COME ON DOWN!

As a child, I aspired to be one of three things: a ballerina, a truck-driver, or a Price is Right model. I perfected the art of “hand-hosting” where I could glide my fingers over basic grocery products, I admired Bob Barker (minus that little sexual harassment charge), and I advocated for pets to be spayed and neutered.  

So, these days as I’m helping to watch my 93 year old Grandmummy, we enjoy watching the Price is Right at 11:00am EST. This show truly makes me happy and I find myself belly laughing on a regular basis. Furthermore, consistent viewing has revealed some basic observations:

 

The Price is Right…

~ relies on man’s innate sense of greed. That’s why Cheryle from Rancho Cucamonga will opt to try and win more money even though she already has $4000 in the personal till.

~ draws upon the basic human psychology of rewards and punishments. Thus the cued dings and chimes when you get something right and the “wa-WA-wa” tones when you get something wrong. Flashy lights also encourage players.

~ is simple. You don’t need a college degree to be on this show.

~ appeals to everyday skills such as being able to properly price out Rice-a-Roni vs. a set of golf clubs.

~ offers the elusive dangling carrot – a chance to win A BRAND NEW CAR!!!!

 

Also a few observations about the type of person the Price is Right recruits for:

Extroverted types

Blue-collar types

African-American women who like to jump a lot

Women who cling to Drew Carey their whole time on stage

People who have some altruistic motive for being on the show (grandmothers in the hospital, supporting their local firehouse, or a “beautiful wife and children” to name a few)

People who wear personalized t-shirts hoping to get on camera

 

However, based on the numerous diabetes and AARP commercials – plus the day timeslot, the viewing demographic appears to be the elderly.

 

A few updated things to note about how the Price is Right has modernized itself:

~ Drew Carey is the host, and he does a pretty darn good job. He still needs to work on his Bob Barker “slick hand” which can easily place price cards in their slots AND manage the mini-microphone at the same time. He’s dropped a few cards on stage in bumbly boy fashion, and that’s unacceptable – the viewers deserve more.

~ Smart Cars can now be won. It’s nice to know the PiR encourages care for the environment.

~ And for those of you who were wondering, there is a new Wii video game for the show.