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| The Price Is Right | |
|---|---|
| File:Priceisright.jpg | |
| Created by | Bob Stewart |
| Developed by | Mark Goodson Bill Todman |
| Starring | Bob Barker |
| Country of origin | USA |
| No. of episodes | 6,411 as of June 27, 2006 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 40-44 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Network | CBS |
| Release | September 4, 1972 – present |
The Price Is Right is a popular American game show based on contestants guessing the retail prices of featured prizes and other promotional products. The modern United States version, which premiered on September 4, 1972 and is hosted by Bob Barker, still airs today on CBS.
TV Guide named The Price Is Right the "greatest game show of all time"[citation needed]. It is only one of two game-show franchises to be seen nationally in either first-run network or syndication airings in every decade from the 1950s onward; the other is To Tell the Truth. Price is reflected in pop culture by phrases such as "Come on down!" and "This showcase (or prize) can be yours if the price is right!"
Overview
The 1972 daytime incarnation of The Price Is Right has the distinction of being the longest-running game show in North American television history. It has surpassed the previous record of 17 years and seven months set by What's My Line?. Still airing today, it continues to extend its record, and has aired more than 6,000 episodes. Notably, it is also the only daytime game show that has aired regularly on United States network television since January 1994.
The show's host, Bob Barker, has hosted every episode of the CBS daytime version except three – Dennis James subbed for him briefly in December 1974 because of an illness. Today, a scheduled taping is postpoined in the event Barker is unavailable.
The show unexpectedly garnered younger college-age viewers in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Barker theorizes that they acquired these fans from his appearance in the Adam Sandler frat house favorite Happy Gilmore. He also suspects that these viewers remember the show from when they were children and their parents watched the show.
Johnny Olson was the show's original announcer. Olson, who never missed an episode, died following a brain hemorrhage in 1985, and shortly afterward, Rod Roddy was chosen to succeed him. Roddy continued to do the show, when able, until shortly before his death on October 27, 2003. Rich Fields was named the CBS version's third permanent announcer on April 4, 2004.
See the announcers for information on the announcers of The Price Is Right.
The catchphrase "Come on down!" did not become popular until the mid-1970s. In fact, for the first few episodes taped, Johnny Olson announced the names of the first four contestants and told them to "stand up," and then said, "Come on down and play The New Price Is Right!" Olson also originated the revival's two famous opening lines:
(30-minute version) A fortune in fabulous prizes may go to these people today if they know when The Price Is Right!
(60-minute version) Here it comes! Television's most exciting hour of fantastic prizes! The fabulous, sixty-minute 'Price Is Right'!
In 1998, after Studio 33 was renamed in the host's honor, the line From the Bob Barker Studio at CBS in Hollywood! was added after "Here it comes!".
The show's main theme was written by Sheila Cole. Much of the prize music, written by noted composer Edd Kalehoff, has been around since 1972, with additional pieces from 1976, 1983, 2003, and music transplanted from the 1994 syndicated version in the rotation as well.
Bob Barker serves as the show's host and executive producer; Roger Dobkowitz produces, while Kathy "Fingers" Greco is associate producer. Frank Wayne, a Goodson-Todman staffer since the 1950s, was the revival's original executive producer; previous producers include Jay Wolpert, Barbara Hunter, and Frank Wayne's son, Phil Wayne Rossi.
The current version of the series was originally a Mark Goodson/Bill Todman production in association with CBS. After Todman died in 1979, the unit became known as simply Mark Goodson Productions, and was announced as such on The Price Is Right beginning in 1984. Today, the series is produced by The Price Is Right Productions, a joint venture of RTL Group and CBS.
The Price Is Right series
1956-1965 version
1972 daytime version and related versions
The most recognized version of the show premiered September 4, 1972 on CBS and has been hosted by Bob Barker through its entire broadcast run. The show was first called The New Price is Right (and shortly afterward simply renamed The Price Is Right), and still airs today. It is the only daytime network game show currently in production.
From 1972 to 1975, The Price Is Right was a half-hour long. It featured three pricing games rather than six. The top 2 winners of the day participated in the Showcase. This was changed in 1975 to the hour-long version that continues today. In this version, the two Showcase participants are determined by a Showcase Showdown between the first three and last three contestants to play a pricing game.
Other short-lived versions of the show have aired as well. A weekly syndicated version of the show aired from 1972 through 1980. This show was hosted by Dennis James from 1972 to 1977, then Bob Barker from 1977 to 1980.
Two daily syndicated versions were attempted: in 1985 with host Tom Kennedy (The Nighttime Price Is Right), and in 1994 with host Doug Davidson (The New Price Is Right). Both were quickly cancelled—Kennedy's after a year, Davidson's after five months.
