The Price Wasn’t Always Right

A major account of the behind-the-scenes drama during the Barker years of “The Price is Right” came out today. Former model (known on the show at the time as “Barker’s Beauties”) Holly Hallstrom spoke to Business Insider.

Read the article here at this link.

This post will continue assuming you have read this article.

Before I comment, I wish to go back to a post I wrote on the day Bob Barker’s final episode aired on June 15, 2007:

Well, as some of you know, today is Bob Barker’s last day on “The Price is Right”, and on television as he is now retiring.

I now offer my thoughts about today in TV history.

Bob has proven himself to be a good host over the course of his career, recognized by his peers with awards and accolades too numerous to count. You have to respect a tad bit a man who has been famous for only two game shows in 50 years. He knew how to get the reactions out of contestants to make the show interesting.

That being said, I can only give good words to his character in front of the camera. Based on what has been said about how he is off-camera, I would have to say that he is very unprofessional and very uncourteous to the people who have tried to work with him. If I were host, I would be nothing but a friend to each and every person who worked hard on the show. I would never show the level of attitude that he has shown to certain individuals, and I never will. It would violate my principles as not only a producer/director but as a human being. It’s just my human nature to enjoy each and every person’s unique talents and what they have to contribute, not to find petty reasons to try to get them off the show or be jealous of someone grabbing the spotlight.

That’s about all I have to say on this matter. All I can say is, have a good retirement, Bob, you’ve been ready for it for a long time.

 

Those feelings from 17 years ago have not changed one iota. As a matter of fact, they are even more amplified. After hearing what everyone went through and what this man tried to do for the sake of this show really sticks in my craw.

At this point in time, I don’t know if I can ever watch the show the same way ever again. I am sure many other people will feel the same way. This doesn’t mean that I will stop watching Price, but it certainly casts the show in a new light for me.

By the way, in case you’re curious, I have come to respect the current run of the show with Drew Carey much more in the last few months. Certain things still irk me about it but it’s a lot better than when I tried to watch it back in 2007 when he first took over as host.

If there is one thing I can say for sure – it’s to please, please, PLEASE be kind to others. Be welcoming of everyone no matter who they are or any other reason. In this day and age everyone deserves mutual respect. That is a lesson that is far too prevalent in current society.

 

10 Years of The Daytime TV Schedule Archive

10 Years ago on January 1, 2014, me and Greg put online a little bit of research we had done that culminated in a website that was never known for it’s graphic sleekness.

Behold, The Daytime TV Schedule Archive was born.

We have made adjustments to it over the years… mostly correcting erroneous data. Most of that information has come from contributors. All of that information is and always has been greatly appreciated. We welcome it as always.

To show the greatness of it all, the site has a special logo now commemorating 10 years of the site being online.

The funny thing is, I didn’t even realize it until I sat down to update the copyright year at the bottom of the page as one does with their website around the end of the year. That got me thinking about when it was put online. I remember posting about the site on The Game Show Forum and a quick search reminded me of our 2014 launch of the site.

The first thought of course was, “Geez, has it been that long!?”

It’s funny what you think when you see that that length of time has passed and it only felt like yesterday that you put something like that online for the world to see.

Time grows short. Time is also the fire in which we burn.
……..
Whoa, I had better really lay off the philosophy references at this hour! TTFN.

Preservation

Old CBS Studio 33 Switcher

Thinking about the necessity of preservation.

There are lots of things in the world that need to be preserved. My focus happens to be old TV shows, specifically (and unsurprisingly to the reader) game/quiz shows.

I recently started streaming hand-picked old game shows on my Twitch channel. It’s a weekly affair on Monday nights for the moment and it seems to have a very sparse, devoted following for the moment. So far I have had a good time showcasing some of the rarer stuff in my collection.

I sometimes ask myself, “How important is it to preserve and showcase these things?” The best answer I can come up with is that these items are solid entertainment from a time when TV was an easier thing on the eye.

In my opinion, the modern way shows are done is too polished. The rise of non-linear editing has taken some of the charm of a live-to-tape show away that was a drawing factor in some of these shows. This is exactly why I sparsely used non-linear editing tools when doing Clue Me In in college. Polishing the show to a perfect thing kind of makes it a non-organic thing that doesn’t quite seem like what it should be.

Bringing a show in on time and rolling with the punches while the show is in performance was an innate skill. That is what should have been preserved.

(See, I stayed on point, lol)

My thoughts on the Summer 2016 Game Shows

I was thinking to myself, what do I think of the summer game shows currently on broadcast television.  You may be surprised at my thoughts.

Celebrity Family Feud (ABC)

While I don’t care much for the question material on the current versions of Family Feud, hosted by Steve Harvey, there are still plenty of laugh out loud moments to make it somewhat tolerable… at times.  The problem with celebrities of today is that I’ve never heard of some of them, and some of those people are… let’s see, how do I put this… not altogether there.  (Note to self: don’t be so denigrating, celebrities are people too.)

