The Price is Right

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 prizes.

50s Version
Beverly Bentley

June Ferguson

Maryann James

Gail Sheldon

Carolyn Stroupe

Toni Wallace

Current Version
Manuela Arbeláez

Kathleen Bradley

Starr Campbell

Lanisha Cole Phire Dawson Chantel Dubay Jennifer England

Anitra Ford

Lisa Gleave

Teri Harrison

Holly Hallstrom

Claudia Jordan

Lauren Jones

Heather Kozar Amber Lancaster

Cindy Margolis

Tamiko Nash

Gena Lee Nolin

Gwendolyn Osborne-Smith Dian Parkinson

Janice Pennington

Rebecca Mary Pribonic

Rachel Reynolds

Stephanie Leigh Schlund

Brandi Sherwood

Shane Stirling

Gabrielle Tuite

Mylinda Tov

Natasha Yi

Nikki Zeno

Nikki Ziering

Sub Models
Kyle Aletter

Sharon Friem

50s & 60s 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 with a minimum bid specified. After the opening bid was made, contestants bid on the item in turn with each successive bid a certain amount higher than the previous bid. Instead of increasing their bid, a contestant could freeze their current bid on their turn if he/she believed his/her bid was close enough to win. A later rule added 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. Also, some rounds were one-bid rounds, where only one round of bidding was held, and sometimes the minimum bid and higher bid threshold rules were also waived.

The bidding process continued until a time's up buzzer sounded, at which point each contestant who had not yet "frozen" was given one final bid, or at least three of the contestants had frozen. 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 won the item. If everyone overbid, the prize was not won; however, Cullen sometimes had the overbids erased and instructed everyone to give lower bids prior to reading the actual price.

Frequently, a bell rang after the winner was revealed, indicating a bonus prize accompanied the item up for bids. While this was frequently simply 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), the contestant who accumulated the most money 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 1920's 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. 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 of $500 (originally $100 starting in 1977 and lasting until 1998). If all four contestants overbid, they all must bid again. Four initial contestants are chosen from the audience at the start of the show to play the first One Bid round; before each subsequent One Bid round, a new contestant is chosen from the audience to replace the previous winner (new contestants always went first).

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

List of Pricing Games
Here is a list of all the pricing games played on The Price is Right. Active pricing games (those still being played) are in bold.


 * Add 'em Up
 * Any Number
 * Balance Game (1)
 * Balance Game (2)
 * Barker's Bargain Bar
 * Barker's Markers (also called Make Your Mark on Carey and Davidson versions)
 * Bonkers
 * Bonus Game
 * Bullseye (1)
 * Bullseye (2)
 * Bump
 * Buy or Sell
 * Card Game
 * Check Game (formally called Blank Check)
 * Check-Out
 * Clearance Sale
 * Cliff Hangers
 * Clock Game
 * Coming or Going
 * Cover Up
 * Credit Card
 * Danger Price
 * Dice Game (called "Deluxe" Dice Game during the 80s for five digit priced cars)
 * Double Bullseye
 * Double Digits
 * Double Prices
 * Easy as 1 2 3
 * Finish Line
 * Five Price Tags
 * Flip Flop
 * Fortune Hunter
 * Freeze Frame
 * Gallery Game
 * Gas Money
 * Give or Keep
 * Golden Road
 * Grand Game
 * Grocery Game
 * 1/2 Off
 * Hi Lo
 * Hit Me
 * Hole in One (or Two)
 * Hurdles
 * It's in the Bag
 * It's Optional
 * Joker
 * Let 'em Roll
 * Line em Up
 * Lucky $even
 * Magic #
 * Make Your Move
 * Master Key
 * Money Game (once called "Big" Money Game in the 80s for five digit priced cars)
 * More or Less
 * Most Expensive
 * Mystery Price
 * Now....or Then (formerly Now....and Then)
 * One Away
 * 1 Right Price
 * On the Nose
 * On the Spot
 * One Wrong Price
 * Pass the Buck
 * Pathfinder
 * Pay The Rent
 * Penny Ante
 * The Phone Home Game
 * Pick-a-Number
 * Pick-a-Pair
 * Plinko
 * Pocket Change
 * Poker Game
 * Professor Price
 * Punch a Bunch
 * Push Over
 * Race Game
 * Range Game
 * Rat Race
 * Safe Crackers
 * Secret "X"
 * Shell Game
 * Shopping Spree
 * Shower Game
 * Side by Side
 * Spelling Bee
 * Split Decision
 * Squeeze Play
 * Stack the Deck
 * Step Up
 * Super Ball!!
 * Super Saver
 * Swap Meet
 * Switch?
 * Switcheroo
 * Take Two
 * Telephone Game
 * Temptation
 * Ten Chances
 * That's Too Much!
 * 3 Strikes (once called "3 Strikes +" in the '80s for five-digit-priced cars)
 * Time Is Money
 * Trader Bob
 * Triple Play
 * 2 for the Price of 1
 * Walk of Fame

There are currently over 70 pricing games in rotation. Regardless of whether or not the pricing game is won, all One Bid winners on 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, 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
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 the 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 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 total of exactly one dollar wins $1,000 and (starting in 1978) also earned a bonus spin for a potential cash prize of either $10,000 (for landing on the one of the two green sections consisting of $0.05 & $0.15) or $25,000 (for landing on the $1.00 space). Originally from 1978 to 2008, the prizes were $5,000 for a green section and $10,000 for one dollar.

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. 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.

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. 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" staring with the 27th season premiere show in 1998. 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.

2006 Gameshow Marathon
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.

Spin-Off
The New Price is Right - The short-lived 1994 version hosted by Doug Davidson.

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 Say When!!

1972, 2006 - Shelia Cole

1972 (fast; recorded in 1983) - Edd Kalehoff

2007 - Edd Kalehoff

The second 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 (73), Concentration (73), Celebrity Charades, Hit Man, Match Game Hollywood Squares Hour, Family Feud (76, 88 and 94), Backchat, Wide World of Sports, ABC Golf, Powerball: The Game Show, and Let's Make a Deal (09).

Other cues by Score Productions, Edd Kalehoff, Robert Israel, Ken Bichel, Michael Karp, Ole Georg Music, Killer Tracks, and many others.

Inventors
Bob Stewart, Mark Goodson & Bill Todman

Merchandise
A board game based off of the 1956 version was made in 1958 by Lowell.

Another board game based off of the 1972 version was made in 1973 by Milton Bradley with a second edtion made in 1974.

Another version was released in 1986 by Milton Bradley.

A home game was made in 2004 by Endless Games.

A DVD game was released in 2007.

A DVD compilation set featuring 20 episodes was released in 2008.

Games for the Wii, Nintendo DS, and PC were released in 2008 and again in 2009 by Ubisoft.

An official online store with many TPIR novelty items was started in 2010. The link is in the Links section

Trivia
This is the longest running game show in America with the second version running for 38 years, over 7,000 episodes and counting.

Taglines
"Bob Barker reminding you to help control the pet population, have your pet spayed or neutered. Good-bye everybody!" - Bob Barker (mid-80s-2007)

"Don't forget to spay and neuter your pets, it's very important/it's the right thing to do. Thanks for watching The Price is Right, we’ll see you next time, Buh-bye! - Drew Carey (2007-present)

Links
Official Site

Official Site (CBS)

The Price is Right Store

Golden-Road.Net: The Unofficial Price is Right Fansite

The Price is Right Fanpage - Set graphics, photos and much much more!