I have a secret. Well, if you really know me it’s not really that much of a secret, but I love game shows. Ask any of my friends or roommates, and they’ll tell you that I spend at least an hour a day watching current shows or the classics on GSN. (My current favorite is the 1979 version of “Beat the Clock” with Monty Hall that airs at 12:30 a.m. on Monday mornings).
I’m telling you this because I feel like this qualifies me to dissect the biggest hosting change in game show history, and one of the biggest in TV. When Bob Barker’s final “The Price is Right” aired in May, CBS still hadn’t made an announcement on who his replacement would be. When they finally decided it would be Drew Carey, I was intrigued. He hadn’t been among the names thrown out there over the past few years, but he seemed like he might be able to pull it off.
After watching his first show that aired Monday, I can safely say he will pull it off.
The biggest thing I noticed was he actually talked to the contestants and asked them about themselves and seemed interested in them. Too often during the final years of Barker’s run, he would just get everyone’s bid and get the winner onstage to play the game. Part of the charm is finding out who these people are and letting them shine.
And he certainly did in Monday’s show.
Most comics turned game show hosts try and make it about themselves. Carey could have easily dominated the proceedings, but instead let the contestants be the stars. Whether it was the woman who did flips when she made her way on stage or the another contestant who was nearly in tears when she won a trip to Bali, Carey got out of the way and let them have their moment.
The energy on the show was the highest I have seen in a while. Maybe it was because all the contestants won their games, or maybe it was just a good group of people. But the show was engaging and entertaining to watch.
Was Carey perfect? No. But considering the show that aired was from only the second week of taping, his performance was amazing. Give him another month or two to get comfortable with all of the rules and he should have no problem developing a good relationship with the people at home and in the studio.
CBS and the show’s producers were smart not to tinker with the format. Everything is basically the same. The set got a retro-update that looks good and still fits with the feel of the show and some of the music cues got slight tweaks, but nothing was arbitrarily changed for the sake of the show’s new era.
It appears that everyone involved has managed to pull off one of the most unlikely feats in recent TV history – transitioning from a legend to a new host while still retaining the heart of the show.
Lucky for us.
