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The Price Is Right is an Americangame show centering on contestants guessing the retail prices of featured prizes and other promotional products. The current version premiered on September 41972 on CBS and was hosted by veteran game show host Bob Barker until his retirement at the end of the 35th season. The 36th season begins on October 152007 with Drew Carey succeeding Barker. [1]
TV Guide named The Price Is Right the "greatest game show of all time".[2] The show is well-known[3][4] for its signature line of "Come on down!" which the announcer implores new contestants to do when their names are called.
The current format is based on the original 1956–1965 version of the show, which aired on NBC and later ABC and was hosted by Bill Cullen. The 1972 daytime version of The Price Is Right has the distinction of being the longest continuously running game show in North American television history. It has shattered the previous record of 17 years and seven months set by What's My Line?.[5] Still airing today, it continues to extend its record and has aired more than 6,700 episodes through its first 35 seasons.
Overview
The gameplay includes four distinct elements, starting with One Bid, in which one of four contestants qualifies to play one of 75 different pricing games. In the current format, this happens six times per episode, with players departing Contestants' Row being replaced by new contestants selected from the audience. Those six contestants are winnowed down in two Showcase Showdown rounds. The two remaining contestants vie for a Showcase of prizes worth tens of thousands of dollars.
One Bid is a four-contestant qualifying game. A prize is shown, and each player bids a price. The one who comes closest to the actual retail price of the prize without going over wins it and gets to play the next pricing game.
Along with the Showcase, One Bid is the one element of game play most identifiable as being retained from the original 1950s version, which was dominated by bidding.
Two well-known strategies for Contestants' Row are bidding only $1 (when a contestant thinks all opponents have overbid) or bidding a dollar more than another contestant in order to block him out.
The pricing game is where the contestant can win a larger prize such as cash, home furnishings, or a motor vehicle. Six pricing games are played per episode, following each round in Contestants' Row.
The producers select from a long list of pricing games. There are currently 75 different pricing games active, and there have been over 100 played over the years. These have various levels of complexity in their gameplay. The order of games is determined by the producer prior to the start of the episode.[6] The selection of a particular game is based on the time available in an episode, staging concerns, prize availability and a fairly even rotation of all the games.[7][8]
This is the only part of the program where a contestant plays alone and does not compete against another contestant, although a two-player pricing game was briefly (and unsuccessfully) used in the fall of 1972.
The Showcase Showdown determines which contestants will play for the larger prize package at the end of the show called the Showcase. The Showdown appears twice in the program, once after the third pricing game and again after the sixth pricing game. It involves the three contestants who have won bidding rounds and played pricing games in that portion of the show. They each spin a large wheel, consisting of twenty sections, each with a various amount of money ranging from 5¢ to $1.00. The player's goal is to come as close to $1.00 as possible without going over, in one spin or a combination of two spins. If the player's total reaches exactly $1.00 in one or two spins, they receive a cash bonus of $1,000 as well as an additional bonus spin to win a further cash bonus.In the event of a tie, a spin-off is held with the goal of coming closest to $1.00 in one spin, with the same bonuses still in play.
In the final round of the program, the two contestants who won their Showcase Showdowns compete for a Showcase, a large set of prizes. The prizes tend to be themed, and a small pantomime story often relates the prizes in at least one of the two packages. Each contestant bids on one of the prize packages; the player with the greater winnings up to that point has the option to bid on the first showcase presented or pass it to the other contestant and bid on the second.
The contestant whose bid is closer to the actual retail price of his showcase, without going over, wins that showcase. A winning contestant whose bid is $250 or less below the price of his own showcase wins both showcases. The "Double Showcase" bonus was introduced in 1974 for a winner whose bid was "less than $100" under the price; the threshold was raised to $250 in 1998. In the event that both contestants bid more than the price of each showcase, neither showcase is awarded.
During his 35-year tenure, Bob Barker hosted every episode of the CBS daytime version except three—Dennis James, then the host of the nighttime syndicated version, subbed for him briefly in December 1974 because Barker was ill. From that point forward, a scheduled taping was postponed in the event that Barker was unavailable. As well as hosting the program, Barker was also credited as the executive producer of the show.
