The New Price Is Right (1994 game show)
Encyclopedia
The New Price Is Right was a short-lived syndicated version of the American game show The Price Is Right
, which aired from September 12, 1994 to January 27, 1995. This version of the show did not use the same on-air personnel as the daytime version which ran concurrently on CBS. Doug Davidson
, who also appears on the CBS
soap opera
The Young and the Restless
, hosted with Burton Richardson as the announcer. The prize models were Julie Lynn Cialini, Ferrari Farris and Lisa Stahl.
The show was produced by Mark Goodson Productions
and distributed by Paramount Domestic Television
. This version had a different format, and significantly different rules, than the two previous syndicated versions and the early half-hour episodes of the daytime show.
After this version's cancellation, many of its concepts were adopted by European versions of the show. Various prop changes and rule modifications from this version, as well as many of the music cues, also carried over to the CBS daytime and prime time versions of the show. Additionally, several production members continued their involvement with The Price Is Right
after this version's cancellation.
, and Burton Richardson had made his mark as the announcer for The Arsenio Hall Show
. The models were also younger: while the Barker's Beauties
of the daytime show were mostly past the age of 40, The New Price Is Right chose younger models in their 20s. The prize budget for the show was also higher. Non-U.S. cars appeared as prizes, which at the time were prohibited from the daytime show by executive producer and host Bob Barker
and producers Phil Rossi and Roger Dobkowitz. Kathy Greco (then associate producer of the daytime show) served as producer, with Jay Wolpert
(a producer for the daytime version from its beginning until 1978) also part of the production staff. Each episode featured three pricing games, a Showcase Showdown, and a one-player version of the Showcase. For each pricing game, a contestant was chosen from the audience and immediately joined Davidson onstage. The One Bid round was not used on this version.
In the event that all three contestants overbid (which rarely happened), the bids were erased and began again, with Davidson instructing contestants to bid lower than the lowest bid in the previous round. No bonus was awarded for a "Perfect Bid."
The Big Wheel was played with the same rules and bonuses in use at the time on the daytime show. However, contestants spun in order from highest to lowest winnings instead of the reverse.
A single showcase was then presented. Once it was finished, the rangefinder was started up the scale. The contestant pulled a lever when they thought the showcase value was contained within the range. If correct, the contestant won the showcase, which was generally worth between $20,000–$60,000, comparatively higher than average showcase values on the daytime show (which, at the time, offered showcases usually worth between $10,000–$30,000).
created an entirely new set of music cues, 286 in all, to replace the traditional "come on down" theme and prize music. The series used an up-tempo, smooth jazz-influenced re-recording of the daytime series' theme. The theme was later used in several international adaptations of this series, while a number of the prize cues found their way into the music library of the CBS show.
news personality Mark Kriski
emceed the second, with Bob Hilton
announcing on both.
When the series began, a montage of clips was played at the beginning of each show, including brief clips of the 1993 pilots and previous versions. A shorter clip sequence was used for the second half of the run, which used highlight clips from the series' run to that point.
Unlike the previous syndicated series this version was not required to be aired in the late afternoon or early evening, thereby avoiding a clearance problem that plagued a 1985–86 syndicated Price is Right hosted by Tom Kennedy (which resulted in many late night time slots for the series as prime slots were unavailable). Many stations were able to air the show during daytime hours. In some markets, The New Price Is Right was paired with the veteran syndicated Family Feud
, which for its seventh season saw a return of Richard Dawson as its host. Since The New Price is Right's distributor Paramount was also an equal shareholder in the soon-to-launch United Paramount Network
(UPN), the series' major-market clearances were on stations that were owned by its other equal shareholder Chris-Craft Industries
, such as WWOR
in New York.
Despite not having the vast clearance problems that its syndicated predecessor had, The New Price Is Right shared its ratings trouble. The series never gained an audience, a problem that was blamed on, among various other things, preemptions for coverage of the O.J. Simpson trial and the drastic change in format as compared to the daytime series.
The New Price Is Right's low ratings contributed to many stations dropping the series within its first three months on the air. The New Price Is Right disappeared from most of these stations' markets afterward as there were no stations that were willing to pick up the low-rated series.
