Author Topic: My "Price is Right Live!" Review (Read 2857 times)

Timsterino · « **on:** October 21, 2003, 03:47:04 AM »

We are back from Reno. What an amazing time Erika and I had. We attended three sold-out shows for "The Price is Right Live" at Harrahs in Reno, Nevada. The show is currently being hosted by Todd Newton (known to game show fans for his work on Whammy! The all new Press Your Luck and Hollywood Showdown). Todd is a long time fan of "The Price is Right" and his love for the show is very evident throughout the evening.

As I said earlier, we attended three sold-out shows. The enthusiasm of the crowds was outstanding but even more so was the enthusiastic, personable, warm and friendly host. Todd's co-host/announcer is Daniel Rosen who does an equally fine job getting the crowd excited and shouting prices during the four pricing games and the showcase showdowns.

Each evening the same four pricing games are played. They are (in order) The Race Game, Cliffhangers, Hole in One (or Two) and Plinko. In the middle and the end of the foursome is the showcase showdown. Before each game is played the audience plays a qualifing game to see who gets to "Come on Down!". Those who answer a question correct are put in a pool where four players are selected before EACH pricing game. Also, after each pricing game, five people are selected from those with the most points at the end of each pricing game to receive a prize.

The keypad has a 1, 2, 3, 4 on it and the qualification game goes something like this. They say "Let's go back to 1976. Joan Rivers was headlining Sammy's Showroom and these three items were on "The Price is Right". An Apple Computer, A Satellite Dish or a motorcycle. Which was the most expensive?" then the audience must press one of the numbers corresponding to the item they think was most expensive. Those who were correct go into a pool and four people are selected each game.

During the Showcase Showdowns the two pricing game contestants spin the big wheel with a randomly selected audience member. If they get a $1.00 in one or more spins they win $100. In the bonus spin if they get one of the green bonus sections they win an additional $500 and if they get the $1.00 they win an additional $1,000.

The showcases all involve a car, a trip to a Harrah's resort and an additional prize. However, in order to win the car and the additional prize (usually a stereo or refrigerator) you have to come within $100 of the actual retail price of the showcase without going over. The two contestants bid on the same showcase by first writing their bid on a price tag and then they reveal them. The audience plays along as well by guessing which contestant is closest or by guessing that there is a double overbid. In the three shows we attended nobody won the car (but they came close).

Timsterino · « **Reply #1 on:** October 21, 2003, 03:47:59 AM »

Let me tell you a bit about each game:

Race Game: Contestant gets 45 seconds. Prizes for one night included a video phone, basketball set, portfolio and an air conditioner. Two out of the three nights the contestants got all four correct within 45 seconds. The last night he had none correct in the time allotted.

Cliffhangers: Was played each night for a refrigerator valued at $800. It is played exactly the same as on TV.

Hole in One (or Two): Unlike the TV show it is played for a 4 Day/3 Night Mexican Cruise on Royal Carribbean. Two out of the three nights the contestants won the cruise. The game itself is played exactly the same way.

Plinko: Played the same way but for far less money. The highest amount on the board is $250. If the contestant got $250 they would also win a digital camera.

I was truly impressed by the amazing reproduction of the actual set (minus a door). The set is scaled down a bit to fit the stage at Harrahs Reno but it is stunning nonetheless.

Todd Newton has "The Price is Right" in his blood. You can see it, you can feel it. I met Todd at the Game Show Network "Get Schooled Tour" in Los Angeles back in May and can you believe he came up to us and said hi? He remembered us. I thought that was amazing. Each night Todd, Daniel and the two models would shake the hands of the audience members as they exited the studio. The crowd around Todd is evidence of how the crowd just loves Todd. Almost everyone I saw wanted to take a picture with Todd and praised his hosting abilities. On the final night that we were there, Todd acknowledged Erika and I as "Price is Right" fans. Although I never got into Contestant's Row, his comments were worth their weight in gold to me.

The night was also interwoven with clips from the 32 years of "The Price is Right". The clips alone are worth the price of admission. The respect given to Mr. Bob Barker & Mr. Rod Roddy can not be missed. Daniel Rosen also does his best to find someone in the audience to do their best Rod Roddy. Of course no one comes close.

I truly believe that this show is a must see for "Price is Right" fans and casual viewers. From what I hear, the show has been so successful in Reno that it may tour to other Harrahs locations throughout the country. My final grade: A+.

Tim :-)

Jimmy Owen · « **Reply #2 on:** October 21, 2003, 04:00:10 AM »

I had suggested on Usenet some years ago that they try having only one showcase, good to see that the idea had merit.

inturnaround · « **Reply #3 on:** October 21, 2003, 07:10:23 AM »

Tim, thanks for the well-written review.

I can't wait to see TPiR Live. I'd love if they brought it to Harrahs in Atlantic City. That would be wonderful. There's a lot of TPiR fans around here.

Todd always struck me as a good host. He knows his stuff and he is rooting for the contestants. Plus, he's easily likable and never condescending. I wouldn't mind if he took over the hosting job if Bob ever saw fit to pass the torch.

chris319 · « **Reply #4 on:** October 21, 2003, 12:04:05 PM »

You attended three shows. How do they handle prize rotation? If they used the same prizes every night, what's to prevent someone from attending one night, memorizing the prices, then coming back to subsequent shows knowing the prices of everything? Admittedly Pl!nko and Hole in One or Two aren't as susceptible to this problem as the others. You need games where knowing the prices doesn't assure a win.

