The Price is Right

The Price is Right (sometimes formerly called The New Price is Right in daytime or The Nighttime Price is Right in syndication as well) is an ultra-successful game show based on pricing and values. Its success can possibly be from the fact that contestants are picked right from the studio audience by virtue of the call to "Come on Down!" as well as the numerous minigames played for cash and prizes.

Original Version
Beverly Bentley

June Ferguson

Maryann James

Gail Sheldon

Carolyn Stroupe

Toni Wallace

Current Version
Manuela Arbeláez

Misty Atkinson

Brooke Boisse

Kathleen Bradley

Starr Campbell

Lanisha Cole

Ashley Coleman

Tami Donaldson

Zubaydah Donaldson

Phire Dawson

Chantel Dubay

Jennifer England

Anitra Ford

Lisa Gleave

Jesse Golden

Ashley Guerrero

Teri Harrison

Holly Hallstrom

Shawnae Jebbia

Pennelope Jimenez

Claudia Jordan

Lauren Jones

Heather Kozar

Amber Lancaster

Mercedes Luna

Cindy Margolis

Kristal Marshall

Jennifer Mosley Ryen

Tamiko Nash

Gena Lee Nolin

Gwendolyn Osborne-Smith

Dian Parkinson

Janice Pennington

James O'Halloran

Rebecca Mary Pribonic

Rachel Reynolds

Stephanie Leigh Schlund

Brandi Sherwood

Candace Smith

Shane Stirling

Aly Sutton

Gabrielle Tuite

Mylinda Tov

Erika Valdez

Sonia Vera

Ute Werner

Rob Wilson

Natasha Yi

Nikki Zeno

Nikki Ziering

Kathy Kinney as "Mimi Bobeck" (4/1/2009)

ADDITIONAL NOTE: Some of the models from Price were also models on the original NBC primetime version of Deal or No Deal as well (ex: Lanisha Cole, Lisa Gleave, Claudia Jordan, Mylinda Tov, Sonia Vera, Kristal Marshall and Enya Flack) from 2005 until 2009.

Sub Models
Kyle Aletter

Tiffany Coyne

Sharon Friem

1994 Nighttime Models
Julie Lynn Cialini

Ferrari Farris

Lisa Stahl

1950s-1960s Version Gameplay
On the original version of The Price Is Right, four contestants – one a returning champion, the other three chosen from the studio audience – bid on items or ensembles of items in an auction-style format.

A prize was presented for the contestants to bid on. A minimum bid was specified. After the opening bid, contestants bid on the item in turn with each successive bid a certain amount higher than the previous bid. A contestant could freeze his/her current bid instead of increasing it if he/she believed his/her bid was close enough to win. A later rule allowed contestants, on their opening bid only, to "underbid" the other bids, but this automatically froze their bid and prevented them from later increasing the original bid. Some rounds were designated as one-bid rounds, where only one round of bidding was held (this is the format used on the current version of The Price is Right); sometimes the minimum-bid and higher-bid threshold rules also were waived.

The bidding continued until a buzzer sounded, at which point each contestant who had not yet "frozen" was given one final bid. Bidding also ended when three of the contestants had frozen, at which point the fourth contestant was allowed one final bid, unless he/she already had the high bid. Cullen then read the actual retail price of the prize. The contestant whose bid was closest without going over the actual price won the item. If everyone overbid, the prize was not won; however, Cullen sometimes had the overbids erased and instructed players to give lower bids prior to reading the actual price (similar to what is done on the current CBS version and its syndicated spinoffs).

Frequently, a bell rang after the winner was revealed, indicating a bonus prize accompanied the item up for bids. While this was typically an additional prize, a bonus game often accompanied the prize (e.g. a tune-matching game, where a clip of a well-known song was played and the contestant matched it with a face for a cash bonus).

After a set number of rounds (four on the nighttime version, six on the daytime version), the contestant who accumulated the highest value in cash and prizes became the champion and returned on the next show.

Celebrity Contestants
During the ABC run of the show, Celebrities came on as contestants and played against the three civilian contestants (one a returning champion) while trying to win prizes for a home viewer or studio audience member. Even if they win the game, celebrities can only play for one day/night although they can come back for a future appearance. So if the celebrity did manage to win the most, then the contestant with the highest total of all the civilians came back as the champion.

Home Viewer "Showcases"
The Price Is Right frequently featured a home viewer "Showcase," a multi-prize package for which home viewers were invited to submit their bids via postcard. The viewer who was closest to the actual retail price without going over won everything in the Showcase, but one item was sometimes handmade so the viewer could not check the price of all the items. The term "Showcase" would, in time, be replaced by "sweepstakes."

Very often, home viewers were stunningly accurate with their bids, including several viewers who guessed the price correct down to the penny. In such a case, the tied contestants were informed and asked to give the price of a stated item; this continued until one of the contestants broke the tie (re-ties and all-overbids were thrown out). The Showcases remain in today's CBS version (including the phrase "This Showcase can be yours if The Price is Right"), while Home Viewer Showcases were done for a time in the 1980s (including to-the-penny guesses).

Prizes
While many of the prizes on the original Price Is Right were normal, standard game show fare (e.g., furniture, appliances, home electronics, furs, trips and cars), there were many instances of outlandish prizes being offered. This was particularly true of the nighttime version, which had a larger prize budget.