This version, along with the 1972–1980 weekly syndicated series hosted by Dennis James and Bob Barker, is one of only two American versions of Price that were not rerun by GSN.
The Price Is Right (U.S. game show)
The Price Is Right is an American game show which was created by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman. Contestants compete to identify the pricing of merchandise to win cash and prizes. The show is well-known for its signature line of "Come on down!" when the announcer directs newly selected contestants to...
, which aired from September 12, 1994 to January 27, 1995. This version of the show did not use the same on-air personnel as the daytime version which ran concurrently on CBS. Doug Davidson
Doug Davidson
Douglas Donald "Doug" Davidson is an American television actor. He has portrayed private investigator Paul Williams on the CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless since May 1978, making him the series' senior male cast member.On September 12, 1994, he began hosting a five-night-a-week,...
, who also appears on the CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
The Young and the Restless
The Young and the Restless
The Young and the Restless is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. The show is set in a fictional Wisconsin town called Genoa City, which is unlike and unrelated to the real life village of the same name, Genoa City, Wisconsin...
, hosted with Burton Richardson as the announcer. The prize models were Julie Lynn Cialini, Ferrari Farris and Lisa Stahl.
The show was produced by Mark Goodson Productions
FremantleMedia
FremantleMedia, Ltd. is the content and production division of Bertelsmann's RTL Group, Europe's second largest TV, radio, and production company...
and distributed by Paramount Domestic Television
Paramount Domestic Television
Paramount Domestic Television was the television distribution arm of American television production company Paramount Television, once the TV arm of Paramount Pictures...
. This version had a different format, and significantly different rules, than the two previous syndicated versions and the early half-hour episodes of the daytime show.
After this version's cancellation, many of its concepts were adopted by European versions of the show. Various prop changes and rule modifications from this version, as well as many of the music cues, also carried over to the CBS daytime and prime time versions of the show. Additionally, several production members continued their involvement with The Price Is Right
The Price Is Right (U.S. game show)
The Price Is Right is an American game show which was created by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman. Contestants compete to identify the pricing of merchandise to win cash and prizes. The show is well-known for its signature line of "Come on down!" when the announcer directs newly selected contestants to...
after this version's cancellation.
Format
The New Price Is Right differed greatly from its parent show in several ways. The entire concept, which had not been radically modified since 1975, was given a significant update in an attempt to appeal to a younger generation. Davidson was at the time a popular actor on The Young and the RestlessThe Young and the Restless
The Young and the Restless is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. The show is set in a fictional Wisconsin town called Genoa City, which is unlike and unrelated to the real life village of the same name, Genoa City, Wisconsin...
, and Burton Richardson had made his mark as the announcer for The Arsenio Hall Show
The Arsenio Hall Show
The Arsenio Hall Show is an American variety/talk show that aired late weeknights in syndication from January 3, 1989 to May 27, 1994. The show was created and hosted by comedian/actor Arsenio Hall.- Background :...
. The models were also younger: while the Barker's Beauties
Barker's Beauties
The American television game show The Price Is Right has, since its 1972 relaunch, had a stable of models to showcase the prizes and items that are given away on the show. From 1972–2007, the group was referred to as Barker's Beauties, a term coined by producer Mark Goodson.-1956–1965:The original...
of the daytime show were mostly past the age of 40, The New Price Is Right chose younger models in their 20s. The prize budget for the show was also higher. Non-U.S. cars appeared as prizes, which at the time were prohibited from the daytime show by executive producer and host Bob Barker
Bob Barker
Robert William "Bob" Barker is a former American television game show host. He is best known for hosting CBS's The Price Is Right from 1972 to 2007, making it the longest-running daytime game show in North American television history, and for hosting Truth or Consequences from 1956 to 1975.Born...
and producers Phil Rossi and Roger Dobkowitz. Kathy Greco (then associate producer of the daytime show) served as producer, with Jay Wolpert
Jay Wolpert
Jay Wolpert is an American television producer and screenwriter.His first television appearance came as a contestant on the original version of Jeopardy! in 1969. He competed in the Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions that year and won....
(a producer for the daytime version from its beginning until 1978) also part of the production staff. Each episode featured three pricing games, a Showcase Showdown, and a one-player version of the Showcase. For each pricing game, a contestant was chosen from the audience and immediately joined Davidson onstage. The One Bid round was not used on this version.
