Supermarket Sweep Has Been Around Longer Than You Thought
If you're one of the many people who considers themselves to be an expert in all things rooted in nostalgia, then you're probably no stranger to the iconic game show known as "Supermarket Sweep." Once hosted by long-time TV personality David Ruprecht, it is exactly what it sounds like: A "game show that involves adult humans running around supermarkets like absolute maniacs," according to Eater. And while the show became extremely popular throughout the '90s and early 2000s, it was actually on air earlier than you probably knew.
According to Women's Health, the '90s installment of "Supermarket Sweep" aired on both Lifetime and the PAX network during the duration of its run, which lasted until 2002. Though the only version of the show that you may know of is from that era, riddled with contestants wearing geometric-print shirts, acid wash jeans, and fan-flared hair, the truth is that the inaugural run of "Supermarket Sweep" actually debuted in 1965 on ABC. As MeTV notes, the original version of the show ran until 1967 and was filmed at various Food Fair stores in New York City. It was originally hosted by Bill Malone during the early run, though other than that the show wasn't much different from its '90s reboot — three teams of two players answered a series of questions about grocery store products, and at the end of each round, they'd have the chance to run through aisles to collect the goods. The more they stocked up on, the better as the team with the highest grocery bill got to return for the next episode.
Another reboot of "Supermarket Sweet" aired in 2020
Though it was more than two decades before "Supermarket Sweep" got its initial revamp in the '90s, ABC — the network that initially aired the show in the '60s — called for a second reboot, which began airing in October 2020 (via The Ringer). And while not much changed about the format of the show from either of its predecessor eras, there is one main thing that fans may have noticed: a Black woman — instead of a white man — is the host this time around. ABC tapped comedian Leslie Jones to guide contestants on product-riddled scavenger hunts, marking the first time in the show's history that both a person of color and a woman has hosted the popular game show.
Aside from Jones joining the show, however, things are pretty much still the same. IMDB describes the reboot as having three teams of couples "battle it out using their grocery shopping skills and knowledge of merchandise to win big cash prizes." And, if you've actually seen any of the versions, the contestants definitely make it look fun while doing so. While there hasn't been any recent news of an upcoming Season 2 of the newest iteration — and any possible production might be delayed to the pandemic – here's hoping that it lasts just as long as the installment from the '90s. Or, at very minimum, longer than ABC initially kept it around.