The Price is Right
It’s hard to argue that The Price is Right, Jeopardy, Wheel of Fortune & Family Feud aren’t on the Mount Rushmore of greatest gameshows of all time. I’m willing to bet that if you asked someone what their favorite game show was, it would be one of the above more times than not. My own answer has oscillated between these four throughout the years, but I can now say without hesitation that The Price is Right will forever be my favorite gameshow of all time after being selected as a contestant for 50th Anniversary Primetime Special which aired on September 30th, 2021. So I thought I would use this entry to document my experience as much for myself as anyone reading this because the whole day is already a blur and I want to do my best to preserve and relish every detail.
The whole process started earlier in the year when the casting company for the show reached out to see if I was interested in auditioning (via Zoom) after being referred by a friend who had been on the show prior. You wouldn’t think a show like The Price Is Right would need referrals to find its contestants, but this era of covid has changed protocols for many standards. The Zoom audition was pretty awkward having to “perform” on a video chat for a complete stranger as I answered various questions about myself and the show… even having to demonstrate how I would dance/celebrate if selected to come on down or if I won a prize. It kind of felt like I was on OnlyFans, but without getting paid. I was pretty sure I bombed the audition which seemed to be the case after several month passed without any followup. After the whole notion of making the show had faded from memory, they reached out again asking if I would audition one more time. I reluctantly agreed and felt like I bombed that second audition yet again.
Several more month passed when the phone call finally came. They wanted me to be on the show! There was only one problem - I had a prior commitment on the date they wanted to book me for which I couldn’t re-schedule. So once again, I thought the opportunity has passed me by. Maybe being on the show just wasn’t in the cards. And then they called one last time. They wanted me to be on the 50th Anniversary Primetime Special! Could I make that show? You’re damn right I could!
Due to covid, there were a few formalities to take care of beforehand. All contestants were required to be vaccinated (no problem there) and take a rapid covid test (which the show pays for) 48 hours prior to the show. In addition, I spent the weeks leading up to the date watching as many episodes as I could and researching various game strategies online to give myself some semblance of a competitive edge because I’m that much of a nerd (I found the chart below online which details various strategies, if they exist at all, for many of the games featured on the show. The chart is somewhat outdated, but provides a good baseline as to what to expect for each game listed). With that out of the way, we showed up for a 9:30AM call time to Television City Studios which is located right in the center of Los Angeles (near the Grove/Farmer’s Market at the intersection of Fairfax Avenue & Beverly Boulevard). I was allowed to bring up the 5 guests (I brought 3) who were also eligible to be selected as contestants since the show was returning to its famed studio audience selection process unlike the previous season which featured NO studio audience (contestants were pre-selected) because of covid safety restrictions.
For our taping, there was approximately 50 people in attendance which is about 1/4 the size of a regular pre-covid audience. So while the odds were much better than normal to be selected as a contestant, it was definitely not a guarantee that any of us would make the show. Like all television tapings, we spent most of our time waiting. There was more paperwork to fill out and yet another audition in front of producers to help clarify whom they might want to select (if I never audition for a game show again, it’ll be too soon!). But other than that, we sat there there waiting, entertained by previous episodes of The Price Is Right on the monitors above.
Finally around noon, we were brought into the studio. Any anxieties and/or frustrations were instantly relieved as we stepped foot inside the historic and iconic stage which had also been home to The Carol Burnett Show and a few seasons of The Wheel of Fortune (Vana White would make a surprise guest appearance later in the show!). With its familiar and kitschy decor, there was something very timeless about The Price is Right set. You could totally imagine the incomparable Bob Barker stepping out from behind the wings as much as Drew Carey. Each group was sat together in a pod to observe a sense of social distancing and the studio was pumped with club-like music to keep our energy high. George Gray, the show’s announcer, eventually took the stage to greet the audience and relay any info pertinent to the taping. And with that, the show finally began!
As luck would have it, I was the second contestant selected to “COME ON DOWN” which was a complete out-of-body experience! Everything else that occurred after hearing my named called is hazy at best because my mind was complete mush from that point forward. Once all four initial contestants were selected, they brought out the first item to bid on: a gaudy gold necklace from Ross-Simon. Bidding second, I went with a guess of $3199 which ended up being the highest bid. Retail price of the necklace? $10,995. I won! I ran onto the stage like a wild banshee… via the wrong set of stairs located on the far side of the stage instead of the stairs right in-front of contestants’ row… so they actually had me redo my entrance in order to capture it “properly” on camera, pretending as if I had won all over again. I doubt I’ll be winning an Oscar for that performance anytime soon, lol.