Bob Barker began hosting duties on The Price Is Right while he was also in a long run on the game show Truth or Consequences. Barker had hosted Truth or Consequences since 1956, save for a one-year break when the show moved from NBC to first-run syndication. The last of Barker's Truth or Consequences first-run episodes ran in 1975, though reruns continued to air in syndication afterward, and because of the bicycling of tapes used in syndication at the time, many markets continued to receive new episodes through 1977.
For most of the program's run, Barker signed off of each broadcast with a public-service message to "help control the pet population; have your pet spayed or neutered". Barker is a noted animal-rights advocate.
Barker retired from the show after the 35th season. CBS aired an edition of The Price Is Right Million Dollar Spectacular on May 162007 followed by a special devoted to Barker's career on the night of May 17.[9] His final show was taped on Wednesday, June 6, 2007, and aired on Friday, June 15, 2007. That episode aired twice—in the show's regular timeslot, and again in primetime, leading into the network's coverage of the Daytime Emmy Awards.[10] Repeat episodes from Barker's final season continued to air until October 12, 2007, ending with a rerun of his final program.
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). In the past, they generally enjoyed greater exposure than the typical television announcer, frequently appearing on-camera throughout the show and in Showcase skits.[13] Johnny Olson and Rod Roddy were given a camera shot in most episodes, with Roddy frequently displaying his flashy wardrobe. Since the 31st season, however, Bob Barker (then-host and executive producer) made the decision[citation needed] to stop the practice of showing the announcers on-air, though Rich Fields is usually seen at the end of the show, joining the rest of the cast onstage with the winner of the Showcase.
Several announcers have subbed on the show over the years. In late 1985 and early 1986, in the wake of Johnny Olson's death, Gene Wood lent his voice to both the daytime show and the Kennedy version, and Rod Roddy, Rich Jeffries, and Bob Hilton also tried out on the air.[4] From 2001–2004, during Rod Roddy's illness and after his death, Burton Richardson, Paul Boland, Randy West, Daniel Rosen, Art Sanders, Roger Rose, Rich Fields, Don Bishop and Jim Thornton were all featured until Fields was given the job in April 2004. Richardson also announced the December 22, 2006 episode when Rich Fields came down with laryngitis.[14]
To show off its many prizes, the show has featured several models who collectively have come to be known as "Barker's Beauties". Some of the long-tenured Barker's Beauties included Kathleen Bradley (1990–2000), Holly Hallstrom (1977–1995), Dian Parkinson (1975–1993), and Janice Pennington (1972–2000).[4]
Pennington and Bradley were fired from the program in 2000, allegedly for testifying on behalf of Hallstrom in a wrongful-termination lawsuit against Barker and the show.[15] Following the departure of Heather Kozar and Nikki Ziering, producers decided to use a rotating cast of models. Claudia Jordan was the last "permanent" model to appear on the show; her last daytime show aired December 22, 2003, and her last nighttime show in March2004.
Other production staff
The highly successful game show production company of Mark Goodson and Bill Todman was responsible producing the original as well as the revival versions of the game show. Longtime Goodson-Todman staffer Bob Stewart is credited with creating the original version of The Price Is Right[16] (although he left the company prior to the 1972 revival).
Roger Dobkowitz is the program's producer, having worked with the program as a production staffer since the show's first season after graduating from San Francisco State University in 1972.[4] Occasionally, Dobkowitz will have unscheduled appearances on camera when he answers a question posed by the host - usually relating to the show's history or records.
Kathy "Fingers" Greco is the associate producer. Frank Wayne, a Goodson-Todman staffer since the 1950s, was the original executive producer of the show's current version; Barker succeeded him in that role after his death in 1988. Previous producers include Jay Wolpert, Barbara Hunter, and Phil Wayne Rossi (Wayne's son). Bart Eskander is the current director; Marc Breslow and Paul Alter each served long stints as director previously.[4]
Aside from Barker, the show's production staff will remain intact for the 36th season; FremantleMedia executive Syd Vinnedge has been named the program's new executive producer.