The Kennedy version was played exactly the same way as the first three seasons and the original syndicated run, with the two highest winners advancing to the Showcase.
Some of the Davidson version's concepts became part of European versions starting with Bruce Forsyth's British version in 1995.
The Kennedy version experimented with a $500 perfect bid bonus, which the daytime show adopted in 1998, and the Davidson version's doors were used in the daytime version starting in September 1996, albeit repainted with the patterns from the daytime doors.
Prime time specials
A series of six nighttime specials aired on Thursday nights during the summer of 1986. Up against the powerhouse NBC sitcom The Cosby Show, the show fared relatively poorly. In these episodes, host Barker wore a tuxedo, and colored spotlights surrounded the Big Doors.
In 1996, CBS aired an hour-long 25th Anniversary Special, using the half-hour gameplay format and featuring a number of retrospective clips. Ratings were markedly better, but it would be another five years before TPiR returned to primetime. A 30th anniversary special was recorded at Harrah's Rio in Las Vegas and was plagued with problems. The situation with potential audience members before the Vegas show started with confusion, then quickly degraded almost to chaos; as such, another road trip is unlikely. However, Harrah's and the producers have since agreed to do live licensed shows (dubbed The Price Is Right - LIVE) at their venues, with several performers (including Roger Lodge and Todd Newton) hosting and Randy West or Daniel Rosen announcing. It is highly speculated among some fans that the stage show may be being used to groom Price's next host.
Despite the production problems, more primetime shows were planned, albeit back at CBS Television City. Six nighttime specials saluting various branches of the United States armed forces and for police officers & firefighters aired during the summer of 2002, as a tribute to the heroes of the terrorist attacks of 2001. During the Military Specials, a $1 on the bonus spin in the Showcase Showdown would have been worth $100,000 instead of the usual $10,000; this prize went unclaimed.
The "Million Dollar Spectaculars"
Since 2003, fifteen nighttime "Million Dollar Spectaculars" have been aired, with the most recent one, originally intended for May 6, 2005, airing on February 14, 2006.
On the Million Dollar Spectaculars, the bonus spin payoff was again increased, to $1,000,000. Beginning on the fourth Million Dollar Spectacular, the winner of the Showcase earns a million-dollar spin if there was no bonus spin during either of the episode's Showcase Showdowns; during these post-Showcase spins, hitting a green section does not earn any money.
The rule in place for the fourth through 12th specials in case of a Showcase double-overbid was that a random audience member would be called onstage for a million-dollar spin; such a spinner would retain their eligibility to be called as a regular contestant on a future episode. Sometime during the fifth set of Million Dollar Spectaculars, the double overbid rule was changed to award the spin to the contestant who made the smaller overbid.
No one has claimed the million dollar prize through the first fifteen MDS shows; seven contestants (as of this writing) have had the wheel stop on .05, one wedge away from the $1 million jackpot; two of these seven contestants have had the wheel stop on the peg that seperates the .05 wedge from the jackpot. The lack of big wins is notable given the relative frequency of $10,000 wins on the daytime show.
Only one primetime bonus spin, on one of the '86 specials, has actually stopped on the dollar.
"Gameshow Marathon"
TPIR was the first of seven classic game show formats set to be played on the CBS Gameshow Marathon, whose episode aired May 31, 2006. Ricki Lake served as host, while celebrities played as contestants. The show did not take place on the current set, but on a specially-designed smaller set in a different studio at CBS Television City; however, Marathon used props from the current TPIR (including the Big Wheel and Plinko Board), along with appearances by TPIR models and announcer Rich Fields.
The marathon episode for the most part used Price's half-hour gameplay format; however, due to the popularity of the Big Wheel, a Showcase Showdown was inserted after the third game, with two of its participants advancing to the Showcase.
Game description
The current one-hour show follows the following outline:
- Opening, four contestants selected for Contestants' Row
- "First Half," three contestants win bids and play pricing games, while openings in Contestants' Row are filled from the audience.
- First Showcase Showdown at the Big Wheel (anywhere from :22-:31 past the hour)
- "Second Half," three more contestants win bids and play pricing games, while openings in Contestants' Row are filled from the audience
- Second Showcase Showdown at the Big Wheel (at approx :45 past the hour)
- Showcase presentations, bids, and then finale
Audience and contestant selection
Many audience members arrive early on the day of a taping. Most have already received tickets for that day's show, although some hope to get same-day tickets. Audience members are then given the famous name tags with a temporary identification number. The ID number is also written on the person's ticket. Audience members are eventually brought through in groups of ten for brief interviews with Stan Blits, the show's music director/contestant coordinator. (Until partway through Season 32, these interviews were conducted by one of the producers.) Social Security Numbers are also checked for tax reporting of potential prize winners.
