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I saw a Forum discussion topic at SweepsAdvantage / SweepstakesPlus that really grabbed my attention.  The title of the thread is “Asked To Audition For The Sweepstakes TV Pilot”.  To paraphrase, apparently TLC (The Learning Channel) is producing a show called “High Stakes Sweepers” that is likely to be similar to their “Extreme Couponing” show.

Here are my thoughts.  Many of us use coupons, but not to the extent that the people profiled in the Couponing show do.  It is impressive how much they can shave off their grocery bills.  It also makes them look like loons when they send their kids in dumpster diving for Sunday inserts, or have a special room to house their 700 tubes of toothpaste.  I'm sure it also alerts store owners that accepting an unlimited number of coupons could cost them a bundle.  The show has probably caused plenty of store managers to rethink their coupon policies.

What does this mean for sweepstakes?  Hard to say.  Although people love the idea of “something for nothing”, quite a lot of them won't be willing to put the time in.  I don't foresee an upsurge in dedicated sweepers.  Sponsors do make changes over time, but again, I don't see how a sweepstakes show could trigger anything drastic.  In the early days of mailed sweeps, I'm told you could win by placing your entry in a gaudy envelope.  To maintain fairness, you'll notice that postal sweeps will now specify what kind of envelope they will accept.  The internet brought about other changes, like the inclusion of captcha codes on the entry forms to make sure that the form was being completed by a human.

The sponsors already know we're here.  My hope is that “High Stakes Sweepers” doesn't make us look like desperate idiots to the people who are discovering us for the first time.  If we're lucky, sponsors will appreciate the exposure and offer us even more sweepstakes!