Some examples: Sometimes, large amounts of food (such as a mile of hot dogs along with buns and enough condiments (perhaps to go with a barbecue pit)) were offered as the bonus.
 * A 1926 Rolls-Royce with chauffeur
 * A Ferris wheel
 * Shares of corporate stock
 * An island in the St. Lawrence Seaway

Some other examples of outlandish or "exceptionally unique" bonus prizes:


 * Accompanying a color TV, a live peacock (a play on the NBC logo) to serve as a "color guide."
 * Accompanying a barbecue pit and the usual accessories, a live Angus steer.
 * Accompanying a prize package of items needed to throw a backyard party, big band legend Woody Herman and His Orchestra.
 * Accompanying a raccoon coat worth $29.95, a sable coat valued at $23,000.
 * A bonus prize of a 16x32' in-ground swimming pool, installed in the winner's back yard in one day's time.
 * A bonus prize of a trip to Israel to appear as an extra in the 1960 film Exodus. (Both offered on the January 13, 1960 airing.)

In the early 1960s, the dynamic of the national economy was such that the nighttime show could offer homes in new subdivisions (sometimes fully furnished) as prizes, sometimes with truly suspenseful bidding among the contestants. In the last two seasons of the nighttime run, the series gave away small business franchises (like a take-out fried chicken establishment or a mobile dry-cleaning operation). In some events, the outlandish prizes were merely for show; for instance, contestants may bid on the original retail price for a 1920s car, but would instead win a more contemporary model.

One Bid
One Bid is a qualifying game, played with four contestants standing at the foot of the stage ("Contestants' Row"). A prize is shown and each player gives a bid for the item. Contestants bid in dollars and not cents (as the retail prices are rounded off to the nearest dollar) and may not bid the same amount as any player bid previously for that item. The contestant who bids closest to the actual retail price of the prize, without going over, wins the prize and advances on to the stage for an individual pricing game. A contestant that bids the exact price also receives a cash bonus ($100 from 1977 to 1998, $500 starting in 1998). If all four contestants overbid, they all must bid again, lower than the lowest bid. Four initial contestants are chosen from the audience at the start of the show to play the first One Bid round and bid in order from left to right; before each subsequent One Bid round, a new contestant is chosen from the audience to replace the previous winner (new contestants always bid first).

The Contestants Row Podiums
When the show started out as a half-hour show, all four podiums were orange and the contestants' bids were in eggcrate displays, with a Goodson-Todman asterisk on the left (similar to the star on the left on the original version) to indicate the winning bid (both the bid and the asterisk would flash upon the ARP reveal). But starting in 1975 prior to becoming an hour long show, the podiums appeared in different colors and in this order: red, green , orange and sky blue ; plus the bids were/are now in sportstype display. The colors of the second and fourth podiums switched in 1981. Starting from the airdate of January 30, 2002 in the Daytime Series and the the 30th Anniversary Special, the color of the second podium changed from sky blue to blue ; starting with the airdate of January 31, 2003 in the Daytime Series and with the first Million Dollar Spectacular, the color of the third podium changed from orange to yellow and has stayed there ever since. For Seasons 36-37, the colors all became a brighter screen from a previous normal screen. Since Season 38, Contestants’ Row is made up of LCD monitors, but the familiar SportsType display remains; plus, the screens can now hold five digits (prior to this, the screens held four) and also the brighter colors were changed back to its normal colors. Starting in season 40, the frame borders around the displays were removed. Also on special shows, special animations and symbols are showing on the monitors in place of the regular colors; when the bids are entered, the animation/symbol is removed, revealing each podium's normal colors.

Pricing Games
Each winner of the six One Bid rounds is called onto the stage to play a pricing game to play for 1 prize, multiple prizes valued at least several thousand dollars or a cash prize.

List of Pricing Games
Here is a list of all the pricing games played on The Price is Right.

Active Pricing Games
 * Any Number
 * Balance Game (2)
 * Bargain Game (formerly called Barker's Bargain Bar)
 * Bonkers
 * Bonus Game
 * Bullseye (2)
 * (The New) Card Game
 * Check Game (formerly called Blank Check)+
 * Check-Out
 * Cliff Hangers
 * Clock Game
 * Coming or Going
 * Cover Up
 * Danger Price
 * Dice Game (once called "Deluxe" Dice Game during the 1980s for five-digit priced cars)
 * Do The Math
 * Double Cross
 * Double Prices
 * Easy as 1 2 3
 * 5 Price Tags
 * Flip Flop
 * Freeze Frame
 * Gas Money
 * Golden Road
 * Grand Game
 * Gridlock!
 * Grocery Game
 * 1/2 Off
 * Hi Lo
 * Hole in One (or Two)
 * Hot Seat
 * It's in the Bag
 * Let 'em Roll
 * Line 'em Up
 * Lucky $even
 * Magic #
 * Make Your Move
 * Master Key
 * Money Game (once called "Big" Money Game in the 1980s for five digit priced cars)
 * More or Less
 * Most Expensive
 * Now... or Then (formerly Now... And Then)
 * One Away
 * 1 Right Price
 * 1 Wrong Price
 * Pass the Buck
 * Pathfinder
 * Pay The Rent
 * Pick-a-Number
 * Pick-a-Pair
 * Plinko
 * Pocket Change
 * Punch-a-Bunch/Punchboard
 * Push Over
 * Race Game
 * Range Game
 * Rat Race
 * Safe Crackers
 * Secret "X"
 * Shell Game
 * Shopping Spree
 * Side by Side
 * Spelling Bee
 * Squeeze Play
 * Stack the Deck
 * Swap Meet
 * Switch?
 * Switcheroo
 * Take Two
 * Temptation
 * Ten Chances
 * That's Too Much!
 * 3 Strikes (once called "3 Strikes +" in the mid '80s & early '90s for five-digit-priced cars)
 * Time is Money
 * Triple Play
 * 2 for the Price of 1
 * Vend-O-Price