Many audience members arrive early on the day of a taping.[17] 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 nametags with a temporary identification number. The I.D. number is also written on the person's ticket. Audience members are eventually brought through in groups of twelve for brief interviews with the production staff. Social Security Numbers (or some national I.D. number for non-U.S. audience members) are required to be submitted.[18]
Contrary to popular belief, 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 325 audience members.[19]
With few exceptions, 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. Exceptions include previous contestants, current political candidates, employees (and their immediate family members) of the production company, CBS or its affiliates, and anyone who has been a contestant on another game show within the previous year, or two other game shows within the previous ten years. Also, the show requires that potential contestants wear street clothes so as not to provoke a Let's Make a Deal-type escalation into absurd costumes.[12][18]
Taping
The program is usually produced in about an hour.[20] The program is taped in advance of its airdate; for example, the morning taping of November 16, 1983, was aired on January 10, 1984. The airdate of a particular episode is listed for the audience on a poster[18] or can be found on the show's Web page.[12] 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. Towards the end of the season, the gap can be as little as nine days.[10] The audience is entertained for several minutes by the announcer before taping begins; after the taping session, there is a drawing for a door prize.[18]
Production company
The current version of the series was originally a Mark Goodson/Bill Todman production in association with CBS.[16] 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 Fremantle Goodson, Inc., a joint venture of RTL Group and CBS.[4]
For the sake of tradition, and through special permission from RTL's subsidiary FremantleMedia North America, the show continues to use the Mark Goodson Productions name, logo, and announcement at the end of each episode,[4] even though the company no longer exists.[21]
The Price Is Right has been taped at Studio 33 in CBS Television City for its entire run. The studio, which is used for other television productions, was renamed "the Bob Barker Studio" in the host's honor.[2][22]
The basic permanent set prominently includes the audience seating area in the production as well as the stage.
Contestants' Row is placed at the front of the audience, with the scoring displays located on the edge of the stage deck. There are stairs on either side of Contestants' Row. However, the show's producers ask that advancing contestants use the stairs towards their left so that the pre-positioned television cameras can record their entry onto the stage.
On stage are three sets of large, paneled, sliding doors (the Big Doors), as well as a platform with a rotating wall (the Turntable). Pricing games and prizes are typically placed in these areas. There are also a Giant Price Tag prop, a fly curtain known as the Race Game Curtain, and a red curtain on wheels to conceal prizes and games; the Race Game Curtain is also lowered during commercial breaks to conceal the staging of the next act from the audience.[23] For Season 36, the set and logo have been re-designed with lighter, brighter colors, and the theme song and the "come on down" music have been remixed. However, the sound effects remain untouched.
The announcer sits at an off-camera podium stage left, while the production crew is in an area stage right.
Broadcast history
The most recognized incarnation of the show premiered September 4, 1972 on CBS with Bob Barker as host. The show was first called The New Price Is Right to distinguish itself from the earlier Bill Cullen version (1956–1965), but the show proved so popular that, within a year, the producers decided to drop the word "New"[4]
The revival of The Price Is Right began as a half-hour show. It featured three pricing games and the Showcase, with the top two winners of the day participating in the Showcase.
During the week of September 81975, CBS experimented with a one-hour version of the show to celebrate its third anniversary.[24] The ratings for the week were strong enough to convince the network that the arrangement would work well permanently. CBS made the move on November 3, fitting the show to its current six pricing game/two Showcase Showdown format.[19]
Syndicated productions
A weekly syndicated version of the show aired from 1972 through 1980.[25] Distributed by Viacom (which actually started as the syndication arm of CBS), the nighttime Price was hosted by Dennis James from 1972 to 1977 and by Bob Barker from 1977 to 1980.[4] James, a figure from the early days of TV, was originally intended to host both the network and syndicated versions of the program, but CBS executives preferred Barker for the daytime show. It was only when James' contract expired and the long-running Truth or Consequences ended production that Barker added the evening version to his duties.