Contestant names are not chosen at random. Rather, the interviews determine possible selections for the nine contestants per taping from among the pool of approximately 320 audience members.
With few exceptions (including previous contestants and political candidates), anyone at least 18 years old who attends a taping of the show has the potential to become a contestant on The Price Is Right.
Production
Set features
The basic permanent set includes the audience seating and the stage. Contestants' Row is built into the center of the front of that stage, with steps on each end, although it is preferred, due to camera positioning, that the contestants use the steps closest to the right as viewed when looking at the audience.
On stage are three sets of large, paneled, sliding doors (the Big Doors), as well as a platform with rotating walls (the Turntable). Pricing games and prizes are typically placed in these areas. There are also a giant price tag prop, a fly curtain, and a red curtain on wheels to conceal prizes and games; the fly curtain is also lowered during commercial breaks to conceal the staging of the next act from the audience.
The announcer sits at a station stage left, while the production crew is in an area stage right.
Taping
The program is usually produced in exactly one hour, with carefully timed commercial breaks, even though it is taped well in advance (for example, the morning taping of November 16, 1983, was aired on January 10, 1984—a poster tells the audience when the show will be broadcast, so they can send postcards to a friend). As with many other shows that start production in the summer, the lead time varies during the season. For example, while some shows airing in October 2005 had been taped the previous July, the gap closed enough so that episodes taped in the second week of November 2005 aired just before Christmas.
The audience is entertained for several minutes before taping begins; after the taping session, there is a drawing for a door prize.
Contestants' Row
During the show open, the announcer calls down the first four contestants, who line up in "Contestants' Row", where they will bid on the price of a small prize, like a television, bicycle, or sofa.
The prizes brought out to Contestants' Row may arrive in a number of ways or be seen at a distance behind one of the Big Doors, behind the Giant Price Tag, behind a small curtain mid-stage, or on the Turntable. During the early 1980s, a robot brought out some of these prizes. A descending platform known as "the Basket" has also brought the prize down from the ceiling; a train and a tugboat have delivered prizes, as well. Sometimes, a small object is brought down to the audience floor right behind the four contestants. When the prize is jewelry, it is often worn by one of the models.
A grocery item will sometimes be added as a bonus to the prize up for bid to ensure extra product placement for the sponsor. Also, Bob Barker will sometimes use the opportunity to show off a puppy or kitten that is up for adoption from a local animal shelter.
After the prize is described, the four contestants bid on the prize. Whoever bids closest to the prize's actual retail price without going over wins the prize and comes on stage to play a pricing game. If all four contestants overbid, the bids are erased and the contestants are instructed to re-bid lower than the lowest previous bid.
From approximately 1977 through late 1998, if a contestant bid exactly right, he won a cash bonus of $100, awarded to him onstage by the host. The 1985 syndicated version upped the perfect bid bonus to $500, the regular series matched that number in 1998, and on the Million Dollar Spectaculars the bonus is $1,000.
Two well-known bidding strategies include bidding $1 over the highest bid so far (e.g., $901 if the highest bid is $900) or bidding only $1 if all the bids seem too high. These strategies typically work best for the fourth and final bidder.
After the first through fifth pricing games, new contestants must fill the vacant spot without shuffling. Bidding proceeds left-to-right from the new contestant. One interesting aspect of the show's opening is that no one from show's staff regulates the order in which the first four contestants situate themselves in Contestants' Row. The opening bid always starts with the far left bidder. The contestants are usually too excited to notice their spot, but the contestant who ends up in the far right spot does have a slight advantage in bidding.
Pricing games
The winner of the one-bid game gets to play a "pricing game," where he or she can win a bigger prize like a car, a trip, or cash. As only one contestant is involved in a pricing game at a time, they tend to get the unanimous support of the audience. After the pricing game ends, a new contestant is selected for Contestants' Row, and the process begins again.
A total of 100 different games have been played throughout the history of the show: 74 are in the current rotation, 24 have been retired, and two are on hiatus (out of the rotation, but not actually retired).
On a typical current episode, four of the pricing games will be played for merchandise, trips, or cash. Two will be played for a car: one car game in the first half of the show, and one in the second. One of the six games will involve grocery products, and unless time does not allow for it, another will involve items worth between approximately $5 and $300 commonly known as "small prizes". Also, games that are played primarily for cash prizes, such as Grand Game or Plinko, generally will not be played twice in an episode.
The Showcase Showdown
After the third and sixth pricing games, there is a "Showcase Showdown," so that one of three finalists per Showdown can be determined for the Showcase.
