The current version of The Price is Right has graced television screens since 1972 (that's 48 years). In that time the show has only had two hosts. Television icon Bob Barker was in charge of the program until 2007 when the current host, Drew Carey, took over. In 2013 TV Guide named The Price is Right as the fifth-greatest game show ever.
But just because everyone knows the basic premise of the program, and recognizes the theme music and the "Showcase" round towards the end of each show, doesn't mean that the general public knows everything about this little game show that could. Here are just a few of the more unusual facts that surround this longest-running game show in television history.
The Old Show Let People Bid by Postcard
Before Bob Barker took over the revamped game show in 1972 the original 1950s program allowed anyone to guess a bid on a featured showcase. If that postcard contained the exact price, down to the penny, that viewer would win everything.
The response, apparently, was overwhelming. Hundreds of women were hired by the show just to go through all the postcards that were mailed in. Can't really allow that sort of participation in a world with Internet access, though.
The Price is Right has Appeared on All of the "Big Three" Networks
When the original version of The Price is Right premiered on television in 1956, it was aired on NBC before making the jump over to ABC in 1963. When the program was revamped and hired Bob Barker as host, it was over on CBS, where the program has remained happily for almost fifty years now. For most viewers, it is strange to imagine the show on any network other than CBS at this point.
Bob Barker's Gray Hair Helped Ratings
It wasn't until 1987 that Bob Barker finally received permission from the CBS network to stop dying his hair. At that time no daytime hosts of any kind had appeared looking their natural age, or anything but youthful in television history. Bob's gamble paid off.
Fan mail flooded the office and complimented the host on the change. Ratings for the show also spiked once Bob was allowed to look his age on the show.
In 1958 a Contestant Won a Horse
Before the program revamped itself and became a bit more standardized prizes could be, well, a little stranger than just a new kitchen set or car. In 1958, a man named Carl Slater won a Palomino Horse.
It gets stranger, though. In the same game, Slater also won a suit of armor and a trip to Scotland to see where that suit of armor was (apparently) originally from. That was not the only live animal every presented on the show, however. Once a woman won an NBC peacock to go along with her new color television.
The Prices Come from California
Producers are aware that prices can vary on almost everything from place to place. What you pay for groceries in New York can be very different from what you might pay for them in Alaska. To keep prices on the show consistent all prices are taken from retailers who are based in California. This may be helpful to know if one hopes to be a contestant on the show and wants to do some studying beforehand.
Aaron Paul was Once a Contestant
Actor, Aaron Paul, of Breaking Bad fame was once a contestant on The Price is Right. The actor appeared on an episode back in 1999. He does not end up winning his showcase (he overbid) but he did get to meet Bob Barker who he called his "idol" when on the show.
You can watch the young Paul's appearance here. A very enthusiastic Aaron Paul is invited to "come on down," and jumps to his feet wearing a very bright red t-shirt.
The Plinko Chips Live in a Lock Box
The chips used on The Price is Right's very popular "Plinko" game are not the sort of chips you can buy off the shelf for at-home practice. In fact, only ten chips were ever made, and are locked away in a box after every taping so they can not be stolen or copied. It also means they are unlikely to get lost, which is also important since there are so few of them. There is another mystery chip that sits somewhere in a CBS time capsule.
Only One Person Ever Guessed An Exact Showcase
The current version of The Price is Right may have been on television for nearly fifty years but, in all that time, only a single person has ever guessed the price exactly in a Showcase Showdown. Terry Kniess was a contestant in 2010 and, the sixty-year-old is the only person who ever guessed the price down to the last dollar in a showcase.
Producers had to take a break from taping to check that there was no cheating going on but there wasn't, Terry was just a very good guesser, using numbers from his wife's birthday to help come up with his answer.
The Royal Economic Society Researched "The Wheel"
In 2002 The Royal Economic Society published their research paper entitled, "To Spin or Not to Spin". The society spent not only time but also money to try and determine when and how contestants were making decisions on the popular game show, particularly when it came to "The Wheel" at the game's end. Their conclusion state that contestants deviate more when decisions are difficult. It's a pretty jargon-filled paper for a study of game shows.
The Show Has Its Own Car Lot
With around three cars appearing per episode, and six shows a week, that's a lot of cars the show needs to store. The need to store extras is important, too, because producers do not want viewers to see the same car every day (they don't want anyone to get bored).
Apparently around 35 to 45 cars are always available in a nearby lot for producers to introduce in different showcases. They make sure to rotate out any model that has previously appeared on air.