In most of the U.S., stations carried the syndicated Price Is Right as one of five different programs every night of the week in one of the available timeslots created by the 1971 FCCPrime Time Access Rule.[16] Usually, the slots were one of two half-hour slots between 7–8 p.m. in the Eastern and Pacific time zones and 6:30–7 p.m. in the Central Time Zone (Mountain Time Zone stations' practices varied).[25]
Two daily syndicated versions were attempted: In 1985–1986, veteran host Tom Kennedy starred in a version [26][27] which was faithful to the traditional half-hour format; and in 1994, The Young and the Restless stalwart Doug Davidson's The New Price Is Right hosted a show with more modern elements and changes to several distinct aspects of the program.[28] Neither version was successful; Kennedy's version was canceled after a year, and Davidson's after five months.[4]
CBS primetime specials
CBS attempted to break NBC's dominance of Thursday night primetime by The Cosby Show and Family Ties with a six-episode experimental run beginning in August 1986.[29] In these episodes, host Barker and announcer Roddy wore tuxedos, and colored spotlights surrounded the Big Doors.[30]
In 1996, CBS aired an hour-long 25th Anniversary Special, using the half-hour gameplay format and featuring a number of retrospective clips.[31] A 30th anniversary special was recorded at Harrah's Rio in Las Vegas in 2002.[32] This one-time road trip enticed 5,000 potential contestants to line up for 900 available tickets, causing an incident that left one person injured.[33]
More primetime shows were planned back at CBS Television City. Six nighttime specials saluting various branches of the United States armed forces, police officers, and firefighters aired during the summer of 2002, as a tribute to the heroes of the terrorist attacks of 2001.[34] 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.
On May 172007, CBS aired an hour-long special, A Celebration of Bob Barker's 50 Years in Television. The program featured several interstitial elements, including a cameo by Adam Sandler, with a full half-hour version of the game played.[9]
On June 15, 2007, Barker's final daytime show was reaired in primetime leading to the Daytime Emmy Awards. The show easily won its timeslot in the Nielsen ratings. [35]
Since 2003, CBS has broadcast 16 primetime specials titled The Price Is Right $1,000,000 Spectacular; the most recent show aired on May 162007.
On the $1,000,000 Spectacular, the bonus spin payoff for the Showcase Showdown was again increased, this time to $1 million. Beginning on the fourth $1,000,000 Spectacular show, the winner of the Showcase earns a million-dollar spin if there was no bonus spin during either Showcase Showdown; during these post-Showcase spins, hitting a green section does not earn any money.
Bigger and better prizes are generally offered on the $1,000,000 Spectacular shows: Contestants' Row frequently offers pricing game-caliber prizes; many pricing games, including those played for money, offer larger prizes than on the daytime show; and the Showcase will frequently offer multiple or very expensive cars.
The Price Is Right was the first of seven classic game-show formats set to be played on the CBSGameshow Marathon; its episode aired May 31, 2006. Ricki Lake served as host, while celebrities played as contestants.[36] The show did not take place on the current set, but on a specially-designed smaller set in CBS Television City's Studio 46; however, the episode did use props from the current The Price Is Right, such as the Big Wheel and the Plinko board, and featured appearances by the Barker's Beauties and announcer Rich Fields.[37]
Critical reaction and controversy
The program has been generally praised and remains a stalwart in television ratings over its long history.[38] Prior to the retirement of Barker, the Jump the Shark website ranked The Price Is Right in a section of programs determined to have "never jumped" (defined as a program that did not reach a creative decline).[39]
The introduction of the program ushered in a new era of game show—moving away from the knowledge-based quiz show format, creating "a noisy, carnival atmosphere that challenged cultural norms and assumptions represented in previous generations of quiz shows".[40]
Beginning in the mid-1990s, the program—and Barker as executive producer—was sued by seven women. A majority of the lawsuits involved Barker's Beauties and other staff members in cases of sexual harassment, wrongful termination and racial discrimination.[38] Allegations of sexual harassment brought by model Dian Parkinson led to Barker calling a press conference to admit a past consensual sexual relationship with her.[8] It has also been alleged that Barker and senior staff created a hostile work environment, particularly to those who would testify for the plaintiffs suing Barker.[15] Responding to the controversy just before his retirement, Barker told an interviewer, "They've been such a problem. I don't want to say anything about them. They're disgusting; I don't want to mention them."[41]
All the lawsuits, except for one, were settled out of court at the production company's insistence.[42][43]
A mild controversy was caused when a repeat episode from December 2004 offering a prize of a trip to New Orleans aired days after Hurricane Katrina devastated the city. The episode was pulled from airing on the West Coast after airing in the Eastern United States.[44] Two other episodes of the next season, taped in June 2005, had been taped and carried a prize of a trip to New Orleans. They were moved to the end of the season in June 2006, and were introduced by the state's US Senators.
