30-Second Shootout

## Chronology

"*It's time for the 30-Second Shootout. Let me explain how this works: Inside this card is a/an 5/6 letter name of a product. One of you has to get your partner to say that product, but you can only do it one letter at a time. For example: COAST. You might say "The state where you lived in...", which is in California, and the first letter is C. Once you get the first letter, you move on to the next one, hopefully your partner guesses the name of a product. You can use your friends' name, parents, teachers, kids, product names, anything you want. Who's gonna give the clues? (Insert member) You're gonna give the clues. If you can do it in 30/40 seconds, we'll add 30 seconds onto your Sweep Time. You have 30/40 seconds. Take a moment to look at it... and go*"
―David Ruprecht (Lifetime run)
"*It's time for the 30-Second Shootout! Let me explain how this works: I have a card here with a list of words. The first letters of each of these words spell out either an item or a brand name from our market. You can do whatever you can to get your partner to say each of these words, short of saying the words themselves. If you're stuck on a word, just say "pass" and go on to the next one and if time permits, you can go back. Now, after 30 seconds, your clues have to stop. (Partner), if you identify the item or brand name, we'll add 30 seconds onto your Sweep time. You have 30 seconds to win 30 seconds, starting right now. Go!*"
―David Ruprecht (PAX run)
**30-Second Shootout** is a special game found on *Supermarket Sweep*. Played during the Question Round, the game involved both teammates having to work together. One player was shown a product name and that player had to give clues to their partner in which the answer to the clue would start with the letter used next in the product name.

## Premise

At the beginning of the second segment of the question round, both contestants on a team played an individual game of 30-Second Shootout, which banked the team 30 seconds of sweep time. Each team took turns by playing the game individually. The format usually consisted of a contestant guessing a series of words using the clues given by his or her partner. The first letter of each correct answer was a letter in the name of a brand name or item from the market. Regardless if the word was fully spelled out by the time the buzzer sounded, the team would still earn 30 seconds if they could correctly identify the product. Each of the teams had 30 seconds to achieve this (40 in 1994), and if a word was accidentally blurted out by the clue-giver, the team was automatically disqualified. (The first three times that this was played, one contestant had to guess the names of three different products from clues that were given by his or her partner. The product images were shown to home viewers. Correct guesses were worth 10 seconds each for a total of 30 seconds.)

## Variants

* During the Lifetime era, the clue-giver tried to get his/her partner to say any word or a name beginning with the appropriate letter. The guesser then had to identify the product before time ran out. An additional rule was that once a clue was used on one of the words in the list, it was not to be used again (doing so would lead to disqualification of that team).
* In the PAX run, pre-selected words to which their initials spell out the product's name were given to the clue-giver and s/he simply had to convey them to his/her partner. If the giver gets stuck s/he can pass and go to the next word. The "no repetitions" rule was lifted, meaning that a player could reuse clues they've already used. When time was up, that's when the teammate guessing tried to guess the product using the letters revealed, although s/he can guess while the clock was still ticking.
* On some episodes, an alternative format was used with a picture of a product shown. Each clue changed the product's picture and each correct guess awarded 10 seconds. Guessing all three awarded the full 30 seconds.

## List of Items

* Barilla (pasta)
* Mentos (breath mints)
* Revlon (makeup)

## Gallery

The 30-Second Shootout being played in 1993.The 30-Second Shootout being played in 1994. Notice that 10 extra seconds were added to the clock.The 30-Second Shootout being played in 2001. Note that the on-screen clock is absent.Another game from 2001, this time with the on-screen clock present.Here the again, this time in 2002. This team has six seconds left, and they have most of this product's brand name revealed. Bet you can get this one!