Leslie Jones Explains Why She Was So Excited to Host a Reboot of ‘Supermarket Sweep’
Leslie Jones is back on TV, but not on Saturday Night Live. The comedian is hosting a reboot of the classic ‘90s game show Supermarket Sweep, and she couldn’t be more excited.
What is ‘Supermarket Sweep’?
For those who don’t remember, Supermarket Sweep featured teams of contestants answering trivia questions about products found in the typical supermarket. Correct answers won a team more time during the “sweep” portion of the game, when players would race through the store, filling their carts with the highest-priced items they could find. The team whose cart was worth the most advanced to a bonus round, where they had the chance to win $5,000.
Leslie Jones was a big fan of the original ‘Supermarket Sweep’
“I just loved the whole game,” Jones told USA Today. “And I had a mission of winning that $5,000. Back in the day, $5,000 was a lot of money. Now, I didn’t know the taxes involved and I probably would have walked away with, like, $16.62, but I still wanted to win that money. It was just such an exciting show.”
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Jones explained that part of the appeal of the show was that it was different from a program like Jeopardy! “Supermarket Sweep was one of those game shows where it was like, you don’t even have to really be smart. I know grocery stores, and I know what the hell is expensive and what’s not. It’s just a show for regular people,” she said.
How the new ‘Supermarket Sweep’ will be different
The rebooted version of Supermarket Sweep will stick to the spirit and format of the original. But there will be a few differences. For one, there’s a lot more money at stake. Rather than $5,000, contestants have the chance to win $100,000.
“Especially during COVID, for us to be able to give this type of money away is life-changing and wonderful,” Jones said to EW. “Think about when you watch a game show and it’s a regular person — like a mailman or garbage man, which are the most important people in our lives, by the way — and these people get to win $100,000. It’s very emotional. I’m proud of my game show. I’m proud of us coming up with this in this time. I’m proud of us being able to help people.”
Food from the show was also donated to local food banks.
Another change from the 1990s version of the show is the location. The previous incarnation was taped in an actual grocery store. But the new show takes place in an airport hangar made to look like a supermarket. The change was necessary to ensure that COVID-19 safety precautions could be followed.
Supermarket Sweet premieres Sunday, Oct. 18 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
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