Retired Pricing Games
 * Add 'em Up
 * Balance Game (1)
 * Barker's Marker$ (also called Make Your Mark on Carey and Davidson versions)
 * Bullseye (1)+
 * Bump
 * Buy or Sell
 * Clearance Sale
 * Credit Card
 * Double Bullseye +
 * Double Digits
 * Finish Line
 * Fortune Hunter
 * Gallery Game
 * Give or Keep
 * Hit Me
 * Hurdles
 * It's Optional
 * Joker
 * Mystery Price
 * On The Nose
 * On the Spot
 * Penny Ante
 * The Phone Home Game
 * Poker Game
 * Professor Price
 * Shower Game
 * Split Decision
 * Step Up
 * Super Ball!!
 * Super Saver
 * Telephone Game
 * Trader Bob
 * Walk of Fame

NOTES:
 * As of 2009, when winning a brand new car, contestant also receive a license plate frame saying that this contestant won that car on the show. It also has a "Winner" card contained.
 * At one time due to the difficulty of playing and lack of winners, Bullseye (1) switched to two-player mode, hence the name Double Bullseye. This particular format found its way to the Australian version for the Showcase round.
 * Blank Check was renamed Check Game due to a lawsuit by Jack Barry Productions due to the fact that the company produced a game show with that name. Check Game made its return on June 20, 2013 with a refurbished prop.

For more information on these pricing games, visit the List of Pricing Games page on Wikipedia. You can also visit The Price Is Right Wiki. Or if you want to see how pricing games changed over time click here.

There are currently 72 pricing games in rotation. Regardless of whether or not the pricing game is won, all One-Bid winners advance automatically to the Showcase Showdown, which occurs twice in each hour-long episode, after every three pricing games. Prior to the expansion to 60-minute episodes, during the first two nighttime versions and some late 1980s-early 1990s cut-down daytime episodes (due to the Pillsbury Bake-Off), each 30-minute episode featured only three One-Bids, each followed by a pricing game. After three pricing games had been played, the two on-stage contestants with the greatest winnings faced off in the Showcase.

Showcase Showdown
This has been used since the show expanded to a 60-minute format in 1975, and only in 60-minute formats, the Showcase Showdown determines which contestants will compete in the Showcases at the end of the show. There are two Showcase Showdowns in each episode, one each after every three pricing games. Each Showcase Showdown features the three contestants who played the preceding three pricing games.

Each contestant spins a large wheel which is segmented and marked with values from five cents to a dollar, in increments of five cents. The wheel must make one complete downward revolution for the spin to qualify and the contestant will be booed by the audience and must spin again if the spin fails to do so. Disabled contestants or those otherwise unable to make a qualifying spin are generally assisted by either a family member/friend or the host.

The winner of each Showdown is the contestant who spins the highest value closest to one dollar in one spin or the total of two spins without exceeding one dollar. A contestant whose score totals more than $1.00 is eliminated from the game. In the event the first two contestants go over $1.00, the third contestant automatically advances to the showcase, but will spin once to see if they can get $1.00.

A total of exactly one dollar wins $1,000 and also earned a bonus spin (since December 1978) for a potential bonus cash prize. For the bonus spin, the contestant must get the wheel all the way around or the spin is void and they do not get another spin. If the wheel does go all the way around and it stops on a bonus space, the contestant wins a bonus cash prize. If it's a green bonus space, the contestant wins a small bonus cash prize. If it's a red bonus space, the contestant wins a large bonus cash prize. From December 1978 to July 17, 2008, the small bonus cash prize was $5,000 and the large bonus cash prize was $10,000. Since September 22, 2008, the bonus cash prizes increased to $10,000 for the small bonus cash prize and $25,000 for the large bonus cash prize.

The two Showdown winners in each show compete in the Showcase following the second Showdown. In the event of a tie, a spin-off is held in which each of the tied contestants is given one spin. The contestant with the highest value advances to the Showcase. In the event that a contestant spins $1.00 in their spin-off spin, they still get $1,000 and a bonus spin. If the tie happens to be between multiple players who scored $1.00, each player's bonus spin also counts as their spin-off. This is disadvantageous for the contestants, since two of the three prize-awarding spaces ($0.05 and $0.15) also happen to be two of the three worst tie-breaking spaces. Contestants who participate in bonus spin-offs and don't get the wheel all the way around are allowed to spin again, but without the addition of any more bonus money. If the spin-off contestants tie in terms of the prize-awarding spaces, another spin-off is played but without any bonus money at stake.

While the wheel can be spun both upwards and downwards (as at least three contestants have tried to spin it "upwards"), only downward spins count.

The Showcases
The two qualifying contestants are shown a large prize package. The contestant with the larger total of cash and prizes (the "top winner") may either bid on that showcase or pass it to their opponent (the "runner-up"). A second prize package is then shown and whichever contestant has not yet bid must bid on that showcase. Unlike the One-Bid, one player may bid the same bid as the other, as they are each bidding on separate prize packages.

The contestant who bids closer to the combined "actual retail price" of the items in their showcase without going over wins that showcase. If both contestants bid higher than the actual price of their own showcases, referred to as a "double overbid," they both lose. If the winning contestant bids within $250 of the price of his/her showcase, he/she wins both showcases. This rule was introduced in 1974 for a winner whose bid was "less than $100" under the price; the threshold was raised to "$250 or less" starting with the 27th season premiere show in 1998.

If both contestants bid exactly right, they both win both showcases (which has yet to happen). The nighttime syndicated shows had no such rule.

In 60-minute episodes, the Showcase participants are the winners of the two Showcase Showdowns. In the 30-minute format, the top two winners from the pricing games automatically advance to the Showcase. Some showcases will contain a "Priceless Bonus" prize; when that happens, the contestant bidding on the showcase will be reminded not to include that prize in their bid.

Do-It-Yourself
Used sometime between late 1974 and early 1975. The showcase had three categories of prizes, each with three prizes in it. The contestant randomly had to choose one prize from each category, and those prizes were then presented as the contestant's showcase. This wasn't used much, most likely because there were 27 combinations of showcases and they would have to get the prizes to the big doors quickly.

