call him up. He even donated a bunch to local shelters, which was really cool."
"The supply lasted a lot longer than he expected, but eventually, it ran out. It was a good run, though."
"He said it felt like a little bit of a burden had been lifted when he finally had to go out and buy toilet paper again."
~ SweettLily
Jelly Belly Beans
"I won a 'lifetime supply' of jellybeans from Jelly Belly when I was a teenager."
"I had the option of one delivery of a 3kg (6.6lbs) bag, or three deliveries over the course of a year of one 1kg (2.2lbs) bag."
"I was forced by my mother to choose the second option so I didn’t gorge myself."
"According to their own website, there are 882 Jelly Belly beans in one kilo. So I won 2,646 beans for a lifetime supply."
~ recyclemen
Pasta
"I won a lifetime supply of pasta!"
"A supermarket closed down its branch in my town and gave away all their products in a series of raffles."
"I bought a ticket for 2 bucks at a festival and ended up winning their entire pasta section."
~ AngelSava21
Donuts
"Donuts. I get 365 donuts a year—split up monthly—from a local donut shop in my home town."
"I give them to a children’s home who in turn gives them to kids for their birthday that month."
"It was a smart move by the donut shop because to make sure everyone gets their fill I pay to double the order plus I get them juice and milk."
"I won this 16 years ago and they have always honored the prize."
"I pay the difference between however many I'd get that month and 8 dozen donuts plus orange juice and milk every month. The donut place has embraced this and actually handles everything—delivering it all to the home—and I just foot the bill."
"If I hadn't been on a no carb phase in my life when I won, I'd probably be eating them instead of giving them away."
~ tavariusbukshank
Pentel Pens
"Pentel pens in a writing contest. I won 30 years ago."
"I got an engraved executive pen when I won, but I also get a 12 pack of EnerGels a year, two alloy barrels, and one Libretto. They usually send me a 3 pack of any new pens or colors coming out, too."
"I've been to their headquarters and factory in Japan. I explained who I was and what I had won, which they verified with order and shipping history."
"I got to take an in-depth tour with a Executive Vice President (SrEVP) and got sets of drafting pencils (GraphGear Sharps), unique Japanese pens, and an original 1962 Sign Pen."
"I had won when I was younger, several years later I was in Japan training in judo. I literally walked into their building to the receptionist and explained who I was. A man came out, took my info and story, then left."
"He came back with some papers, which turned out to be a copy of every shipment they'd sent. He was surprised i was telling the truth!"
"He went and got the SrEVP, and with my friend translating, we had a great time. They were still making some of their best fountain and executive pens by hand and that was 1999."
"I posted a pic of one of my latest hauls. EnerGel infree in wild colors and Floatune art pens that I use for writing—amazing pens."
~ Dark_Energy_13
Have you or anyone you know won a lifetime supply of something?
