The New Price Is Right

If Bob Barker didn't exist, television would've had to invent him. His folksy and highly-controlled approach is slick, witty, charming, disarming and utterly appropriate for the populist realm of game shows.

Until "Who Wants To Be Millionaire?," you could safely assert that there was no more populist a game show than "The Price Is Right." The cross-section of people who "come on down" to play the game is as culturally diverse a melting pot as you'll find on television. And because of this, it is easy for the viewer to relate to the contestants, and to feel for their ups and downs.

Skillfully facilitating all of this is Barker, who is refreshingly old-school in his across-the-board respect for the contestants. And he doesn't have to strain to "sell" the pricing games to the viewers -- most are clever, challenging and enduring.

One of the interesting elements about "Price" is that a contestant can be inept as a pricer, but if they're lucky enough, they could still advance to win the "showcase" at the end of the show. The "anything can happen" element this creates helps make the show even more interesting, if occasionally frustrating. (It seems unfair to disqualify an excellent showcase guest that is over by a few hundred, while the "winning" guest is under by several thousand. But those are the rules.)

Cheers to Mr. Barker, and to Rod and "the beauties."

Love the show BUT one gripe I have is the contestants turning around and asking the audience what to do or say. Evidently the powers that be tell them to do that because they ALL do it. The audience DOES NOT KNOW any better than the contestants. The only exceptions are games like the clock game where they have no time to ask.

Another thing I have noticed is when the 4 contestants are bidding during contestants row, about once a week someone will bid say $900, then the next contestant bids $$899, one dollar UNDER the previous bid. That always make me laugh because with that bid there is no way to win except if the bid is right on the money. I have seen someone do that at least 10 times and they never win. Also they bid one dollar a lot of times when the item is clearly in the thousands. And I love it when all 4 bid $1, then $2, then $3 and then $4. Also that range game is always right in the middle and they stop way too early And the topper is Plinko. Drew is trying to tell them without telling them to start in the middle. He keeps telling them loudly that the $10,000 is right in the middle. If they start in the middle and win the $10,000, then they don't drop in the middle again and it falls in the $ZERO. Low IQ is running amok on this show

BTW I really think this show should be changed to you win when you are the closest bid - not just without going over. People are bidding one dollar all the time or one dollar over the last bid and they almost always win. Takes away the fun.

After over thirty years on the air, this I think it is right to call this show an institution. The Price Is Right is one of the few shows on television that is loved by young and old alike and that can be attributed to Bob Barker and the production staff who have done everything over the years to keep it fresh and innovative as well as exciting for the viewers. This is truly one show that I am proud to say that I grew up with.

Now in its 32nd year on CBS, The Price is Right is still a hit with no signs of going stale. If you're a regular viewer, you'll notice that no two episodes are the same since there are 70 pricing games in the show's repertory and nine contestants per show.

There have been a number of keys to Price's success. At the top is Bob Barker. He is the Babe Ruth of game show hosts, treating the contestants courteously and masterfully putting them at ease when he sets the scene for what they could win next. Another key is that Price has all the elements that contribute to a hit game show. A simple format where anyone can identify with the price of merchandise and the home audience can play along. The pricing games such as Plinko and Lucky Seven are simple viewer-friendly games that also create drama. The big question for Price is will it be Burton Richardson or Randy West that will replace the late Rod Roddy? Both are very good announcers but I'm going with Burton based on his successful track record and experience. He was also the announcer on the short-lived 1994 version that was hosted by Doug Davidson.

However, this review cannot be completed without mentioning the man who created this classic, Mark Goodson. Seven years after the original Bill Cullen version was cancelled, CBS called him to revive Price but he felt the old game wouldn't work so he overhauled the show and after three years as a standard half-hour show, the network made a bold move in expanding Price to an hour. Since then, it became a true classic. It's too bad Goodson's gone, because he would have been very proud of his long-running creation where ordinary people COME ON DOWN!!!

This show rules! Its really cool how a show that has been on since 1972 continues to do so well, and I think because its just really entertaining. They often have a lot of really good prizes, like some really good cars. I think this is a very enjoyable show for people who love to watch GameShows. I hope this comes to GameShow Network..

Thanks for Reading..