While CBS pulled Bob Barker up from daytime into the prime time spotlight a few times the past few years, they've yet to do so since Drew Carey took over as host of The Price is Right this season. But that's all about to change. For six weeks, starting February 22, CBS is shifting Ghost Whisperer back an hour so they can squeeze in all new episodes of The Price is Right at 8pm/7pm Central. Possibly to avoid double-Drew confusion, The Power of 10, also hosted by Carey, has been pulled from the schedule effective immediately, though it will likely return in the summer.
We've talked a lot here at TV Squad about how Drew is doing on TPiR this year and, while the jury may still be out, I think he's settled into a nice groove. No, he's not Bob Barker but do we really want someone who would go up there and act just like Bob did? They kept all the crazy games that make the show a classic, so I say let Drew be himself, and we'll get used to it. And if you haven't given him a try, here's a chance to curl up at home on a Friday night and see for yourself.
That headline isn't my opinion, it's something another TV critic is worried about.
Derrik Lang at SanLuisObispo.com points out that the very first word that Drew Carey uttered while taping the very first episode of his new CBS game show Power of Ten was "F**K. And then later in the show he made an a joke about a certain part of his anatomy (he later apologized for what he said, since there were kids in the audience). Lang now wonders if Carey could be the wrong choice for The Price is Right, since he works blue and seems more like a late-night host than a game show host and doesn't really get the TPiR fan base.
It looks like the long search for the new host of The Price Is Right is down to two: Sarah Silverman and David Hasselhoff.
Just kidding! The New York Post is reporting that producers have narrowed it down to two contestants: Mark Steines and Todd Newton. Steines is a host on Entertainment Tonight (he'll keep the job if he gets the PIR gig), and Newton has hosted several game shows, including a PIR show in Las Vegas. The pay for the job is reportedly near $3 million a year. Nice.
Hmmm...I'm not sure about this. But I guess they're both competent hosts. It looks like producers are going for the safer choices (male, slightly older, experienced) than going with someone like Mario Lopez or Ian Ziering.