In terms of syndicated game shows where an overly enthusiastic host instructs contestants to run through a grocery store and throw expensive hams, cheese wedges, and frozen turkeys into their carts, Supermarket Sweep was the best. Even if everything was a lie. The Sweep, as no one called it, has been off the air since 2003, but SNL resurrected it as Supermarket Spree in a cut sketch from Melissa McCarthy’s slightly off episode.
It’s way better than most of the stuff that made it to air. McCarthy plays a contestant with a plan — a plan that involves going into the employee’s only section for a $1,300 side of Kobe beef and $2,500 worth of tuna. She also puts a deli slicer, the aforementioned cheese wedges, and, after a brief mayonnaise break, a cash register into her cart. It’s a smart strategy. Makes you wonder why anyone on Supermarket Sweep bothered with dumb diapers.