A few times in the show's history, players have exploited the game play and attained an advantage, although the program has never publicly alleged that any contestants have cheated. Documented incidents[14] occurred during 3 Strikes,[45]Shell Game,[46]Flip Flop,[47] and Pathfinder.[48] While this did not generate any mention in mainstream media, it was noted on Internet fan sites.[7]
Bloopers and other memorable moments
The Price Is Right has had many memorable moments over its thirty-five year history, owing in part to the show rarely being edited and the contestant pool producing a variety of lively personalities. Many times, an incident of embarrassment or a blooper—which would ordinarily be edited from scripted television series—has been intact in the aired program. This has led to a long list of clips, many of which have been immortalized by being replayed in special episodes.
Some memorable moments from the more than 6,000 episodes include the following:
File:TPiR yolanda.jpgYolanda shows the audience a little too much "The most talked about incident in the history of the show," according to Bob Barker, involved a contestant named Yolanda. While running down to Contestants' Row, she failed to notice that her tube top had slipped off, exposing her breasts. Upon recalling the incident, Barker explained, "She came on down, and they came on out!" When Bob reached the stage, he had no idea this had happened and was amazed at what he perceived to be the audience's reaction to him, causing Johnny Olson to quip "Bob, they have given their all for you!" TV Guide ranked it as the 19th most unexpected moment in television history.[49]
Occasionally, April Fool's Day shows will present practical joke showcases. Such stunts have included showcases of ridiculously cheap prizes, such as paper plates and an eggbeater; one in which all of the prizes got broken; one with trips to obscure locales; and one that contained nothing but toy cars. Contestants were offered a simple, yet extravagant, replacement showcase to bid on afterwards, generally consisting of either multiple cars or a Cadillac.[14]
On four occasions,[14] a contestant was called to "Come on down," yet no one stood up.[50][51][52] In one of those instances, the called contestant was in the bathroom, leading her husband to swiftly exit the studio to call his wife.[53]
Two contestants have fainted upon winning the Showcase.[54]
Numerous times, the mechanics of the pricing games failed, often while the contestants were playing or before the contestant had a chance to play. In many cases, this has resulted in a price being revealed, rendering the play of the game moot; in these cases, the contestant is awarded the prize. A particularly memorable moment occurred with Master Key when one of the keys got stuck in one of the locks; Bob gave the key a karate kick, breaking it off in the lock.[53]
On several occasions, contestants have lost their balance spinning the wheel during the Showcase Showdown. On programs playing retrospective clips, these are usually edited together in close sequence for humor.[54]
Contestants, in their spontaneous exuberance, have been known to cause injury to themselves or the host. Barker often recalls he was hugged by a Samoan contestant so hard that he was literally lifted off his feet and his ribs were bruised.[54]
A then unknown Vanna White, now the well-known hostess of Wheel of Fortune, was a contestant on The Price Is Right in 1980.
$183,688. Single-contestant record winnings, primetime (April 162005$1,000,000 Spectacular).[57]
$297,708. Record winnings for all contestants in a single daytime show, including seven automobiles.[56]
Price in other media
The Price Is Right has expanded beyond television to home and casino-based games.
Board games
Eight board games have been produced. One of them was a variation of a card game, using prizes and price tags from the original version.[58] The second was based more closely on the original version of the show.[59]
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, 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.[59] The 1998 version of the game, this time by Endless Games, 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.[59] 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. Additionally, the prices, instead of being random numbers that could change each time the game was played, were actual prices taken from episodes of the TV show. 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 and electronic games
In 1990, GameTek created a The Price Is Right computer game for the DOS and Commodore 64 platforms[60] and other systems to fit in their line of other game show games.
A hand-held Tiger game was made in 1998 with four pricing games,[6] and a DVD game with 12 pricing games and prizes taken directly from the show was produced by Endless Games in 2005.[61]
An online edition of the game was available from Gamesville during the early 2000s but has since been discontinued.
On July 17, 2007, it was announced that Ludia Media had reached a deal to produce a multi-platform The Price Is Right video game.
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[65] 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,[66]Cliff Hangers,[67]Punch a Bunch,[68] and Dice Game.[69] The Cliff Hangers game also exists as a mechanical reel slot machine, with a video screen positioned above the reels for the bonus.
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.[70] The game features a fishing-themed bonus and is not based on any pricing game featured on the program. IGT has also released a game called The Price Is Right Fort Knox Progressives, but there are no elements of the television program evident in its gameplay.[71]
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