The Price Is Right (seasons 31-38)

The Price Is Right (seasons 31-38)
I'm sorry, but you lose the game.
Genre: Game show Running Time: 38–48 minutes (1975–present) 22–26 minutes (1972–75; 1972–80 Nighttime; 1985–86 Nighttime) Country: United States Release Date: September 4, 1972 – present (current version) Network(s): CBS Syndicated Created by: Bob Stewart Mark Goodson Bill Todman Distributed by: Price Productions Inc. (1972-94) All American Television (1996-98) Pearson Television (1998-2002) Fremantle (2002-present) in association with CBS Starring: Drew Carey Amber Lancaster George Gray James O'Halloran Manuela Arbeláez Rachel Reynolds Devin Goda Seasons: 52 Episodes: 9,000+

The Price Is Right is a game show. While seasons 1-30 and 39-present are good, these seasons are average.

Bad Qualities

1. Rod was no longer shown on-camera after season 31 due to salary disputes between him and Bob. He would only be shown on-camera again in the season 32 premiere.
2. The hideous Hollywood mural during Season 31 that clashed with everything. (It looked better in nighttime, though)
3. Bad directing from Bart Eskander.
4. Syd Vinnedge (who did Drew's first two seasons) was a terrible executive producer.
5. After Rod's death, there was a string of mostly mediocre-to-awful announcers tried out, the nadir being Daniel Rosen.
6. Rich Fields ranged from mellow to overly enthusiastic, the latter being his default option for the Drew Carey era.
7. Some bad pricing games, like On the Spot. It was needlessly difficult and complicated before it was retired after Season 33.
8. Bob himself in his final two seasons seemed like he was phoning it in.
9. After Season 36, Roger Dobokwitz was fired, and the show relied on a plethora of gimmicks, including walk-on appearances by Jack Wagner and Ed Begley, Jr., who were distracting, and tons of outlandish prizes including 365 pairs of shoes. The Jack Wagner episode was apparently never rerun.
10. Drew was a mediocre host in Seasons 37 and 38.
    • One notable moment was where he made a crucial mistake in Make Your Mark where the contestant kept the $500 regardless of the game's outcome. The staff then retired the game after that playing.
11. The hideous Purple Wheel lasted only one week in Season 37 after Drew complained about it.
12. Some of the showcases in Bob's final years were bad, like the infamous Rappin' Zubaydah. This goes especially some of the Drewcases in Season 37, like the infamous fried chicken one and the one Rich Fields showcase where it looked like he was trying too hard at being funny.
13. Many classic cues, some retained since 1972, were dropped in favor of inferior cues that sound too generic.
14. Several pricing games' difficulty spiked to unfair levels in Seasons 37 and 38. An example was That's Too Much! having its correct car price in the 2nd or 9th slot, earning the nickname "That's Two Ninth!" from fans.
15. After Fields' departure, there was another string of announcers that turned up, with some good ones (like David H. Lawrence XVII) and some bad ones (like Steve White).
16. Some games were retired during this era: Penny Ante, On the Spot, Hit Me, Poker Game, Joker, Make Your Mark/Barker's Marker$ and Credit Card.
17. A few pricing games also disappeared without a trace in Seasons 37 for "budget" reasons.

Good Qualities

1. Some good announcers in the Season 32 (like Randy West and Burton Richardson) and Season 39 audition periods (like George Gray, who got the nod and, as stated above, David H. Lawrence XVII).
2. The Million Dollar Spectaculars were decent.
3. Eskander was fired after Season 37 and replaced by Rich DiPirro, who has since been fired.
4. Mike Richards is an okay executive producer.
5. Great set (not counting the mural), and a nice remodel of the set starting in Season 36.
6. Some good pricing games, like Gas Money (Roger's final game concept).
7. Bob at least still tried to be a good host.
8. Some of the Drewcases were good, like the soap opera one.
9. Also, Drew did admit his Drewcases didn't work.
10. Drew's hosting has improved from this era.
11. The gimmicks have since died down.
12. The new models were good.
13. A few of the cues were brought back as remixes.
14. At least the show's decline didn't get too far.
    • After Syd Vinnedge and Kathy Greco were let go from the show, the show got back on the right track.

Comments

Loading comments...