Each of the three contestants (in ascending order of winnings so far) spins a wheel with 20 marked sections in multiples of 5¢; the lowest value on the wheel is 5¢, and the highest is $1.00. Each contestant gets two spins to score as close to $1.00 as possible without going over, and is allowed to stop after only one spin (as the two spins are added together). Contestants unlucky enough to total more than $1.00 are immediately eliminated. The one contestant to score closest to $1.00 without going over advances to the Showcase.
If a contestant gets exactly $1.00 in one spin or a combination of two spins, he wins a bonus of $1,000 and is granted a bonus spin at the end of the Showdown. If the wheel lands on one of the two green sections (the spaces before and after the dollar), he wins $5,000 more; if it stops on $1.00, he wins $10,000 more. (If the wheel doesn't go all the way around, the contestant does not get another try.)
In the event of a tie, contestants have a one spin spin-off for score; the highest advances to the showcase. Multiple ties result in multiple spin-offs until the tie is broken.
The Showcase
The two winners of the Showcase Showdowns in each episode make it to the Showcase. The Showcase usually involves several prizes connected by a common theme or a story; they tend to be worth between $12,000 and $40,000, although they occasionally exceed $55,000, and primetime specials in recent years have offered Showcases worth $100,000 or more.
One showcase is shown, and the contestant with the greatest winnings so far has the option to either place a bid on the showcase or pass it to the other contestant (forcing them to bid on it). After the bid is placed, the second showcase is shown and bid upon by the remaining contestant. The contestant nearest to the price of his own showcase without going over wins his showcase. If both contestants go over, neither player wins his showcase.
Beginning in the spring of 1974, if the winner was less than $100 away from the price of his own showcase, he won both showcases. (The margin was raised to $250 from Season 27 on.) If the two contestants are exactly the same distance from the actual prices (in other words, if there is a tie) without going over, each wins his own showcase; this has happened exactly once in the show's history. If there is a tie where the differences are within the Double Showcase range, both contestants win both showcases; this has never happened.
Unlike Contestants' Row, there is no cash bonus for a perfect bid in the Showcase. However, there has been exactly one person to have a perfect bid in the Showcase. This is believed to have occurred on the '70s nighttime run, where the Double Showcase rule was never added; as such, the contestant in question won only his own showcase.
The announcers
The Price Is Right has had three permanent announcers over the course of its run on CBS: Johnny Olson (1972–1985); Rod Roddy (1986–2003); and Rich Fields (2004–present). They have generally enjoyed greater exposure than most shows' announcers, serving as Barker's sidekick, frequently appearing on-camera in Showcase skits, and of course, calling contestants to "Come on down!"
Several announcers have also subbed on the show over the years. In late 1985 and early 1986, in the wake of Johnny Olson's death, Gene Wood (of Family Feud fame) lent his voice to both the daytime show and the Kennedy version, and Rod Roddy, Rich Jefferies, and Bob Hilton also tried out on the air; Hilton was actually offered the job permanently but turned it down due to a commitment to a game show pilot he was working on.
From 2001–2004, during Rod Roddy's illness and after his death, a number of announcers filled in on the show; Burton Richardson (the Davidson version's announcer), Paul Boland, Randy West, Daniel Rosen, Art Sanders, Roger Rose, Rich Fields, Don Bishop and Jim Thornton were all featured at various times until Fields was given the job in April 2004.
Barker's Beauties
The daily show featured models who became known as Barker's Beauties. From the mid-1970s through most of the 1980s these were Dian Parkinson (1975–1993), Holly Hallstrom (1977–1995), and Janice Pennington (1972–2000).
Controversy erupted in 1993 when Parkinson sued host Bob Barker for sexual harassment. Barker admitted to sexual involvement with Parkinson in the late '80s. Ultimately, it was shown that Parkinson initiated the whole affair, and Barker was exonerated.
In 1995, Hallstrom was dismissed from the show. When she subsequently complained that she had been fired for failing to lose weight, Barker sued her for libel and slander. Hallstrom replied with a countersuit. Pennington was fired shortly after having been subpoenaed to give testimony during Hallstrom's lawsuit. Hallstrom won a $3 million settlement in fall 2005.
Other permanent models over the years include Anitra Ford (1972–1976), Kathleen Bradley (1990–2000), Gena Lee Nolin (1994–1995), Chantel Dubay (1996–1999), Nikki Ziering (1999–2002), Heather Kozar (2001–2002), and Claudia Jordan (2001–2003).
Since Heather, Nikki, and later Claudia left the show, there has been a Barker's Beauty rotation. Some of the rotating models include Lanisha Cole, Brandi Sherwood, Rachel Reynolds, Rebecca Mary Pribonic, Shane Stirling, Gabrielle Tuite, Gwendolyn Osbourne, and Phire Dawson.
