The billionaire, who hadn't visited a grocery store in a long time, struggled to guess the right prices of grocery store items.
Bill Gates has immense wealth and influence, making him one of the richest individuals in the world. However, living as a billionaire might mean that his day-to-day experiences might differ vastly from the average person's. Thus, it's hardly surprising that Gates seems a bit out of touch with the prices of everyday items such as groceries. Ellen DeGeneres decided to test his knowledge of the cost of grocery store items on her show. The humorous clip shared on YouTube showcased the ultra-rich's disconnect from the everyday lives of the working class.
The clip begins with DeGeneres asking Gates, "When's the last time that you have been at a supermarket?" Standing next to her, Gates responds, "A long time ago." She explains to him that the audience will get something if he guesses three out of five products within the difference of a dollar. If he manages to guess all of the products, she hilariously states that she would pay off all of his kids' student loans. The first product is Rice-A-Roni, which Gates assumes to be $5.
The audience exclaims in shock at his guess and he points out, "The audience didn't like that." She reveals that the product only costs a dollar, which meant that Gates' guess was off by quite a bit. Surprised by the lower price, Gates remarks he would happily buy five. The second product is Tide Pods, which Gates thinks is $4 in price. His guess gets the audience making some noise again and he assumes that they want him to guess a higher number. "Let's go with $10," he says.
However, Tide Pods turned out to be $19, making Gates' guess very inaccurate. DeGeneres comments, "It's expensive to do laundry!" As they go to the next product, which is dental floss, he comments that he probably has the best chance of guessing the price because he flosses his teeth regularly. He suggests that it probably costs $4 and DeGeneres shares with him that the product is actually $3.78, marking his first correct guess in the game. The duo move on to the next product, which is Totino's Pizza Rolls.
"I'll go with $22," Gates says but faces a lot of noise from the audience who is trying to steer him in the right direction. His next guess is $15, for which the audience again makes noise, indicating that they want him to go lower. Gates finally settles on $8, which turns out to be correct, as it is priced at $8.98. The final product is TGI Friday's Frozen Spinach and Artichoke Dip, for which he receives help from the audience again and decides to give his answer as $4, which is correct. The clip ends with DeGeneres sharing that the audience has won the opportunity to return to one of her "12 Days of Giveaways."
Viewers enjoyed watching the billionaire guess grocery prices, sharing their thoughts in the comments section. @Hangnailer47 commented, "Bill Gates has just realized his shopper has been swindling him out of $4 on Rice-A-Roni this whole time." @arianahans338 highlighted, "When a billionaire thinks $19-20 for Tide Pods is expensive, you know they gotta lower it." @minttea2509 said, "The thing I just love about him is that he looks and acts like your friendly neighborhood grandad."
Editor's note: This article was originally published on April 17, 2024. It has since been updated.