The Showcase Podiums
Bob Barker's Tenure

Customized Showcase Podiums (Carey only)
Halloween

The font styles used for Double Showcase Winners were "Tonight," "Kingpin" (the font used in More or Less) and "Vag Rounded BT."

Special Shows/Weeks
Since Carey took over, special shows were produced honoring a theme (such as teachers, nurses or the military). Some shows started featuring teams playing. Three particular weeks of shows have been done and we go into greater detail here.

Celebrity Week
For the first week of 2012, the week of February 18-22, 2013, and the week of February 20-24, 2017, The Price is Right held a special Celebrity Week in which five celebrities (one for each week) appear. Their job is to help the contestants win their pricing games and whatever the contestants win, the celebrities receive the value of the prize(s) for their favorite charities. In addition, the celebrity of the day will spin the Big Wheel during the second Showcase Showdown and whatever the star landed on will have two zeroes added to it at the end and turned into dollars. And finally, the celebrity of the day will help present the two Showcases of that day.

Here are the celebrities that appeared in the first Celebrity Week:

Here are the celebrities that appeared in the second Celebrity Week:

Here are the celebrities that appeared in the third Celebrity Week:

Big Money Week
For various weeks since 2013, one game during each show was played for an extravagant prize, such as higher cash prizes or a luxury car.

For the first BMW (April 22-26, 2013), the games were:
 * 1) Punch-a-Bunch for $250,000 (the slips changed to 5 "$500"'s, 10 "$1,000"'s & "$2,500"'s, 15 "$5,000"'s, 9 "$10,000"'s, and 1 "$250,000") - $1,000 was won
 * 2) Grand Game for $100,000 (first step is $10) - $1,000 was won
 * 3) Pay The Rent - $100,000 was won
 * 4) 3 Strikes for a $285,716 Ferrari 358 Spyder
 * 5) $500,000 Plinko ($100,000 center slot) - $1,600 was won

The second (October 14-18, 2013) featured these games, with $500,000 Plinko retained ($2,000 was won):
 * 1) 1/2 Off for $100,000 - $100,000 was won
 * 2) Triple Play for an Audi, Range Rover and Corvette
 * 3) Cliff Hangers for up to $250,000 (standard rules apply, but a win earns $10,000 for every step separating Yodely Guy from the edge) - $30,000 was won
 * 4) Golden Road for a $189,565 Bentley Continental GT

The third (November 10-14, 2014) featured these games, with $100,000 Grand Game retained ($100,000 was won):
 * 1) Rat Race for $175,000 (1st won $100K, 2nd won $50K, 3rd won $25K) - $100,000 was won
 * 2) It's in the Bag for $80,000 (all amounts are quintupled from normal) - $0 was won
 * 3) Time is Money for $200,000 - $0 was won
 * $1,000,000 Plinko ($200,000 center slot) - $600 was won.

The fourth (October 12-16, 2015) featured these games, plus each player who won their game also won $5,000, and $1 in the bonus spin on the wheel won $50,000. $100,000 Grand Game was once again retained ($1,000 was won), as was $250,000 Punch-A-Bunch ($1,000 was won) & $1,000,000 Plinko ($2,100 was won):
 * 1) Shell Game for $100,000 (A win earns $50K, a clean sweep doubles it) - $50,000 was won
 * 2) Let 'em Roll for $100,000 (The money increased to $2,500/$5,000/$10,000, while the car symbols were replaced with dollar signs) - $100,000 was won

The fifth (October 24-18, 2016) featured these games, plus $5,000 for a perfect bid, and tying into the show's 45th Anniversary, getting 45 in a Bonus Spin in the Showcase Showdown won $45,000. $100,000 1/2 Off was retained ($100,000 was won), as was Million Dollar Plinko (with the increased outer slots [$500-$1,000-$2,500] from the 2016 Summer Primetime Specials, $1,000 was won), and $250,000 Cliffhangers ($210,000 was won). Plus, the final show of the week saw all six games played for cash.
 * 1) Dice Game with a bonus of $10,000 per exact number rolled - $0 was won
 * 2) Race Game with a $10,000 bonus for winning with :15 or more left - $0 was won
 * 3) Hole in One for either $20,000 or $100,000, with a windmill added for the latter option - $0 was won
 * 4) Bonkers with a bonus of $1,000 for every second left - $0 was won
 * 5) Range Game with a $10,000 bonus for getting the price within a $50 range - $0 was won
 * 6) Hot Seat for $100,000 (The money increased to $2,500/$5,000/$10,000/$25,000/$100,000) - $25,000 was won
 * 7) Punch-a-Bunch for $50,000 (The slips changed to 5 "$500"'s, 10 "$1,000"'s, 15 "$2,500"'s, 15 "$5,000"'s, 4 "$10,000"'s, and 1 "$50,000") - $1,000 was won
 * 8) Vend-O-Price for $10,000 - $0 was won
 * 9) Grand Game for $20,000 - $2 was won
 * 10) Secret X for $15,000 - $15,000 was won
 * 11) Pick-A-Pair for $20,000 - $0 was won