The $100,000 Pyramid (ABC)

Now *this* is an awesome show.  When I heard that Michael Strahan was going to be the host, my initial reaction was one of skepticism.  He did have a good run with Kelly Ripa on Live and was very popular with the audience of that show.   I was very impressed to hear in interviews that in preparing for the show, he went back and watched episodes of the Dick Clark version on YouTube.  Read this article from the New York Post and you’ll see why I think he’s a great addition to a new breed of host that I enjoy watching.  The winner’s circle has brought lots of excitement to this version as in any other.  It still remains my favorite bonus round/end game of all time of any game show, without question.  It’s fun to see people master the art of this round.  And one more thing….

2016pyramidset

That set.  It’s so freaking beautiful.  A great update to the classic look.  This is how a modern game show set should be done.

Match Game (ABC)

Gene Rayburn once said that Match Game has a weak format.  That is true.  What drives this game is the insane laughter and goings-on in between the answers.  When I heard Alec Baldwin was going to host this one, my thought at the time was, “Huh?”  Then, that quickly became, “Either this will work or it will utterly fail.”  I think it’s safe to say it was the former.  While the question writing and the stacking of said questions (such as having gimme questions in Round 1 instead of Round 2) leaves a lot to be desired, the laughs and the mixture of celebrities are working out very good.  There are still some celebrities here that I have to Google, or ask Greg, to figure out who they are.  There are other little nit-picky presentation problems that I’ve come to expect out of Fremantle Media revivals.

To Tell the Truth (ABC)

Now this show I wasn’t so crazy about.  The game play wasn’t altered that much from what we would expect from years past.  The execution was very, very lacking.  Do we need a house band on a panel show?  Do we need the host’s mother keeping score for no reason?  Do we need Twitter shame just because you were the worst panelist at trying to figure out who was lying on purpose?  I find myself asking too many questions about these elements of this show to enjoy it.  At least they tried, but I don’t see this one coming back, especially when you consider they taped the shows about a full year before they even aired.  Back burners do not a renewal make.

 

So, that’s my thoughts on this summer’s shows.  Will we see more Feud, Pyramid and Match Game?  Time will tell.  I’ll try to review more new shows and not-so-new shows in the future.

EDIT: Right after I published this post, word came down on the ABC summer press tour that all four of these shows have been renewed, presumably for next summer.  (Source for the Truth renewal was the ABC press site.)

Another Game Show Geekery Post

To wash the bad taste of the Kaisers and the Schumins of the world out of my friends’ mouths…

Just hop on iTunes and search for “Clue Me In”… there are 15 episodes of mine and Greg’s game show for campus television there. Now that’s how a game show should be done.

You’ll feel better in the end, trust me.

And, tell me this, should I share this with the Invision board, possibly?

The Price is Wrong

OK… I have officially had it with The Price is Right.

Someone tried to bid $2 million in contestant’s row this morning. That’s right, $2 million on a one-bid item. I don’t know what Stan Blits thinks he’s doing, but he needs to go back to selecting music. He’s not worthy of co-producer. I have transformed in one show from a back seat critic to a harsh critic. How does this staff pick such ludicrous and moronic contestants?

I think I’ll cleanse myself of this by watching some old episodes on tape… (pops one in) ahhh, feel much much better.

Jay Wolpert, where are you when we need you?

Well, “Clue Me In” has wrapped production for Season Two. I can honestly say that it’s been fun this year, we had a hard working crew and the show turned out well. Now, there is a dilemma: who will be the new host of the program? Christian, our host, is graduating and moving on. We have to find a replacement and pronto so that we can start working with said individual to get them up to speed on the game.

Just when you think you’re doing good… you have new challenges. That’s what’s life all about, my friends. 🙂

Well, time for an update, I suppose…

My fantasy team is 3-0, and I’m quite suprised, to be quite honest. I didn’t think I was going to pull out a win last week, but truth be told, I shouldn’t ever give up in the fantasy football world.

Season Two of “Clue Me In” is going well, we have two shows taped. The first of those is edited and in the can, ready to go on the air. The second will be edited next Monday, along with two thirty second promos to drop into other shows on campus cable promoting the new season and after the season starts. Still have to get flyers out and get some radio spots for “The Edge” (our campus radio station). It’s all about advertising… if they don’t know you’re there, they won’t watch you, plain and simple.

My directing still needs some work, but I’m doing a lot better on being my own technical director than I was on last season’s shows. There is always room for improvement. At least we had all our contestants show up today as they promised, no standing up! Things can only go up from here… just four more taping dates to go and the season is wrapped, with hopefully a total of eight shows in the can. I consider that a modest success, if it does happen.

Well, not much else to say, school is same as usual, and the love of my life is sweeter than ever. 🙂

Night all.

Power of 10

OK… so this new show on CBS, Power of 10, is interesting.

It’s simple, dramatic, and has a lot of money riding on it. If there is one thing it has going for it, it is that you can root for these contestants as opposed to the crap fest that Deal or no Deal has always been.

Bob Stewart always said that if people at home were shouting at their television sets, you know you had a good game. I was yelling and screaming.

I will be watching next Wednesday at 8:00 PM Eastern/7:00 Central Time.