Bloopers and other memorable moments
The most frequently mentioned blooper happened in the fall of 1977 when at the beginning of the show, a woman was called to come on down. She ran so hard to Contestants' Row that she failed to notice her tube top slipping downward, exposing her breasts (this was later censored with a large blue box); before she noticed it, she had flashed the entire hysterical audience.
Other moments
- A contestant was called to come on down to Contestants' Row ... while she was in the ladies' room. Her husband lumbered out of the studio to get her. Barker joked, "She can't come to us, let's all go to her!" while starting to march up the aisle. They both came out shortly after.
- A number of times over the years on April 1 shows, the Showcase round has featured an "April Fool's showcase," which generally involves the contestants being shown a fake showcase in which absurd things happen. These include an "Every Room in the House" showcase with ridiculously cheap prizes, such as paper plates and an eggbeater; a showcase in which all of the prizes get broken; a showcase with trips to obscure locales; and a showcase that contains nothing but toy cars. The real showcase always features either multiple cars or a luxury car.
- On two occasions, a contesant was called to "Come on down," yet no one stood up (January 10 1984 and June 3 1998). The cameras panned in vain across the audience numerous times as the announcer repeated the name.
- Two contestants have fainted upon winning the Showcase.
- On three or four occasions in the show's long run, the wrong contestant has accidentally been declared the winner of a One-Bid round, with the mistake not being discovered until the commercial break. This is generally dealt with by returning the contestant who went onstage to Contestants' Row, allowing him to keep any prizes he had been awarded, but not counting those prizes toward his total winnings while calculating scores going into Showcase Showdowns or the Showcase; removing the actual winner from Contestants' Row, awarding him the One-Bid prize and the maximum winnings that he could have received from the pricing game, and advancing him to the Showcase Showdown; and proceeding from there as if nothing had happened. On at least two of these occasions, this has resulted in one person playing two pricing games.
- On the October 28, 2003 show, such a situation was handled differently. The wrong contestant was declared the winner of the first One-Bid; he went onstage, played Triple Play, and lost on the first car. When the mistake was discovered during the commercial break, it was decided to scrap the entire first act beyond the opening; a new Item up for Bids was presented, and its winner played Money Game for Triple Play's second car. The actual winner of the original One-Bid eventually won $5,000 playing Punch a Bunch. Whether or not anyone was awarded the original first Item up for Bids is unknown.
Future celebrity contestants
- In June of 1980, a then-unknown Vanna White was a contestant on The Price Is Right; she never made it out of Contestants' Row. At one point during the hour, Bob remarked that Vanna kept checking to see what she looked like in the studio's monitors.
- On a 1981 episode, professional wrestler Ox Baker, with his name announced as either Doug Baker or Francis Baker, was a contestant and actually won his way on stage. He later lost in the Showcase Showdown with an overall score of 15 cents.
Impact of Hurricane Katrina
At the June 27, 2005 taping, the show offered an episode featuring a trip to New Orleans. A similar prize was offered on a July 21, 2005 taping.
Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans in late August, and a rather awkward circumstance arose two weeks later: CBS ran a repeat that featured a trip to New Orleans in one of the showcases. Network officials received so many viewer complaints in the following hour that they reran a different episode on the West coast. As a result of the viewer uproar, the new episodes featuring New Orleans trips were not aired as intended on September 27 and October 17, 2005; two episodes intended for November 3 and 4 were moved up to take their places, and two new episodes were taped to fill the holes created in November.
The second of these episodes finally aired on May 29, 2006, with a public service announcement by Louisiana Senator Mary L. Landrieu. The first will air on June 12, with a forward by Louisiana Senator David Vitter.
Barbara Bloom, the Senior Vice President of Daytime Programming on CBS, noted on the show's Web site, "New Orleans is a wonderful city that, prior to Katrina, was frequently offered as a destination travel prize on The Price Is Right. We had held these episodes from circulation out of consideration for the victims of the hurricane, but with the support of Senators Landrieu and Vitter, we feel that it is time to air them, to remind people of the spirit and vitality that continue in New Orleans."
References in popular culture
- The animated series 2 Stupid Dogs had a spoof called "Let's Make a Right Price." The host was a caricature of Bob Barker called Bill Baker and was voiced by Casey Kasem.
- In 1996, Bob Barker played himself in the Adam Sandler comedy Happy Gilmore. In one scene, Barker beats up Gilmore after an altercation arising from their teaming up in a Pro-Am Golf Tournament. Sandler uses the phrase, "The price is wrong, bitch!"
- In the June 2004 issue of MAD Magazine, The Price Is Right was parodied, as The Prize Is Slight with Bob Barfer. The magazine also satirized the original Cullen version during its run.