The sixth (February 19-23, 2018) doubled the money on the wheel and retained the $5,000 bonus for a pricing game win, along with $200,000 Time is Money ($0 was won), $1,000,000 Plinko ($5,000 was won), $250,000 Punch-a-Bunch ($2,500 was won) and $20,000 Grand Game ($20,000 was won). Thursday was an all-cash show, while Friday gave all pricing game winners a check for the amount of the prize. The seventh (10/8-10/15/18) kept the doubled Wheel values, gave non-Big Money Game winners a check for the value of the prize, and had an all-cash show for Friday, plus these games:
 * 1) Cliff Hangers for $20,000 - no bonus, $20,000 was won
 * 2) Spelling Bee for $100,000 (the cards changed to 11 "B"'s, 11 "I"'s, 6 "G"'s, and two "BIG"'s, with $5,000 offered per card.) - No bonus, $0 was won.
 * 3) Hi-Lo for $10,000 - $0 was won
 * 4) 1/2-Off for $20,000 - $21,000 was won
 * 5) Now or Then for $30,000 - $0 was won
 * 6) Vend-O-Price for $40,000 - $0 was won
 * 7) Master Key for up to $50,000 (Locks were valued at $5,000/$15,000/$30,000) - $5,000 was won
 * 8) Pay The Rent for $200,000 (only the top prize was doubled) - $200,000 was won
 * 1) $100,000 Hole in One - $0 was won
 * 2) $100,000 Hot Seat - $10,000 was won
 * $1,000,000 Plinko - $2,000 was won
 * 1) $50,000 1/2 Off - $51,000 was won

Dream Car Week
For the weeks of November 18-22, 2013, October 13-17, 2014, February 15-19, 2016, May 15-19, 2017, and May 27-31, 2019, one (or more) game(s) each day is played for a luxury car, similar to the above Big Money Week.

For the first week, the games were:

For the second week, the games were: For the Card Game playing, the opening bid increased to $60,000.

For the third week, in which $1 in a bonus spin on the wheel won a $35,095 BMW 320i, the games were:

For the Spelling Bee playing, each card was worth $5,000 for a maximum grand total of $25,000. The BMW 320i was won once.

For the fourth week, in which $1 in a bonus spin on the wheel won a Mercedes-Benz CLA 250 Coupe, the games were: In addition, the Monday show saw every game played for a car. For the Pass The Buck playing, the cash prizes increased to $10,000/$15,000/$20,000.

For the fifth week, in which $1 in a bonus spin on the wheel won a Mercedes-Benz CLA 250 Coupe, the games were:

Mash-Up Week
This was a special week of May 9-13, 2016 where The Price is Right did a crossover with Let's Make a Deal (Brady Version only) as it swapped their games, co-stars and a few other surprises along the way.

The Games of Chance from Let's Make a Deal that have appeared on The Price is Right during "Mash-Up Week" were:

Prime-time Specials
Beginning in 1986, TPiR had occasional prime-time specials, most having specific themes (anniversaries, colleges, spring break et al). All specials had increased budgets over the daytime shows, with potential earnings of over $100,000 at stake.

1986 Prime-time Specials
The first was a six-week series running from 8/14/1986 to 9/18/1986 as a response to the popularity of The Cosby Show. Drastic changes were made to the set; the chase lights around the doors were covered up and colored spotlights were added, the light border in the intro was removed, Bob and Rod were in tuxedos and a spotlight was used in the opening, highlighting selected contestants and shining in front of Door 2 as Bob made his entrance. Certain game props and elements were altered as well, some permanently, others only for these specials.

25th Anniversary Special
The silver anniversary special aired on 8/23/1996 and, despite being an hour long, utilized the half-hour format as the rest of the show was devoted to the airing of various clips.

30th Anniversary Special
TPiR went on its only road trip for its 30th, airing 1/31/2002. The show went to the Harrah's Rio Casino in Las Vegas as its showgirls introduced Barker in the opening credits instead of the models. While the basic format remained intact, controversy arose as the show underestimated the number of people who rushed to get tickets. 5,000 applied, 900 tickets were sold and, in the chaos, one person was injured.

The Price is Right Salutes
In the summer of 2002, as a response to 9/11, TPiR held a series of specials devoted to each branch of the Armed Forces and the firefighters and police. For these specials, announcing duties were shared by both Rod Roddy and Burton Richardson, as Rod was undergoing chemo at the time. Again, the overall format remained, but Plinko was played for $100,000, Grand Game for $20,000 and the Showcase Showdown awarded $100,000 for $1.00 in the bonus spin.

Bob Barker's Million Dollar Spectacular
The longest lasting of the specials (2003-2007), TPiR underwent its biggest prime-time change in 2003, as they began to offer $1,000,000 with each Showcase Showdown for hitting $1.00 in the bonus spin. Other changes included increased prizes as always and with MDSs in 2004, offered a $1M spin to either a showcase winner (if there wasn't one in the SCSD) or a randomly selected audience member for a Double Overbid; the latter happened on the May 22, 2004 special. However, on the February 14, 2006 special, the rules were amended so that if a Double Overbid occurred, whoever made the smaller overbid would spin for the money. In all these cases, only the dollar would win the money as the green sections were not worth anything extra.

A Celebration of Bob Barker's 50 Years in Television
Airing on 5/17/2007, this served as the unofficial 35th Anniversary Special, celebrating Bob's retirement from TPiR and his 50th year in the television industry. As with the 25th Anniversary, despite being an hour long, this show utilized the half-hour format, as the rest of the show was devoted to the airing of various clips, including the famous fight scene with Adam Sandler in Happy Gilmore. The Adam Sandler on the show's staff is not related to the actor in any way.

Drew Carey's Million Dollar Spectacular
When Carey took over, the way to a million changed dramatically. Now, one randomly selected pricing game was chosen as the "Million Dollar Game," with certain conditions needing to be achieved to win or getting within $1,000 (later $500) in the Showcase to win both and $1M. Three millionaires were crowned. The Showcase Showdown bonuses would be multiplied by five (see below).

