TVSquad

The Price Is Right recently started its new season, and people who were worried that the show would go in a bad direction after the removal of longtime producer Roger Dobkowitz can rest easy: the show pretty much remains the same. Same host, same music, same games (with a new one added like they usually do every season), same big wheel (slightly spruced up), same Showcase, same people making really lousy decisions when it comes to bidding on prizes in Contestant's Row that make you want to kick in your TV.

There are a few changes, such as the set design changes they made during Drew Carey's first year. For God-knows-how-long, the walls and doors of the stage set have been stuck in the 1970s, and it has always been sort of quaint and comforting that they never changed it. But now they've gone even more retro, with 1950s/early 60s-ish square shapes (circles last year) and colors. As a big fan of mid-century design, I really like this change. Somehow fits in with the game show world a little better.

Jason's post earlier today about The Price Is Right reminded me of something I've been thinking about for years: what are the best and worst prizes you can win on the show?

This is all personal opinion, of course. Where I might frown or shrug at a prize I might win another person will scream and jump down about. But I think there are certainly some prizes we can all agree are pretty lame. Below are the six that come to mind. Five of them you'll probably agree with, but I bet several of you will have a problem with number six.

(S36E01)*

*It's not like we're going to review every episode this season. Do you think we're insane?

Drew Carey's new career should be hosting the premiere of any new network game show that comes down the pike. That's because he has the Luck of the Irish on these shows. On the premiere of his primetime game show Power of 10 the first contestant on the first show won one million dollars. On the 36th season premiere of The Price is Right, which Drew Carey is now hosting after the retirement of legendary host Bob Barker, everyone won.

This seems like a no-brainer, and I wonder why they haven't done it before. A video game based on The Price Is Right will be in stores in time for Christmas.

Now, that will be long after the CBS show picks a new host to replace Bob Barker (the latest rumor: Drew Carey could get the gig, if he audtions and his new game show Power of 10 does well in the ratings), so there's no word on there will be any host depicted in the game. But all the classic games will be there: Contestant's Row, Plinko, the Showcase Showdown, and there will be real products in the game just like on the TV show.

I just hope they also have annoying, screaming audience members who can confuse the contestants, and women who run down the aisle and their boobs fall out of their dresses.

Rosie O'Donnell has answered the prayers of many longtime Price Is Right fans: she has taken herself out of the running for the hosting job.

Of course, no one officially offered her the job, but she did meet with the show's producers for lunch last week. She would love to host the show, but as she says on her latest video blog, she doesn't want to uproot her family and move out to L.A., where the show is taped. She knows that a lot of people would, but she doesn't need the money and would rather take on projects that would keep her in New York.

So now we're down to only 47 other people who could host.

[via TV Tattle]

Rosie O'Donnell has been campaigning very heavily to be the new host of The Price is Right. Personally I can't think of a worse choice for the job. I'm sure I will ruffle plenty of feathers with this list but if I can do anything to make sure she doesn't replace Bob Barker, it's worth making enemies.

5. She is too self-absorbed to care about the contestants.
Rosie can't stop talking about herself long enough to run a show like TPIR. With her as the host, Viewers would be lucky to get to see on spin of the wheel.

Now that Bob Barker has retired, it's time for his microphone to retire too! We certainly don't want someone like Rosie O'Donnell or Mario Lopez using it, right?

One of the mics that Barker used on The Price Is Right is up for sale on eBay. Right now it's at $6,700 and there have been 51 bids. It comes with a nice letter of authenticity written and signed by Barker himself. The money from the sale goes to help the United Activists for Animal Rights.

The cord that comes with it looks to be approximately 6 miles long. I think one of us should buy it and put on our own Price Is Right in our home.

Back in November, Julia gave her five reasons why she was going to miss Bob Barker, who is retiring from The Price Is Right this year. Just in time for his tribute on CBS tomorrow comes this list from Best Week Ever, the reasons why they're going to miss the silver fox.

Among the reasons are the women who kiss Bob on the cheek when they come up on stage (I think I saw a guy do it once) and the $100 bill that he keeps in his pocket that he gives to bidders who get the contestant's row price exactly right.

I remember several years back when he used to have the contestant actually reach into his pocket to take out that money. Thankfully they changed that.

As I've been reading the news stories surrounding Bob Barker's retirement, I've been noticing that people have been confusing two elements of the The Price is Right that have similar names. In fact, that confusion has been in place for about thirty years, perpetrated by bloggers, columnists and news anchors: the misidentification of TPiR's final round as "the Showcase Showdown."

The confusion flummoxes the best of them, including our friends at BestWeekEver.tv, who put together a list of ten reasons why they'll miss Bob (must be an homage to our The Five list of reasons why we'll miss Bob). In item number 3, about Bob losing his patience, writer Michelle Collins states, "Often seen when people have difficulty coming up with a bid during the Showcase Showdown." Um, Michelle... that's not quite right.

I've been wanting to get on The Price Is Right for years. OK, not enough to schedule vacations around the taping of the show or fly out to L.A. just to be in the audience, but I've wanted to go on the show since I was a little kid, watching the show with my mom. I think I could do really well. Unless they do that game where you have to pick a certain number of grocery items and come between $20 and $21. Ugh. I never do well at that game.

But if you want to go out and try your luck in L.A., read this NY Times piece. It gives the lowdown on what to do, what not to do, and profiles people who wait in line as early as 3am for one of the 325 spots in the audience.

It also says that many of the contestants stay at the Farmer's Daughter Hotel across the street. There are so many jokes there that I'm not sure which one to say first.

I've watched The Price Is Right for a really long time. Really, really long. Well, long enough to know that, while the Beauties will get old and start to sag in all the wrong places, Bob Barker will never, ever age. And there has something -- someone, rather -- that has bothered me since I started watching.

OK, the curmudgeon hat is going on again...

Contestants on The Price is Right have been spinning the huge wheel to get themselves into the Showcase for over thirty years now, and for most of those thirty years, all they've done is spin the wheel and stand and look.

Now, all of a sudden, as the wheel's spinning, they say hello to their spouses, kids, parents, pets and sewing circles. It makes for a very awkward moment as they try to fit everything in before the wheel comes to rest. I dunno... if it were me, I'd be so preoccupied about what's coming up on that wheel that I wouldn't even remember to say hi to my Aunt Rose in Sheboygan or whatever.