Finally onstage with Drew Carey, it was time to reveal which game I was about to play. Even though we were only a few feet away from one another, I have no idea what Drew might have said to me during the course of our entire interaction because it was THAT loud even with the reduced audience and also because my mind was absolutely short-circuiting throughout my time on stage. The other thing that you don’t realize watching from home is that the entire camera crew is right on top of you during each game which also didn’t help settle my nerves. (As a quick aside, I think it’s only fair to acknowledge the sneaky pop culture relevance of Drew Carey. Ever since he first appeared on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson back in 1991, Drew has made a name for himself as one of the best stand-up comics of all-time, to staring in one of the best sitcoms of all-time, to hosting one of the best gameshows of all-time. That’s a pretty impressive resume if you ask me. But I digress.) The game I was about to play is undoubtably the most famous and beloved game in the show’s illustrious history: PLINKO! I went appropriately bonkers at the reveal! Since this was the show’s 50th anniversary, the center prize on the Plinko board was a wopping $50,000 (instead of the regular $10,000). And since I had the opportunity to play up to 5 tokens on Plinko, given that I correctly guessed the price of four shopping items, that meant I could win up to $250,000! With major help from the audience, I got to play all five tokens! On my first drop, I was fortunate enough to win $5000, but it was my second drop where I totally lost my mind because I landed on $50,000! I had no idea where my final three tokens landed on next because I was happily beside myself in exhilaration. All told, I ended up winning $58,500 on Plinko. Not a bad day’s work for three awkward auditions.
Anyone familiar with The Price is Right knows that I wasn’t finished playing though. I still had the opportunity to spin the Big Wheel for a chance to be one of two finalists on the Showcase Showdown. The only thing more famous than Plinko is spinning the Big Wheel… and yes, it’s as heavy as you think it is! But when my turn arrived (I had the privilege of spinning last since I had the biggest winnings amongst the first 3 contestants which is a great strategic advantage), I thought I would only be spinning for fun because the woman before had spun $1.00 exactly which is a win 99% of the time. My first spin was 55¢, so I needed to land on 45¢, and only 45¢, on my final spin to force a tie. Since there are twenty #s on the wheel, that meant I had a 5% chance of doing so. Using up all my good luck for the next ten years, I miraculously landed on 45¢! Again, I completely lost it running around the stage like a chicken with its head cut off. But it still wasn’t over. We both needed to spin again to break the tie. Using up another year of luck, I managed to spin 75¢ to her 35¢. I was going to the showcase!
Again, having won a bigger prize than the other contestant who made it into the showcase, I had the privilege of deciding whether to bid or pass on the first showcase that was revealed: a video gaming set, a trip to Mexico, and a boat. As soon as I saw the boat, my decision was easy because there was NOOOO reality in which I wanted a boat, so I happily passed. And oh boy was the second showcase worth it! (a year supply of peanut-butter would’ve been better than any boat package). The final showcase was a 65” TV, a trip to South Africa, and a brand new BMW! I’m starting to sound like a broken record here, but my body went numb and my mind went blank with child-like giddiness. But sadly my luck had finally run out. I bid around $47,000 on the package which ended up being around $54,000. My competitor bid around $30,000 on her package which was only about $1000 off the actual price, ensuring her the victory.
While I didn’t win the showcase, I definitely feel like I left the entire experience as a winner (quite literally - even though I lost the showcase, I somehow managed to be the episode’s overall winner, accumulating over $70,000 in cash and prizes). But even if I hadn’t won a single cent, the memories of that day will happily stay with me for the rest of my life. And I can watch the parts I don’t recall again and again on Paramount Plus, lol. I’m not sure what this says about my life, but my time on The Price is Right will forever be one of the best moments of my life!
A few parting notes to consider if you ever have the chance to make it onto the show:
Surprisingly, they don’t offer any sort of snacks during your time on the show which surprised me. Since I happen to work in the industry as well, I assumed there would at least be a craft-service table to partake of. We wrapped approximately at 5PM which meant we went almost seven hours without eating (they do offer water bottles). So make sure you have a big breakfast before you go if you get selected.
While I can’t speak for other games shows, there’s no such thing as taking the cash value on The Price is Right which I always thought was an option. So in my case, I either had to accept that gold necklace or return it back to the show. You are given ten days, starting on the date of your taping, to declare whether you want to keep any of your physical prizes or refuse acceptance. So it’s definitely a case of all or nothing.
Also, ALL prizes and their associated retail value are considered taxable income that you will have to pay year-end taxes on. In addition, you’ll also have to pay sales tax to claim those prizes, so a lot of winners will actually turn down some of the big ticket prizes (like cars!) because they can’t afford the accompanying fees. It’s the hard reality of winning on a game show, but it’s a choice you will have to make if you win. In my case, I’ll have to pay whatever taxes I owe on $70,000.
Strategy Guide