- The show is often parodied on the Fox show Mad TV, with longtime castmembers Michael McDonald and Frank Caliendo playing Bob and Rod, respectively. In one sketch, they parodied the Yolanda incident, where a black woman's top falls down, exposing her breasts; the main character in the sketch, Lorraine Swanson (played by Mo Collins), calls them "perky." Bob signs off with the line, "Help control the pet population; have your pet's balls cut off."
- In another famous episode, an al-Jazeera version featured such items up for bid as clean drinking water. A terrified American tourist won it with an empty tin of Altoids (the only thing to her name). After winning her way on stage, announcer Arod il-Roddy announced she could win "A new car...t!"
- Another such sketch, presumably an airing of a "lost 80's episode", shows Bob in a pastel t-shirt and jacket with a "Flock Of Seagulls"-style hairdo. The "contestants" called down to Contestant's Row are Tonya Harding, Jeffrey Dahmer, Wayne Brady and Martha Stewart.
- A fourth such sketch, a "classic" episode from 70,000 B.C. called "Price Right" had a prehistoric Bob Barker and Rod Roddy giving away prizes like fire.
- The Flintstones had an episode that spoofed the original Price Is Right, with Barney Rubble appearing as a contestant on "The Prize Is Priced." The host was a caricature of Bill Cullen.
- While watching TV on one episode of Family Guy, Brian, the family's dog, replied to Barker's "Have your pet spayed or neutered" spiel with, "Oh, just die already." In another episode, Peter recalled his experience on Survivor, where he accidentally knocked over a wall to reveal Barker and a contestant spinning the Big Wheel. In the 2005 episode "The Fat Guy Strangler", Lois watches a contestant in Contestants' Row bid one dollar more the previous one (a common practice on The Price Is Right), prompting the latter to shout out and swear (which was censored out). Bob Barker played himself in the Survivor and Strangler scenes.
- In the episode "HOMЯ" of the Simpsons, Homer Simpson, as an animated dog, tells the audience "Don't spay or neuter your pets," as a parody of Bob Barker's "Help control the pet population" line.
- In the movie Shrek 2, after Puss in Boots attacks Shrek, Donkey suggests that Shrek give Puss in Boots the "Bob Barker Treatment."
- In the Futurama episode "Lesser of Two Evils", Bob Barker guest stars as himself. The episode centers around a priceless atom to be placed on the tiara for the Miss Universe pageant. During the pageant, Bob Barker is informed that the tiara (with the atom) had been stolen. He replies "Do you have any idea what that thing is worth?" Fry, Leela, and Bender respond in a very The Price Is Right-esque manner. He tells Bender, "You're closest without going over."
- In 2001, Dance artist Crystal Waters scored a number-one hit on the Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart with "Come on Down". The track sampled the theme to The Price Is Right, marking the first time ever that a game show's theme song topped the music charts. It also marked the first time that lyrics were added to Price's theme song.
- In Gary Larson's The Far Side cartoon, one of the things on the list of things dogs will do when they take over the world is get "that neutering bastard, Bob Barker."
- The distinctive font of the logo for The Price Is Right was rumored to have inspired Ray Larabie's TrueType font Pricedown, which is used for the "Grand Theft Auto" text in the logo of the popular Grand Theft Auto video game franchise. The name is apparently a coincidence; the font is said to be named after Ray Price, a designer of the video game who has no relation to the show. Mad TV made a parody that may have been inspired by this font coincidence, where a game show "Grand Theft Auto" featured a The Price Is Right-like set with contestants killing each other with GTA-style weaponry.
- A sound effect resembling the Losing Horns also appears in certain Homestar Runner cartoons. The Losing Horns have also been played on the Don and Mike Show, and are a popular "fad" on ytmnd.com, accompanying pictures of people failing at tasks.
- The "Sabra Price Is Right" skit from a 1992 episode of Saturday Night Live featured actor Tom Hanks as a shady Middle-Eastern electronics salesman who tries to hawk cheap merchandise to contestants who unwillingly buy what they win.
- In "Weird Al" Yankovic's song "I Lost On Jeopardy", the singer/narrator (Yankovic) does poorly on the TV show Jeopardy!. However, he pledges to try and do better "next weekend on The Price Is Right-ight-ight...". In the music video for the song, he is carried past a fake set of The Price Is Right during that line.
- The Keller Williams song "Bob Rules" is about a dream where he is chosen to compete on The Price Is Right.
- In Date Movie a remix of the main theme is played during the parody of The Bachelor.
