Academy Mission: Supermarket Sweep!!

Ch 5: The Big Sweep

Chapter 5: The Big Sweep

"Before we begin" Ed says as we gather around him. "I want to remind you that there are certain penalties. No running over cameramen. That's $25 off your total if you do. No knocking stuff off the shelf and leaving it there. If you knock something down, you need to pick it up and put it back, otherwise $25 off per item. We want to stay safe right?" We all nod and take our positions on the set.

"Action!!" Ed calls and the host Mr. Blake starts his dialogue.

"Welcome back! It's time for the Big Sweep. Everything you see is up for grabs, now listen carefully our biggest money maker is the International Bread stand. I want you to bring me 2 poppy seed bagels, 1 croissant and 1 dinner roll. Put them in a bag and seal it with a twist tie and get it over the red line before time is up and I'll give you $250 added to your total!!" We all cheer at the prompting of the director and I make a mental note to remember all the breads and quantities.

"Now throughout the store there are two monitors with clues. You figure out the clues, get the product and get it over your team's red line before the time is up and I'll give you $200!!!

Also don't forget our candy and coffee are worth $100 each and our inflatable bonus specials can be worth up to $250!" Mr. Blake concludes the extra opportunities to win money, mostly for the viewer audience's benefit as we've already been told all of this. "The team that brings in the most money gets a chance to win $5000 in the bonus sweep!! Luke you're starting first, ready.....GO!!"

We all shop at the same time, but the team with the most time goes first, after ten seconds I will go, then the last team when it's down to their time. I grab the handlebar of my shopping cart ready to go while North rubs my shoulders like I'm about to go in the ring and knock someone out. At the go, he smacks my butt and it startles me enough to run faster! I head down the home and garden aisle and grab the garden hoses they have marked at $20 a piece. We are only allowed to grab five of the same item so I grab five then go to the next aisle which has hygiene and beauty products. Razors, hair dye, and tampons are the highest priced items in this aisle. I grab five of each and head to the meat section where I run into Luke and his cameraman. I totally forgot about them and quickly look over my shoulder to see Silas, he gives me a thumbs up and I continue to load items into my cart.

I grab the expensive hams thinking they will be really heavy, but they weren't. I soon realize the meat and diary are actually fake and made out of a thick plastic!! I toss in five hams and want to toss in more, but my cart is full. I have to drop this one off for North to unload and take an empty one. Racing back I pass Suzie and an inflatable Green Giant bonus. I grab him and race to the start, dropping off my cart and grabbing an empty one.

Since the bread counter is near the front I quickly stop, grab a bag and fill it with 2 poppy seed bagels, 1 dinner roll and 1 croissant. I twist a tie on it and hurriedly take it to North at the cashier counter.

I race back to the meat aisle and push a tv screen along the way. The screen says "hotdogs" Now to just find the other screen to get the second clue...

After loading 5 whole chickens, 5 blocks of cheese, 5 baby formulas and 5 aluminum pans I race back to drop off my cart. I spot the other screen and punch the button for the clue. "Farmer". I got it! Farmer Johns Hot Dogs!! I leave my cart and grab a package back at the meat section, race back and throw it into my waiting shopping basket.

When I drop off my cart North has a new one ready for me, "Sang thirty seconds!! Get the detergent and then the coffee!!"

I race to the detergent knowing I need to have the product in my cart before the bell sounds. I throw the boxes in and race to the coffee bonus. I look past me and notice Luke is getting the candy bonus where you have to put one pound of loose candy in a bag and put a twist tie on it. For the coffee bonus I have to grind one pound of coffee through the machine then tie a twist tie around the bag.

I grab a bag and pour the beans in the top of the machine and then place the bag underneath. While the machine is doing it's job I grab some items near me including 5 large packs of batteries and 5 rolls of aluminum foil. The coffee is done and I grab a twist tie.

Five!!

I tie the twisty tie around the bag.

Four!!

Anything in my cart when the bell rings counts towards my total, but bonus items need to be across the red line before the bell and coffee is a bonus item.

Three!!

I leave my cart and race towards the front.

Two!!

I don't have enough time so I throw the bag to North from about twenty feet away. He catches it just as time is up. AMAZING!!!

One!!! The bell rings and Mr. Blake comes out from the side.

"Alright! Our checkers are standing by and we will find out in just a little bit which team has the highest total and will be looking for $5,000 in the Bonus Sweep! Stay right there, we'll be right back!"

"Cut!!" Ed shouts. "Okay everyone back to the green room, while we total everything and display it pretty."

A group of crew members come out and start scanning products while stacking them and placing them in bags. The bonus items are put in the front on display, so the host can call them out when we film the totals segment.

Running through the store was kind of strange. In the episode we saw, the announcer was commenting on everything the players were doing, but when we ran it was completely silent except for the fake applause and our team members cheering for us. I guess they add in the voice-over from the announcer after they piece together all the film.

We rest in the green room and eat some food from the craft service table. "That was exhausting!" Gabriel announces.

"You didn't even run!" I say with a laugh.

"Just watching you guys do it was enough for me!" He replies back.

"Did you see that inflatable, Sang Baby got?" North says, seeming in a better mood than earlier. "It was bigger than her!" My guys laugh and I guess the plastic giant was kind of tall, but that's kind of the point, right?

We get called back out to the set and I'm nervous to hear our final totals. I hope we won so we can make it to the bonus round!