Million Dollar Games

 * One Away/Cover Up – Guess the price on the first try.
 * Safe Crackers – A car is in the safe. If that and the other prize is won, the player could risk both prizes by dialing in the exact price of the car. Unlike normal rules, the numbers may repeat and/or some numbers may not be in the price at all.
 * Pass The Buck – Picking the car on the first pick, winning both.
 * Range Game – Played for a car. The player must not only guess the right price within the range, but must also guess the exact price.
 * Plinko – If three chips are dropped in the $20,000 slot, a Golden Chip is then put into play; dropping that in the center slot wins the million.
 * 1/2 Off – If the $25,000 is won, the player could give it back in order to select one of the other boxes that has a check for the million inside it.
 * Punch-A-Bunch – Pick the top prize on the first punch.
 * Switcheroo – Win all five prizes on the first try.
 * Clock Game – Guess the prices of both prizes correctly with 20 or more seconds remaining.

CBS Reality Show Crossovers
These specials aired for three consecutive nights on May 23-25, 2016 as it respectively centered around three hit CBS reality shows: Survivor, Big Brother and The Amazing Race along with the appearances of their respective hosts: Jeff Probst (Survivor), Julie Chen (Big Brother) and Phil Keoghan (The Amazing Race) as their die-hard fans play alongside past participants from their respective shows; the contestants play for cash and prizes as usual, while their partners are playing for charity; each player's winnings is matched, totaled, and donated in cash to a charity or charities of the celebrity's choice(s).

Syndicated Versions
Three syndicated versions of TPIR have aired. The first two followed the same format as the half-hour daytime version but were intended to air on most stations in the early evening and as such were referred to on-air as "The Nighttime Price is Right."

1972 Nighttime Version
A weekly syndicated version debuted the week after the daytime show continued to air until September 1980. It was distributed by Viacom Enterprises, which had started as the syndication arm of CBS. When Mark Goodson devised the revival of Price for the 1972-73 season, it was intended for a nighttime broadcast under new rules for early-prime syndication and Goodson named Dennis James to host the show (when CBS commissioned a new daily daytime version, Goodson also wanted James to host the show, but CBS wanted Barker, who was hosting Truth or Consequences at the time, to take it). Goodson eventually got his wish to have James host a taping day (four half-hour episodes) of the daytime show in December 1974 when Barker fell ill and was unable to participate in the episode tapings.

The two versions were largely similar at the beginning, as both were called The New Price is Right. Some games had rule differences because of the larger budget and less commercial time on the nighttime show; for example, for three playings in its first season, Double Prices was played for two prizes instead of one. This version retained the 1972 half-hour format for its entire run and never adopted the daytime show's Double Showcase rule, the Showcase Showdown, or the perfect bid bonus.

As of Season 2, the word "New" was dropped from the program's name. It was titled The Price is Right (as the daytime show was by the time as well), often referred to on the air as "The Nighttime Price is Right." In most of the U.S., stations carried the syndicated Price as one of several weekly programs aired in one of the time-slots in the hour before prime time which were created by the 1971 FCC Prime Time Access Rule.

Though the nighttime version originally had higher ratings, by 1975, the ratings started to drop. After the fifth nighttime season in 1977, when the contract with NBC's owned and operated stations ended, James' contract was not renewed. CBS' owned and operated stations picked the show up and the decision was made to hire Barker, whose Truth or Consequences was taped two years ahead and had stopped production in 1975. The series taped its 300th and final episode on March 12, 1980 and was canceled after weekly syndicated game shows had fallen out of popularity in favor of daily offerings. With a run of eight seasons, it was one of the longest-running weekly syndicated game shows of the era and the longest-running regularly scheduled prime-time version of Price (the 1957-1964 run was seven seasons).

1985 Nighttime Version
Five years later, veteran host Tom Kennedy starred in a new daily syndicated version, which also used the traditional half-hour format and was syndicated by The Television Program Source.

Like the previous syndicated series, this version had a slightly larger budget than its daily counterpart, and no Double Showcase Rule. A perfect bid during the One-Bids originally won the contestant $100 as in the daytime show; this bonus would increase to $500 and be made permanent on the daytime show in 1998.

This version used the same models as the daytime show as well as Johnny Olson, who as noted above died during the season. Unlike the daytime series, which employed a series of guest announcers until a permanent replacement was decided upon, the syndicated series brought Gene Wood in to fill in for Olson. When the daytime series decided on Rod Roddy as the permanent replacement for Olson, he took over the syndicated series from Wood as well.

Like its predecessor, this syndicated edition of Price was intended to be aired in the Prime Time Access slots on local stations. However, local stations found themselves bombarded with game shows and other series looking for spots on stations in an increasingly crowded market. This often resulted in shows like Price airing anywhere that they could fit into a station's programming lineup, such as in the early morning period or in late-night slots. As a consequence, the show would not be able to find its intended audience and the ratings reports would reflect this. Price was no exception, as many of the stations that brought the series placed it in these less desirable slots and the show could not find a foothold against the popular shows of the day, such as the runaway success of the syndicated Wheel of Fortune.

Compared to some of the other shows on the market during this period, Price was a modest success, but it did not meet the very high expectations stations and producers had for the series. As a result, the show was not renewed beyond its first season. A total of 170 episodes were produced and they aired in first-run from September 9, 1985 to May 30, 1986. During the six years it held the rights to Price, the Kennedy version is the only one of the three syndicated versions that was rerun by GSN.

ADDITIONAL NOTE: At the time, this version was going to be paired up with the revival of Match Game hosted by Gene Rayburn, but since Rayburn was committed in hosting Break the Bank (1985) at the time, plans for the revival fell through at the last minute and reruns of the 1979-82 daily series aired in its place instead.

1994 Nighttime Version
A short lived 80-episode syndicated version of The Price is Right (also called The New Price is Right), featuring elements never before seen on any version of TPiR, including among other things, the removal of Contestant's Row and the replacement of the Turntable with a video wall.

Some pricing games on The New Price is Right (not to be confused with the current version's original title) were played with slight modifications to the rules as played on the daytime version. Games which usually featured grocery products were played with small prizes instead (e.g., Golden Road, Grand Game and Hole in One) and some games featured other experimental rule changes.


