Come on Down, Bob Barker. At 99, You Won the Final Showcase Showdown (Without Going Over).

A super fan fondly remembers The Price Is Right legend

I’m an unapologetic The Price Is Right and Bob Barker fan for life.

Bob Barker has been a part of my consciousness for as long as I can remember. As a little kid, my grandmother would set up a TV tray and chair in front of the television at lunchtime and Bob Barker would be my companion for a whole hour. I loved staying home from school sick, as it meant I could lie on the sofa and watch The Price Is Right. I would delight at all the fancy products and be entranced with every pricing game.

Would the mountaineer fall over the edge on the Cliff Hangers game (yodelayheeho!)?

Could the contestant get a hole-in-one (or two) on the golf challenge? Would Bob make it when he shows them how it’s done?

I remember when Plinko was introduced in 1983. I was mesmerized by the chip as it bobbed and turned down the board.

As a kid, I would try to memorize the prices to hone my skills and mentally prepare for the day I made it on the stage. I’ve always been a big dreamer.

And in the case of TPIR, the dream lives on.

Bob Barker was an icon who showed me how to win friends and influence people.

Most folks cite Mr. Rogers as the most comforting icon of their childhood. For me, it was Bob Barker. He taught me (an introvert, prone to clueless awkwardness) all I needed to know about how to interact with people.

He was friendly and calm to those who were flipping out around him. He strategically and nonchalantly protected himself when others got a little handsy with him. He disarmed all those who crossed his path — making everyone feel important and worthy of being on that stage. He cheered them on and consoled them when things didn’t go their way.

He was the first person I ever “met” who advocated for animal rights. He had been a vegetarian since 1979 (which was a major challenge in the 1980s and most of the 1990s). His generous philanthropy supported a number of important animal rights causes. And, of course, he helped control the pet population with his standard goodbye at the end of each show:

“This is Bob Barker reminding you to help control the pet population — have your pets spayed or neutered.”

I still aspire to the composure, empathy, and wisdom of Bob Barker.

My first visit to the Price Is Right

In my early 20s, I lived in Phoenix, which is a short six-hour drive to Television City, where The Price Is Right was filmed at the time. My good friends from the East Coast came to visit for a week, and it was a no-brainer that we would road trip to be in the audience for The Price Is Right. We anxiously stood in line, wondering who amongst us would be in Contestants’ Row.

When it came time for the interview with the TPIR staffers, we nervously tried to convince them we were worthy of coming on down to Contestants’ Row. We weren’t wearing any TPIR messaging on our outfits, but we were giddy as hell to be there.

In hindsight, we were young and ill-prepared. I hadn’t fully practiced how I would sell myself. I gathered you gotta be snappy and concise, but I still wasn’t sure of much beyond that.

Once the show started and Bob Barker took the stage with his skinny mic and gorgeous flair, we cheered our hearts out and soaked in every moment. I was that kid, sitting in my grandparents’ living room all over again. And it was amazing.

My second visit to the Price Is Right

When I returned to visit the The Price Is Right about 10 years later, I was prepared. Joined by two of my lady besties, I’d designed us a t-shirt graphic that I hoped would be both “super-fanny” and respectable enough to get one of us on stage.

We had pink custom t-shirts made that read “Seattle Loves Bob Barker and The Price Is Right” and featured a space needle and the TPIR logo.

I still feel it was the complete package.

As we waited in line, we wondered how best to run from our seats to Contestants’ Row. At our interview with the show staffers, I’d like to think we dazzled them with our concise and personable answers (or at least, my companions did).

We were seated right on the aisle, which I took as a sign. I’ve never been great at gracefully scooting past others in theater-seating situations. Sadly though, none of us were called. But we had big fun cheering super loud and witnessing the magic of folks spinning the big wheel in our same air space.

And also, I did make it on camera!

And listen, no offense to Carlotta, but when she ran past me in her yellow t-shirt with just the words “BOB BARKER” scrawled in sharpie, I knew my over-doing-things sensibilities did us in on the t-shirt front. You can see her run past me (I’m behind the guy in the black long-sleeve shirt).

That said, I *was* actually happy for her.

June 15, 2007 — Bob Barker hosts The Price Is Right for the last time

Because I’ve been a TPIR fan for as long as I can remember, I had to commemorate Bob Barker’s final show by hosting a small watching party. And a couple of my friends and I live-blogged the whole show.

We toasted each +$1 bid (you strategic rascals!) and stood up and waved our pom poms with each spin of the big wheel. The show featured Plinko and extra-large prizes (it seemed like so many cars were given away), two people fell down, and there were so many winners — especially show contestant Denise, who won the final Showcase with Bob. She bid $84,823 (an oddly specific number, or maybe it’s a combination of her lucky numbers?) and went home with over $140,000 in prizes!

Denise! You rule!!!

I heard that some folks stood in line for five days to be in the audience, so the folks on the show were definitely prepared. Bob deserves only the best and we all got it that day. It was a party of superfans (in my living room, online with us, and at the show).

You can read our mimosa+bagel-fueled live-blog here…

And here’s the full final Bob Barker episode. I’m definitely going to watch this a bunch in the coming days.

And now we’re left Bob-Barker-less

The Price Is Right has now moved to a new more modern studio in Glendale, CA. Drew Carey, to whom Bob handed his skinny mic in 2007, has solidified himself as the host. He does a great job and one day I hope to try to make it to Contestants’ Row with him as a host.

I’m still brainstorming what my t-shirt design should be. I dream of having the time and talent to create a podcast completely devoted to talking about each day’s TPIR episode. Has the name “The Pod is Right” been taken yet?

Bob Barker hasn’t hosted since 2007, and yet I’d like to think he’s still synonymous with The Price Is Right and his show-hosting-style legacy.

As I scroll through the web, I see countless articles about him and all his great deeds. He more than entertained us. He kept a generation of GenX school kids company when we were home sick from school. He was kind and welcoming and respectful when folks were so vulnerable, on a TV stage. He reminded us to help control the pet population (a daily reminder that, I think, also subtly prodded folks to do more).

I hope we all take his legacy and pay it forward, +$1.

Hello, friend!

I’m Imaginary Liz and I’m always at the ready to chat about the 10 albums you’d want to take with you on a three-hour tour (a three-hour tour). Although I live in Seattle, I (usually) don’t have a hot take on grunge. I much prefer indie-pop, Brit-pop, and obscure demos on cassette (here’s my music-centric Venn diagram). I usually write about music — but you might also find me writing about other stuff now and again.

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