Pricing game rule changes
Some pricing games on The New Price Is Right were played with slight modifications to the rules as played on the daytime version. Games which usually featured grocery products (e.g., Grand Game and Hole in One) were played using prizes generally valued less than $400 instead, and some games featured other rule changes.- PlinkoPlinkoPlinko is a pricing game on the American television game show The Price Is Right. The game involves guessing the prices of prizes to win "Plinko chips," which are later dropped down a large bean machine-style board to determine the contestant's cash prize...
: While the top prize remained the same at $5,000 per chip for a potential total of $25,000, two configurations of slots were utilized (one of which featured two $2,500 slots). The method of earning chips was also changed to a higher/lower pricing format with smaller prizes worth up to $400. - Clock Game: The game was digitized, with no prop on stage for it, and the contestant was provided with a $1,000 range in which to guess the price of each prize. The game frequently used prizes with four-digit prices. On some occasions a third prize was awarded as a bonus for winning (a rule change which was adopted on the daytime version in 2009).
- Barker's Markers: The name was changed to "Make Your Mark" the single time it was played on this version of the show, as Bob BarkerBob BarkerRobert William "Bob" Barker is a former American television game show host. He is best known for hosting CBS's The Price Is Right from 1972 to 2007, making it the longest-running daytime game show in North American television history, and for hosting Truth or Consequences from 1956 to 1975.Born...
was not the host of this version. This name was adopted on the daytime show in 2008 when Drew CareyDrew CareyDrew Allison Carey is an American actor, singer, comedian, photographer, sports executive, and game show host. After serving in the U.S. Marine Corps and making a name for himself in stand-up comedy, Carey eventually gained popularity starring on his own sitcom, The Drew Carey Show, and serving as...
became the host. - Hole in One: Smaller prizes worth up to $400 were used instead of grocery items. When an item was chosen, its price was immediately revealed and then placed in line if it was higher than the previous prize chosen. On the daytime version, the price flags are arranged in line according to the contestant's choice before the prices are revealed.
- Punch a Bunch: During some playings, Davidson pulled the slip out of the hole as soon as it was punched. The player then decided to keep the money or punch another hole. On the daytime show, the slips are not revealed until the contestant has made all of his or her initial punches.
- 3 Strikes: The first number was lit at the beginning of the game and the number could repeat elsewhere in the price. Four chips representing the remaining numbers in the price were then placed into the bag with three strike chips. These rules were used for a brief period on the daytime show from 2008–2009.
Showcase Showdown
Unlike the other half-hour formats of Price, the Davidson version used the Showcase Showdown to determine which contestant competed in the showcase. Two different versions were used.The Price Was Right
The most widely used Showcase Showdown game on The New Price Is Right was The Price Was Right, played similarly to the One Bid on the daytime version. A vintage commercial for a product was presented to the three contestants who were then asked to bid on what the product cost at the time the commercial first aired. The contestant with the closest bid without going over advanced to the Showcase.In the event that all three contestants overbid (which rarely happened), the bids were erased and began again, with Davidson instructing contestants to bid lower than the lowest bid in the previous round. No bonus was awarded for a "Perfect Bid."
The Big Wheel
The producers had originally intended to use "The Price Was Right" on every episode, but when tapings for the series began the staff had only been able to complete research on 60 commercials and products. For the other twenty episodes (mostly in the early part of the show's run), the Big Wheel was used.The Big Wheel was played with the same rules and bonuses in use at the time on the daytime show. However, contestants spun in order from highest to lowest winnings instead of the reverse.
The Showcase
With only one person playing the Showcase, the pricing game Range Game was modified for this round. A new prop was built with a $60,000 scale ($10,000 to $70,000). During the show's final commercial break, the winner of the Showcase Showdown chose a range at random between $3,000 and $10,000 (in $1,000 increments).A single showcase was then presented. Once it was finished, the rangefinder was started up the scale. The contestant pulled a lever when they thought the showcase value was contained within the range. If correct, the contestant won the showcase, which was generally worth between $20,000–$60,000, comparatively higher than average showcase values on the daytime show (which, at the time, offered showcases usually worth between $10,000–$30,000).