 * Barker's Markers – The name was changed to "Make Your Mark" the single time it was played on this version of the show as Bob Barker was not the host of this version. This name was adopted on the daytime show in February 2008 after Drew Carey began hosting.
 * Clock Game – The game was digitized, with no prop on stage for it and the contestant was provided with a $1,000 range in which to guess the price of each prize. The game frequently used prizes with four-digit prices. On some occasions a third prize was awarded as a bonus for winning (a rule change which was adopted on the daytime version in 2009).
 * Hole in One – Small prizes were used instead of grocery items. When an item was chosen, its price was immediately revealed and then placed in line if it was higher than the previous prize chosen. On the daytime version, the price flags are arranged in line according to the contestant's choice before the prices are revealed.
 * Magic # – This used a Double Prices-like prop to hold the prices of the two prizes rather than the models hold them. The Magic Number set by the contestant playing was superimposed in between.
 * Plinko – While the top prize remained the same at $5,000 per chip for a potential total of $25,000, two configurations of slots were utilized (one of which featured replaced the outer $100 slots with two $2,500 slots). The method of earning chips was also changed from choosing the right number in the right position to a higher/lower pricing format with smaller prizes worth up to $400.
 * Punch-a-Bunch – During some playings, Davidson pulled the slip out of the hole as soon as it was punched. The player then decided to keep the money or punch another hole. On the daytime show, the slips are not revealed until the contestant has made all of his or her initial punches.
 * Safe Crackers – Instead of having the secondary prize (the one in which its price doubles as the safe's combination) inside the safe with the main prize, the secondary prize was outside the safe and talked about after the model locked the door.
 * Superball – Instead of waiting until guessing all three small prizes before rolling the balls, the player rolled after each correct guess.
 * 3 Strikes – The first number was lit at the beginning of the game and the number could repeat elsewhere in the price. Four chips representing the remaining numbers in the price were then placed into the bag with three strike chips. These rules were adopted on the daytime show in 2008, but the game's original rules returned in 2009. Also, the super-imposed "NO" sign for misplaced numbers was replaced with a red box which appeared around the space where the contestant thought the number he/she pulled out belonged in; it melted down the screen if the contestant was wrong.

Plinko

The Showcase was also changed, With only one person playing the Showcase, the pricing game Range Game was modified for this round. A new prop was built with a $60,000 scale ($10,000 to $70,000). During the show's final commercial break, the winner of the Showcase Showdown chose a range at random between $4,000 and $10,000 (in $1,000 increments). A single showcase was then presented. Once it was finished, the rangefinder was started up the scale.

The contestant pulled a lever when they thought the showcase value was contained within the range. If correct, the contestant won the showcase, which was generally worth between $20,000-$60,000, comparatively higher than average showcase values on the daytime show (which, at the time, offered showcases usually worth between $10,000-$30,000). Although this Showcase format was unsuccessful in the United States, a modified version of this is used on versions of the show in other countries. A music package by Edd Kalehoff was made for this version, along with some recycled cues from the daytime version thrown in for certain events. This package was recycled into the daytime, Million Dollar Spectaculars and Gameshow Marathon episodes after this version's cancellation.

ADDITIONAL NOTE:
 * The set, some of the props and the theme song were recycled later in use for an unsold lottery-themed game show pilot called Cash Tornado, hosted by Jim Perry and announced by Gene Wood originally taped on April 5, 1994. In addition, Lisa Stahl, one of the models from the Davidson version of Price, also became a model in the pilot as well and former veteran Price producer Roger Dobkowitz was one of the contestants in the pilot playing one of the games called Force Field.

Gameshow Marathon (2006 version)
The only real difference is that in the Showcase Showdown, the top two highest scoring players get to proceed to the showcase since only three games were played.

Web Series Spinoffs
Road to Price – a short-lived, six-episode-only, documentary series that aired on the now defunct CBS' Innertube in 2006.

Rich Fields Gone Wild - a short-lived comedy series that aired on YouTube from 2009 until 2010.

The Price is Right Male Model Search – another short-lived, five-episode-only reality competition series that aired on priceisright.com and on YouTube in 2014.

Documentary Film
Perfect Bid: The Contestant Who Knew Too Much - a film directed by CJ Wallis about a contestant name Ted "Theodore" Slauson who has been studying the prices of the prizes since the shows' second inception in '72 was released in 2017.

The Price Is Right Live!
The Price Is Right Live! is a live stage version that's held at Harrah's Entertainment casinos, as well as the Foxwoods Resort & Casinos in Connecticut and the Seminole Casinos Coconut Creek in Coconut Creek, Florida. The show also briefly ran at two Atlantic City Casinos in 2005, 2006 and 2011. The show also ran at the Welk Resort in Branson, Missouri in 2012. (NOTE: They are all produced in association with FremantleMedia.) While the basic format remains intact, several changes are made to accommodate location, as well as the significantly lower budget. The biggest overall change is that different contestants are selected for each game, including the wheel and Showcase (except at Bally's Las Vegas, where everyone is eligible). Guessing a One-Bid exactly earns a $100 prize, either cash or casino credits. The following games are played:


 * Any Number – Never played for a car; as such, there is no free digit.
 * Cliff Hangers
 * Hole in One – Never played for a car and there is no bonus for putting all six items in proper order.
 * Race Game
 * It's in the Bag – Played the same, with a top prize of $2,400 ($150/$300/$600/$1,200/$2,400).
 * Punch-a-Bunch – Played the same, with a top prize of (depending on the show) either $2,500 or $5,000.
 * Plinko – Played the same, with a top prize of $2,500 ($50-$100-$250-$0-$500-$0-$250-$100-$50).

NOTE: IITB & Plinko are never played in the same show, due to gambling laws that vary per state.

