Well, the time has come. Bob Barker’s last outing as host of The Price Is Right (but see below) airs tomorrow morning. Reports are that it’s a pretty normal show, except for the length of the standing ovation when he enters. He even ends with “Bob Barker reminding you to help control the pet population: have your pet spayed or neutered. Goodbye, everybody!”
They’re kicking around some fairly goofy names as the potential next host, like George Hamilton. That’s okay. I don’t think the next guy’s going to last long anyway. As I said in an earlier post on the topic, I think a Pope Benedict/Ron Zook type of throwaway guy might be needed next.
Alternately, a fellow already in possession of an impressive hosting resumé would be a good choice for a year or two. How’s Tom Kennedy doing at 80? Is he getting around all right? He’s even got TPIR experience, with the nighttime version. Plus, he hosted what was far and away the most complicated game show of all time (Whew!). How about Wink Martindale? He’ll be 73 this year, but he shows up on those clip shows, and he looks like he’s doing fine.
I’ll miss Bob Barker. There he’s been, at 10:00 every morning, for not quite my entire life, but certainly as long as I can remember. He’ll be there in reruns all summer, at least. Maybe he’ll even be back in the fall. He’s volunteered as the “fill-in” while they find someone.
I sort of hope that doesn’t happen, though. For one thing, I took the day off partially so I could see the show tomorrow morning. More importantly, I’m concerned about a mediocre capper to a marvelous legacy. The post-Keith Jackson retirement stint has been an unqualified disaster, for example, and while Bob’s performance seems to have suffered much less than Keith’s in the twilights of their respective careers, I’d still rather not tempt fate.
What a cool job. What a cool guy. What a cool legacy. Thanks, Bob. It was quite a run. We’ll miss you.
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Am I the only person out here who cannot stand Bob? He gives me the creeps.
Hey Greg,I see Trent Lott is on that page. Brush with fame, I had lunch with him when he was a young politico in Mississippi.
The big winner today won a Corvette playing Lucky Seven, and then won a Cadillac XLR (which is built on the same assembly line) in her showcase. She also spun $1.00 on the big wheel in a spinoff. She cleared more than $140K total–a good two and a half to three times a typical “big” take.
Bob did make the briefest of farewell speeches after the showcases, and the prizes were definitely elevated. A Corvette, a Chrysler 300, and a Ford Explorer were offered in pricing games. One showcase had the aforementioned XLR, and the other had a Lincoln Navigator.
But all in all, the whole show was remarkably normal.