- In the Drawn Together episode "Captain Girl", the character Toot Braunstein adopts a baby from Nicaragua, but the experience goes poorly and the baby ends up being taken away by Child Services. At the end of the episode, the Child Services representative stands in front of a duplicate of The Price Is Right set (the Big Wheel can be seen clearly in the background) and encourages viewers to help control the Nicaraguan baby population by having their babies from Nicaragua spayed or neutered, parodying the speech Bob Barker makes at the end of every episode of The Price Is Right regarding the pet population.
- In The Barenaked Ladies' song "It's All Been Done", one of the lines is, "I saw you on The Price Is Right / Will I laugh, will I smile, as you run down the aisle?"
- In 2002, Al Roker hosted a weeklong salute to game shows on NBC's Today show. The Price Is Right was the first program featured, and Bob Barker appeared outside of Today's studio to let one of the onlookers play Cliff Hangers.
- In the Cartoon Network series Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law, a reference to the game Cliff Hangers was made during the episode "Evolutionary War".
- In Survivor: Vanuatu- Islands of Fire, Travis "Bubba" Sampson, a Wal-Mart loss prevention (security) officer from Blountville, TN wears an orange "Bob Barker" shirt.
- Stand-up comedian Dane Cook does a "bit" on The Price Is Right, or as he calls it, "the P.I.R." During this act, he remarks how whenever you are at home sick, no matter what time of day, when you turn on your TV, the P.I.R. is always on. He also suggests that the "wheel" is filled with blood, Bob Barker died in '87 and is puppeteered by strings, and numerous other references about the show.
- In an episode of That '70s Show, there is a flashback explaining how Jackie and Hyde started going out. They are in the Formans' basement watching The Price Is Right. When "another old lady" is called to Contestants' Row, they begin to make out. After the old woman bids one dollar, they make out again.
Trivia
- Since the 1991-92 or 1992-93 season, all of the cars given away on The Price is Right have been American vehicles (Ford, GM, and Chrysler). The producers decided to do this as a sign of patriotism in the eve of Desert Storm. However, on numerous occasions, foreign vehicles with American nameplates (most recently, the Pontiac Vibe and Chevrolet Aveo) have been given away.
- Only once has a contestant in the Showcase ever gotten the price exactly right. There is no special bonus for getting a showcase bid exactly right, and since that contestant was on the show prior to the institution of the Double Showcase rule, he only won his own showcase.
- When the show began, all four Contestants' Row monitors were brown eggcrate displays. On August 19, 1975, the Row took on its more traditional appearance (as did most of the rest of the show's set), with four, different-colored, sportstype displays; from left to right, the monitors were red, green, orange, and blue. Sometime between September 18 and early November of 1981, the green and blue displays switched places. Aside from the green border around the displays being changed to pink for most of the 1984-1985 season, Contestants' Row remained largely unchanged for the next two decades. Two notable changes have occurred since the beginning of the 30th season: on January 20, 2002, the second display from the left was changed to a noticeably darker shade of blue than the one that had been in place since 1975; and on January 31, 2003, the orange display became yellow, and the area immediately surrounding each monitor became a marbled silver. The first shows taped with the latter changes were the first three Million Dollar Spectaculars, which aired during February, 2003.
- As of December 5, 2005, contestants have won all six pricing games on a single episode 72 times. On the other hand, as of March 28, 2006, there have been 72 times where all six pricing games on a single episode were lost. (It should be noted, though, that a "winless show" is harder to define than a "perfect show," and that the stats given for the former are less likely to be accurate.) Of particular note for contestant futility was the February 23, 2006 episode, in which all six pricing games were lost in addition to a double overbid in the Showcase. Winnings-wise, it was one of the least successful episodes in the show's history, with only eight prizes being given away the entire hour: the six Items up for Bids and a tortilla maker and a carousel horse in Master Key. It was also the first episode in more than a decade to give away less then $10,000, only giving away $8,739 in prizes.
- The show aired on an approximately month-behind rotation on Prime in Canada from August 12, 2002 to May 31, 2006. Airings were off of recordings from the East coast CBS feed, and as a result, episodes pre-empted in their original East Coast CBS airings did not air on Prime. However, the network did try to get the pre-empted episodes directly from the producers, though there were some cases in which the tapes they received were actually rough versions of the episodes that had not yet been edited into the final product. For instance, one episode seen on Prime had Bob Barker say to a contestant, "This is your Showcase!" followed by a brief pause, a fade to black, and then Bob counting down and giving last minute instructions to the contestant before the Showcase proceeded. In addition, the season's Christmas week episodes were never aired on Prime due to the delayed rotation. Plus, the show's closed captioning plugs that precede the Showcase Showdowns were not included in Prime's airings. As of June 1, 2006, Prime was rebranded as TVtropolis, and has a new schedule featuring mainly off-network repeats of sitcom and dramas, plus some new original and imported programming. At present, The Price Is Right is not on TVtropolis's schedule.
