Come on down! You're the next contestant on The Price is Right!
Today marks the end of a
television era. Today Bob Barker tapes his very
last episode of The Price is Right. The end of a
35-year legacy. No more long, skinny
microphone. No more, "Have your pets spayed or
neutered." No more Barker's Beauties!
I have many a fond childhood memory of staying
home from school, curled up on the couch, eating
minestrone soup (picking out the garbanzo beans),
and shouting out prices along with the television
audience. My sisters and I would often
re-create and
play the games at home. Janice, Diane, and Holly
were well-known names in my house. Sometimes I
would dream
about building my very own Plinko board. I loved
The Price is Right. In fact, it may
subconciously be the
reason I ended up working in grocery...
What makes TPiR so great? It's the
only tv show that truly bridges the generation
gap, bringing everyone from children to
grandparents to college kids together for one
common goal: to watch someone win the Showcase
Showdown. It's the gameshow where it doesn't
matter if the contestants win or lose; they all
have fun anyway. I mean, what other game show
encourages cheating, aka audience
participation?! It's the way Bob builds
excitement as he cleverly delays the reveal of
whether or not the contestant wins the new car.
It's the way Barker's Beauties lovingly caress
coffeemakers and loveseats. It's the dorky
little skits created for the Showcase Showdowns.
It's the groovy theme music and set design that
have stayed the
same after all these years. It's the energy of
the contestants and the roars from the audience
cheering them
on. But ultimately, it's
all about Bob Barker. He is a television legend,
a daytime TV icon. What other gameshow host has
the timeless class and good looks that make women
of all ages fight each other in contestant's row
for a highly-coveted chance to kiss his famous
cheek? (And can we ever forget the days when the
contestant who bid exactly right got to come on
stage and reach into Bob's pocket... to pull out
a $100 bill?)
My only regret is that I didn't take the
opportunity to see the show live or get a chance
to play Plinko or spin the Big Wheel. So what if
I really don't need a sailboat or a year's supply
of Seabond denture adhesive? I got to meet Bob
Barker on The Price is Right!
So farewell, Bob Barker, and best wishes for a
well-deserved retirement. And farewell to a long-
standing mainstay of daytime television.
Although the show will still continue, as a new
host
will be chosen to carry on Bob's legacy, The
Price is Right as we know it will never be the
same. I guess I will just have to tune into the
Game Show Network's reruns to get my daily fix of
nostalgia.
Plinko, the Dice Game, Punch a Bunch,
One Away, the Shell Game, Three Strikes, the Race
Game, the Clock Game, Cliff Hangers, Hole in
One... or Two! Relive
all your favorite TPiR games here:
The COMPLETE Pricing Game
Directory
