If game shows have been a staple of American television, The Price Is Right almost deserves to be in a category of its own. Over the course of its forty-eight seasons, the show has captivated viewers with its lively competition, flashy household items, and of course—its host Bob Barker who kept alive the spirit of the show- and the 1970s -alive for thirty five seasons until his retirement in 2007.
Perhaps because Barker remained in his role for so many years, he has become a bit of a mythical figure in some households. Between his ninetieth birthday celebration on CBS and reports that Barker learned karate from Chuck Norris, the man himself has generated a number of disturbing conspiracy theories.
Some fans have been left wondering exactly how much power Barker had over the show. Has he ever gone so far as to actually rig the result?
The Bottom Line
After a bit of research, we are confident in reporting that Bob Barker did not rig The Price Is Right, although over the years the show has been “beaten” by both contestants and tech errors.
How do we know for sure?
The answer is simple: Barker was only the host of the show. While to many fans he may have seemed like the all-powerful force calling out numbers and welcoming contestants, Barker actually had very little influence on the show. As the host, his only job was to wave at the audience and smile at the cameras. Meanwhile, the major decisions were being made by producers and executive producers behind the scenes.
However, just because Barker never rigged the show, does not mean that The Price Is Right was never hit by a juicy scandal.
The Case Of The Crossed Wire
In 2008, one lucky contestant was playing Plinko- the show’s most popular game -when she spontaneously won thirty thousand dollars. The only catch? Her big win was a huge mistake.
Plinko is played by throwing chips down into slots; depending which slot the chip falls into, players can win up to $10,000 per throw. Participants can throw up to three chips to win a maximum total of $30,000.
Northern Star reports that in order to make fun commercials, the network hires actors to pretend that they are average people winning the maximum total. The show makes sure that the actors “win” Plinko three times in a row by crossing a pair of wires, thus, rigging the game.
According to the outlet, the 2008 winner happened to play Plinko after one of the crew members forgot to unrig the game. Needless to say, the contestant won big time, to the shock of show producers. While the player’s major win was deleted from the cameras before airing, she was allowed to return home with the hefty prize in hand.