Production
The set differed drastically from that of the daytime show, featuring different color schemes and patterns for many of the set pieces, including the usage of a large video wall. Edd KalehoffEdd Kalehoff
Edward Woodley "Edd" Kalehoff is a music composer who specializes in compositions for television.-Notable pieces:Composer of about 1,000 pieces, mainly for television, his credits include the majority of cues used on The Price is Right as well as the Nickelodeon game show Double Dare, a music...
created an entirely new set of music cues, 286 in all, to replace the traditional "come on down" theme and prize music. The series used an up-tempo, smooth jazz-influenced re-recording of the daytime series' theme. The theme was later used in several international adaptations of this series, while a number of the prize cues found their way into the music library of the CBS show.
Broadcast history
Two pilots were recorded on July 16 and 17, 1993. Davidson hosted the first, while KTLAKTLA
KTLA, virtual channel 5, is a television station in Los Angeles, California, USA. Owned by the Tribune Company, KTLA is an affiliate of the CW Television Network. KTLA's studios are on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, and its transmitter is located atop Mount Wilson...
news personality Mark Kriski
Mark Kriski
Mark Kriski is a Canadian born in Nova Scotia of Polish descent. He served as a DJ on Victoria, British Columbia's Q-100 FM, and Montreal's 980 AM, known as CKGM, then later as weatherman on Canada's The Weather Network in the late 1980s. Kriski now works at KTLA in Los Angeles.Mark Kriski has...
emceed the second, with Bob Hilton
Bob Hilton
Robert "Bob" Wesley Hilton is an American television game show personality. He hosted The Guinness Game, a revival of Truth or Consequences and the 1990 revival of Let's Make a Deal, and announced on several other shows....
announcing on both.
When the series began, a montage of clips was played at the beginning of each show, including brief clips of the 1993 pilots and previous versions. A shorter clip sequence was used for the second half of the run, which used highlight clips from the series' run to that point.
Unlike the previous syndicated series this version was not required to be aired in the late afternoon or early evening, thereby avoiding a clearance problem that plagued a 1985–86 syndicated Price is Right hosted by Tom Kennedy (which resulted in many late night time slots for the series as prime slots were unavailable). Many stations were able to air the show during daytime hours. In some markets, The New Price Is Right was paired with the veteran syndicated Family Feud
Family Feud
Family Feud is an American television game show created by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman. Two families compete against each other in a contest to name the most popular responses to a survey question posed to 100 people...
, which for its seventh season saw a return of Richard Dawson as its host. Since The New Price is Right's distributor Paramount was also an equal shareholder in the soon-to-launch United Paramount Network
UPN
United Paramount Network was a television network that was broadcast in over 200 markets in the United States from 1995 to 2006. UPN was originally owned by Viacom/Paramount and Chris-Craft Industries, the former of which, through the Paramount Television Group, produced most of the network's...
(UPN), the series' major-market clearances were on stations that were owned by its other equal shareholder Chris-Craft Industries
Chris-Craft Industries
Chris-Craft Industries, Inc., formerly National Automotive Fibers, Inc., was a publicly-held American corporation traded on the New York and Pacific Stock Exchanges. It later took on the name of one of its acquisitions, Chris-Craft Boats...
, such as WWOR
WWOR-TV
WWOR-TV, virtual channel 9 , is the flagship station of the MyNetworkTV programming service, licensed to Secaucus, New Jersey and serving the Tri-State metropolitan area. WWOR is owned by Fox Television Stations, a division of the News Corporation, and is a sister station to Fox network flagship...
in New York.
Despite not having the vast clearance problems that its syndicated predecessor had, The New Price Is Right shared its ratings trouble. The series never gained an audience, a problem that was blamed on, among various other things, preemptions for coverage of the O.J. Simpson trial and the drastic change in format as compared to the daytime series.
The New Price Is Right's low ratings contributed to many stations dropping the series within its first three months on the air. The New Price Is Right disappeared from most of these stations' markets afterward as there were no stations that were willing to pick up the low-rated series.
This version, along with the 1972–1980 weekly syndicated series hosted by Dennis James and Bob Barker, is one of only two American versions of Price that were not rerun by GSN.