Were any music cues used?

Jimmy Owen · « **Reply #5 on:** October 21, 2003, 12:24:44 PM »

Would you say memorizing the prices would be the equivilent of counting cards in the casino?

Timsterino · « **Reply #6 on:** October 21, 2003, 12:27:06 PM »

[quote name=\'chris319\' date=\'Oct 21 2003, 12:04 PM\'] You attended three shows. How do they handle prize rotation? If they used the same prizes every night, what's to prevent someone from attending one night, memorizing the prices, then coming back to subsequent shows knowing the prices of everything? Admittedly Pl!nko and Hole in One or Two aren't as susceptible to this problem as the others. You need games where knowing the prices doesn't assure a win.

Were any music cues used? [/quote]
The only prizes that I saw repeated in the three nights were the refrigerator used in Cliffhangers (whose price has no baring on the game itself) and the Car/Trip in the showcase. They do change around the third prize in the showcase so it is a bit different every night. The showcase is usually in the $17K range. The car for the three nights was a Chevy Cavalier.

All of the little prizes used in games like Race Game, Cliffhangers, Hole in One and Plinko were mostly new. They used some staples such as the Eggland Eggs, Starburst and Fiji Water.

They do use the same music cues for the appropriate games. The buzzers, overbid sounds and even down to the wheel 'beeps' were duplicated for the Reno show. It is a pretty amazing undertaking to say the least.

Tim :-)

Timsterino · « **Reply #7 on:** October 23, 2003, 01:55:32 AM »

Marc Green added my pictures of the Reno show to his new picture showcase at http://www.golden-road.net . I hope you like them.

Tim :-)

tommycharles · « **Reply #8 on:** October 23, 2003, 04:47:12 PM »

[quote name=\'Timsterino\' date=\'Oct 23 2003, 12:55 AM\'] Marc Green added my pictures of the Reno show to his new picture showcase at http://www.golden-road.net . I hope you like them.

Tim :-) [/quote]
Nice pics.

How long has this project been in the works, btw? Did they have to change the turntable designs when the hollywood one was scrapped?

Oh, and Tim: are you sitting at a PC with a transcription or something? You've been in the top ten on Millionaire a lot lately :-)

T

Timsterino · « **Reply #9 on:** October 23, 2003, 07:56:23 PM »

[quote name=\'tommycharles\' date=\'Oct 23 2003, 04:47 PM\']
Nice pics.

How long has this project been in the works, btw? Did they have to change the turntable designs when the hollywood one was scrapped?

Oh, and Tim: are you sitting at a PC with a transcription or something? You've been in the top ten on Millionaire a lot lately :-)

T [/quote]
Thanks and no I just remember the shows, at least the ones I have seen. It is my favorite show and I loved it long before I was actually a contestant. If I had transcripts I would have a perfect score. ;-). In fact I am not always first. There have been some nights I have had sucky picks. I can not remember everything. <g> Plus there is no bonus in the interactive for coming in first. I wish there was.

Tim :-)

Michael Brandenburg · « **Reply #10 on:** October 25, 2003, 11:25:13 AM »

In response to the following from Jimmy Owen that was posted in this thread on 10-21-2003:

Quote

I had suggested on Usenet some years ago that they [Price is Right] have only one showcase, good to see that the idea had merit.

They did have only one showcase on the 1994 half-hour syndicated edition that was hosted by Doug Davidson, and there was a U.K. edition of the show that was hosted by Bruce Forsythe that also had only one showcase. Both were played by only one player (in the U.S. edition, it was the winner of that show's semi-final game; either "The Price Was Right" or "The Mighty Price-is-Right Wheel"), and the game was essentially a remake of the show's "Range Game."

The contestant would first randomly select a card with a cash amount on it that would range from $3,000 to $10,000 (this was done during the show's last commercial break), and a red transparent card with that span of money on it would be mounted on the "rangefinder." Then, when the show returned from the commercial break, the showcase would be described for the day's winner and then they would start the rangefinder moving up a scale that ranged from $10,000 to $70,000.

As with the "Range Game" that would be played on the CBS network's daytime version of the show, the contestant would press a button to stop the "rangefinder" when he believed it fell over the value of his showcase. Then an arrow would be lit up next to the price scale on the "rangefinder," and if it pointed to any amount that was covered by the red transparent card on the "rangefinder" after the contestant stopped it, the contestant won his or her showcase.

With this game, we might have the interesting possibility of using the semi-final game winner's score from "The Mighty Price-is Right Wheel" to determine the pricing range for the game ($10,000 for $1; $7,000 for 70 cents, etc.)

On another note: I drove all the way up to Dayton, Ohio, to see one of Bob Barker's "Fun and Games" shows when it came to that city in 1982, and, after reading these reviews of Todd Newton's stage version of TPIR, if that show ever comes to Belterra Casino in Indiana, I think I'll be heading there, too, "Players Club" requirements not withstanding.

Michael Brandenburg
(But they probably won't be able to "Range Game" to this version, at least not on consecutive nights of the show -- just ask Bob Barker the reason why they can't have it on consecutive days of the CBS network version of the show!)