It’s the most elegant, synergistic melding of product placement and entertainment ever concocted: a supermarket game show in which contestants showcase their knowledge of grocery brands and then scurry around the linoleum, filling their carts. That was the appeal behind the original 1960s Supermarket Sweep and its popular 1990s reboot. Sure, Ken Jennings is leading the Jeopardy! tourney, but does he know the price of a gallon of milk? Last August, Leslie Jones announced that she’d be executive producing and hosting a reboot of Supermarket Sweep, and on Wednesday, ABC announced that it will add the series to its retro-game-show slate. The series will be produced by British company Fremantle.
On Wednesday, ABC shared a statement from Jones about the upcoming series:
“I’ve always dreamed of being on Supermarket Sweep,†said Leslie Jones. “Seriously, I tried out for the show years ago, and after getting turned away, I knew I’d have to take matters into my own hands. Being able to bring the iconic game show back to life on ABC is my ultimate redemption story!â€
This raises some questions. Namely: Who on earth was the casting director for the ’90s-era Supermarket Sweep, and why on earth did they turn Jones down? She’d be game-show gold! Also, when does the series premiere? ABC didn’t reveal an air date, and we’re on tenterhooks. In the meantime, you can always watch Guy Fieri’s souped-up take on the format, Guy’s Grocery Games, which airs approximately one thousand times a day.