Episode status
Not all episodes of the Cullen run are believed to exist, although many of them do. All episodes of the other versions are believed to exist. The Cullen, Barker, and Kennedy versions aired on Game Show Network from 1996 to 2000. After 2000, GSN's rights to air the show expired, and the contract has not been renewed since then. Even when GSN did have the rights, reruns of all '70s nighttime episodes, as well as some daytime episodes, were vetoed by Barker due to fur coats being given away as prizes. GSN was unable to air the Davidson episodes, as that run falls under different ownership (CBS Paramount) than the other versions of the show.
Price in other media
Several home games have been produced over the years:
Board Games
Eight board games have been produced. One of them was a version of the card game "GOPS", using prizes and price tags from the original version. The second was based more closely on the original version of the show.
Three games were produced during the 1970s, by Milton Bradley, with Contestants' Row; a small number of pricing games; and, in the case of the third version, a spinner for the Big Wheel, albeit with the numbers in the wrong order. In the first two versions, several decks of cards had various grocery items, small prizes and larger prizes; the third version simply had cards for each game that included ten sets of "right" answers, all using the same price choices. The instruction book would tell the 'host' for the round what color cards would be necessary.
The 1986 version, again by Milton Bradley, was similar in scope to the earlier version, with new prizes and more games, but strangely lacking the Big Wheel. The 1998 version, this time by Endless Games, of the game was virtually identical to the 1986 release, with the same games, the same prizes, and even the same prices; the only changes were the number tiles being changed to cardboard bits.
The 2004 edition, again by Endless Games, was a complete departure. Instead of different prize cards and background games, the game consisted of everything you would need to play over 40 pricing games, and enough materials to create all the games not technically included if the "host" wished to and knew their rules; the Big Wheel spinner was also restored, this time with the numbers in the correct order. To fit everything in the box, grocery items and prizes were listed in the instruction book, and games were played on dry erase boards. A spinner would determine what game would be played next, although its use was not necessarily required if the "host" wished to build his own game lineup.
Computer Games
In 1990 GameTek created a "The Price is Right" computer game to fit in their line of other game show games. Unfortunately, several things prevented the game from being playable. Prizes for certain games could come from any file (Cliff Hangers could have the player bidding on a truck with only a $300 range), and the rules were frequently different from the ones on the show. It did not sell well and was quickly removed from the market.
A hand-held Tiger game was made in 1998 with four pricing games, and a DVD game with 12 pricing games and prizes taken directly from the show was produced by Endless Games in 2005.
Slot Machines
A series of popular video slot machines, all based on the current version of The Price Is Right, were manufactured for North American casinos by International Game Technology. Rod Roddy's voice and cartoon persona are part of the game, even after his death.
The most common machines recreate the Showcase Showdown as a bonus feature, with a wheel built into the game above the main video screen. At least four different versions of this machine exist as of 2006, each featuring additional bonus rounds based on popular pricing games: Plinko, Cliff Hangers, Punch a Bunch, and Dice Game.
In addition, a Money Game slot machine exists, albeit in limited release. This game has a potential top prize of a new car, and has a different bonus round than the other The Price Is Right slot machines in service.
Another slot machine called The Price Is Right Fishing Game has been created by IGT, but it isn't clear if the machine has been released to casinos. The game features a fishing-themed bonus, and is not based on any pricing game featured on the program.
External links
- Bill Cullen: The Price Is Right
- Rich Fields: The Price Is Right
- Behind The Microphone (a fanlisting/fan site for current announcer Rich Fields)
- www.j-shea.com (Site with video from '80s episodes in pristine quality, as well as complete audio of more than 20 James episodes)
- The Fabulous 60-Minute Price Is Right Site (a TPIR fan-site)
- CBS Daytime: The Price Is Right (the US show's official website)
- Golden-Road.net (an extensive Price Is Right site with forums, episode recaps, and a show FAQ)
- A Salute to Price Is Right Pricing Games
- The Price Is Right Models Galleries (a website "showcasing" the many models TPIR has/had)
- The Price Is Right Update Message Board (a previous version of Golden-Road.net's message boards, now closed)
- The nighttime version Starring Tom Kennedy (a page about the mid 80s nighttime version of The Price Is Right starring Tom Kennedy
- The original version starring Bill Cullen (a page about the original version of the show, hosted by Bill Cullen)
- Visiting The Price Is Right in person golden-road.net
- Pricing game cues and themes: The Price Is Right
- Mr. City's TPIR Page (temporarily down)
- BigJon PCGames (A website with a downloadable, fan-made version of "The Price Is Right")
- The Price Is Right Font Library Shows what fonts are used during each act of TPIR.
- The Price Is Right at GameShowFavorites.com