Big Wheel
Spinning a dollar wins $100 and a bonus spin for $500 (5 or 15) or $1,000 (100). Overall winner earns $250.

Showcase
The showcase has two formats. Originally, two players bid on a single showcase and whoever was closer won a random prize from it. Getting within $250 won everything. Later, the showcase became a version of Ten Chances, with four prizes offered instead of three, with the big prize being a car.

NBC
Hudson Theater, New York City, NY

Colonial Theater, New York City, NY

Ziegfeld Theater, New York City, NY

Century Theater, New York City, NY

ABC
Ritz Theater, New York City, NY

Current Run
Studio 33 (now the Bob Barker Studio), CBS Television City, Los Angeles, CA

Music
1st Main (1956) – "Sixth Finger Tune" by Sonny Burke and His Orchestra

2nd Main (1956) – "Window Shopping" by Bob Cobert - Later used on Snap Judgment and You're Putting Me On

1972 – Sheila Cole

1972 (fast; recorded in 1983) – Edd Kalehoff

1994 (Davidson) – Edd Kalehoff (Recycled into daytime, Million Dollar and GS Marathon eps)

2003 (Million Dollar Spectacular Package) – Michael Karp

2007 – Edd Kalehoff

The second (current) run uses over 500 cues in its numerous games and situations with cues by numerous composers as well as cues from other (Goodson) shows. Other shows it borrows cues from include Match Game (1973), Concentration (1973), Celebrity Charades, Hit Man, Match Game Hollywood Squares Hour, Family Feud (1976, 1988 and 1994), Backchat, Wide World of Sports, ABC Golf, Powerball: The Game Show and Let's Make a Deal (2009). A majority of the show’s music cues are composed by Score Productions, Edd Kalehoff, Robert Israel, Ken Bichel, Walt Levinsky, Michael Karp, Ole Georg Music, Killer Tracks and many others.

To see more musical information, visit this Discography Page.

Inventors
Bob Stewart, Mark Goodson & Bill Todman

International Versions
The following are a list of countries that have aired their versions of TPIR:


 * Argentina
 * Australia
 * Belgium
 * Brazil
 * Canada (French language only) (Currently airing the American version on the English language channel City TV)
 * Chile
 * China
 * Colombia
 * Egypt
 * Estonia
 * Finland
 * France
 * Germany
 * Greece
 * India
 * Indonesia
 * Israel
 * Italy
 * Japan
 * Latvia
 * Lebanon
 * Mexico
 * Moldova
 * Morocco
 * Netherlands
 * New Zealand
 * Pakistan
 * Peru
 * Philippines
 * Poland
 * Portugal
 * Romania
 * Russia
 * Singapore
 * Slovakia
 * Spain
 * Thailand
 * Turkey
 * United Kingdom
 * Venezuela
 * Vietnam

Trivia

 * Before TPIR, Studio 33 (a.k.a. The Bob Barker Studio) taped the formerly popular 1967-1978 CBS sketch comedy series The Carol Burnett Show.
 * This is the longest running game show in America with the second version running for 40 years, with over 8,000 episodes and counting.
 * Not every pricing game was won on the day it premiered. Some pricing games would get their first win after the 2nd playing, 3rd playing, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, etc. The only pricing game to get its first win after 31 playings was Pay The Rent in 2013.
 * The buzzer sound was very different from the 1970s and 1980s. The current one was introduced in the early 1990s and retained for over 20 years. Watch some of the Price is Right episodes on youtube.com starting with the earliest all the way to the most recent. This buzzer was also used for wrong answers on the 1989 revival of Now You See It and Think Twice. It is doubled for bonus round losses on Wheel of Fortune.
 * The Price is Right became a BigJon PC Game. It had a tournament mode and a classic mode. The classic mode is where you play Price is Right on exactly how it is played on TV. The tournament mode features a list of pricing games that can be unlocked by reaching a certain total.
 * Foreign personalities from international versions stopped by to the American show occasionally. For the 40th season, Larry Emdur, third host of the Australian version (who was also one of the past hosts of Australian Wheel of Fortune and currently one of the hosts for the Seven Network morning show) made a guest appearance.
 * On May 3, 2013, The Price is Right had their very first special all-kids edition. Initially, it was scheduled to air on April 18, 2013, but it was held back due to the Boston Marathon Bombings.
 * The show used to air on Prime Network, TLN, Game TV & Omni in Canada. Today, it is airing on City TV.

Additional Pages

 * The Price is Right/Airdates
 * The Price is Right/Quotes & Catchphrases
 * The Price is Right/Pricing Games
 * The Price is Right/Set Changes
 * The Price is Right/Winning Graphics
 * The Price is Right/Gallery
 * The Price is Right/Video Gallery
 * The Price is Right/Price In Popular Culture
 * The Price is Right/Merchandise
 * The Price is Right/Special Guests
 * The Price is Right/List of Personnel
 * The Price is Right/Bob & Rod In Other Media
 * The Price is Right/Drew In Other Media

Links

 * Official Site
 * Official Site (CBS)
 * Official site (FremantleMedia)
 * Official site (Fremantle)
 * Current official site for The Price is Right Live!
 * Original official site for The Price is Right Live!
 * The Price is Right Store
 * Golden-Road.Net: The Unofficial Price is Right Fansite
 * tpir.tv: Another Unofficial Price is Right Fansite
 * The Price is Right Fanpage - Set graphics, photos and much much more!
 * Official Pearson site for "The Price Is Right" (via Internet Archive)
 * Description of "The Price is Right" by FremantleMedia (via Internet Archive)
 * TPIR Episode Guide
 * #165 - Top 5 Reasons Why The New Price is Right Failed @ Game Show Garbage

YouTube Video
Clips from The Price Is Right LIVE!