Priceless Memories - Bob Barker [61]
Nevertheless, when The Price Is Right went on the air, it immediately resembled a party atmosphere, and the enthusiasm was infectious. The audience’s energy fueled the contestants, the contestant’s energy fueled the audience, and everyone, including the staff of the show and myself, could feed off the energy and reactions of the crowd. One of the best compliments I ever received as host of the show is related to this energy level. I made the games as exciting as I could. I tried to make Price a daily special event. A frequent comment, coming from different executives at the network or people in the industry, was that the energy level in our studio was the highest they had ever seen. They would say, “I watch this show, and you have been doing it for twenty-five years, and you come out there every day and make it look like the very first day of the show.” That compliment meant I was earning my money.
That is what I worked for at Truth or Consequences and The Price Is Right. I figured if we were going to do it, I wanted to do it as well as I could do it that day, and I would often say that to the folks in the dressing room. We would be talking about something, and I would say, “All right, it is time to go. Let’s go out there now, and let’s do this just as though it were opening day!” And away we would go. You can do that when you are enjoying something. If you did not like the show and you did not want to be there, then you should find another job. I loved doing both T or C and Price. So did my colleagues. And it showed.
The party would start in the audience line outside the studio. People came from all over the country to attend the show. There were all races, all ages, all economic levels, and together they were having a party out there. They would be dancing, telling jokes, telling stories, and getting to know each other. On the show, everyone was cheering each other on. There was something inspiring and uplifting about that. Obviously, we were not solving the world’s problems, but just seeing so many different kinds of people, everyday people, coming together in such a festive mood and rooting each other on was a tremendously encouraging sight.
Once the audience of 325 or so came into the studio, the party intensified. I wanted to maintain that energy and enthusiasm. One way I did that was to keep talking with the audience during commercials and stop-downs. I learned early on to keep the audience engaged and to keep the energy level up. On many shows, during a break, the host would step off and let the announcer take over. I never did that. I did not want to let the audience relax. I wanted to keep them ready to play the next game. I didn’t want to let them get tired or distracted. I wanted to keep them up and with me, so that when we started the next game, they were all pumped and excited.
I have had people who have been in television for years tell me they had never seen anyone else do what I did: staying out there to roam around and talk with the audience during the breaks. I had fun myself, getting them to laugh, talking about anything and everything, fielding questions, getting to know them. Even little things would make an impact. I remember one time at the end of the show, we had the winner’s friends come up onstage to celebrate his victory. One of the men had a baseball cap on, and he put it on my head. Immediately, I turned it around and wore it backwards. The audience had sympathy for an old man trying to regain his youth.
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I have often said that the success of The Price Is Right was derived from the spontaneity involved with the audience and the contestants. That and the fast-moving nature of the show. People think game shows are easy. They are not. First of all, you have to have