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."

This is a fun game show to watch as contestants try to guess prices on merchandise, bid to get up on stage, and play various games. My favorite games include Cliffhangers, Gas Money, Carey's Car Club, Plinko, and Hole in One. It is fun to watch the models and host interact with the contestants and the contestants play the games. Bob Barker had to be a tough act to follow as host since he did it for so long and pretty much reached legendary status, but Drew Carey pretty much holds his own and does a good job. The phrase "Come on down!" has become legendary as well. Overall not a bad way to spend an hour watching television.

** 1/2 out of ****

Come on Down, but need I say more this is a long running TV classic that millions of Americans loved each and everyday! So good you have a loud and cheering audience and contestants are selected to make bids on prices of showcase items for then a chance to compete at higher prices and win big money! And many of the games and items shown are tough, but it's so interesting to try and price items. Bob Barker always made it watchable, he's a legend so classy and professional his voice and hosting is classic he was such a hard worker for so many years. A final note the showcase models were fantastic to watch also it made the male viewer take his eye and mind off the prizes for awhile at least especially when the screen showed sexy beauties Nikki Ziering or Dian Parkinson. Really a daytime TV legendary classic!

I guess I am a Game Show fanatic! I have just finnished commentnig on Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy! I love to watch the Price is Right on days off from School and over the summer. I like seeing the prizes and the reactions you get from people when they win something. It's a great show and I am so glad that CBS still shows it.

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!!!