Price to Play
Admit it: Few people can honestly say they’ve never been infatuated with The Price Is Right. Even if it’s just for a moment, while flipping through channels, it’s always thrilling to see a contestant win a new car or, better yet, a trash compactor. Who can resist checking out the creative T-shirts that contestants design to profess their love for Bob Barker, the program’s charismatic octogenarian host. Or maybe it’s the dope theme song that hooks us.
So it’s time to come on down to Harrah’s for The Price Is Right Live! There are a few differences between the televised version and the live touring version at Harrah’s, though. Contestants aren’t randomly selected. Using electronic keypads at their seats, audience members bid on items to determine who gets to be a contestant. Once the contestants have been selected, the remaining audience members still have a chance to bid on and win prizes. Just like on TV, those prizes include appliances, trips and cars.
The other difference might be harder to reconcile. Instead of using puffy paint to write I heart Bob, overenthusiastic members of the audience will have to write I heart Todd on their shirts. Alas, Todd Newton hosts the show instead of Bob Barker. Still, Newton’s a celebrity in his own right — he worked as a correspondent on the E! cable network and as a host of Whammy! The All New Press Your Luck. It’s a tough sell, Price without Bob Barker, but Newton seems to have his heart in the right place.
“I watched it with my grandmother, I watched when I was in college, I watched as a bachelor, and now I watch with my wife and son,” Newton tells the Pitch. “It’s like having a friend for over thirty years. The Price is Right has always been there. As far as I’m concerned, it’s the top of the mountain. Bob Barker is a personal hero of mine, a man who has given me pieces of advice that only someone like Bob Barker could give.”
One thing that will be the same are the sets, which Newton promises are worth seeing. “When you walk in and sit down, you won’t believe how authentic it is. They’re not cutting any corners. When the curtain opens and the audience sees these games, you can hear the crowd give a big gasp. They’ve seen it on TV so many times, and now it is right in front of them. It’s the same way for me when I’m standing next to it.” The games in the show are supposed to be a surprise, but we heard names such as Cliff Hangers, Hole in One, Plinko and Race Game being tossed around.
Just like on the TV show, Newton will remind audience members that they have certain responsibilities. “We got Bob’s blessing to continue the ‘Help control the pet population. Have your pet spayed or neutered’ at the end of the show,” he says.
Unfortunately, however, we have yet to see gift certificates to the vet’s office offered as prizes on the show.
