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The Price is Right -- three months later
About three months ago -- October 15th, 2007, to be exact -- the face of daytime television changed, and some say not good. It was the day that the first Drew Carey-hosted The Price is Right aired on CBS' daytime schedule. Reviews of that first performance (which was actually the seventh show taped) were mixed. Some said that the first show was good, but there were obviously things that Drew needed to improve on. Others didn't even give him the benefit of the doubt and were already calling for his replacement. Still others used the word "disgusting" in expressing their opinion of Carey as a host and a person.
Well, about 92 days have passed since that initial show and Drew is still the host of TPIR. People are still filling the audience, bidding on items, playing games, and spinning the Showcase Showdown wheel. The question then is if Drew has improved since he first took the microphone? In my opinion, yes. But, he still has a little bit to go.
Overall, Drew is definitely more relaxed as the host, particularly in episodes that were taped much later in the season. You see that as soon as he is introduced to the crowd. He really feeds off the energy that the crowd provides, and it drives him to be better from the get-go.
He is also less fidgety. One of the big things that we all probably saw and were totally frustrated about was the fiddling with his left jacket pocket at the beginning of the show. It personally aggravated me to no end since it wasn't even the pocket where he held the actual bids. Over the last few weeks I've seen that practice gradually end. Yes, it comes up every so often, but it looks like Drew knows that he's doing it and he is actually trying to stop the action.
Another area where I see improvement is his interaction with the contestants. Granted, he isn't as suave and genial as Bob Barker was -- Barker had 35 years to hone his skills. Yet, Drew is starting to be a bit more personable with the contestants in the bidding pit, as well as those who make it up on stage. It's less business for him (as it seemed to be on the first show) and more fun, which it really should be.
The biggest change that I see is in Drew's appearance. I don't know who dressed him during the first show they aired, but Carey looked very heavy and incredibly uncomfortable in the dark suit he was wearing. Dark colors may work for his Power of 10 primetime game show, but not on a set as bright and airy as the one TPIR is recorded on. Since then, he has been wearing lighter shades and suits that seem to fit him better. In addition to that, I think that Drew may have lost some weight since the first group of shows were taped as his face isn't nearly as big as it was during the first show.
There are still some places where Carey needs improvement. One of these would be his little side mumblings into the microphone that we hear but the contestant and the audience do not. When these go flat, it is somewhat awkward to watch. Another issue he has is with consistency. On one episode during 'Christmas Week' Drew was very up and chipper. On the next day's episode it seemed like all of the energy was drained out of him. One thing that Bob had going for him that he was always 'on' when it came to TPIR, and this is something Carey needs to work to correct.
As I have said numerous times, Drew Carey is no Bob Barker -- both have their unique styles. I think that many people have negative feelings about Carey hosting The Price is Right because they got so used to Barker's style. Whether they will give another chance to Drew is something I can't predict. But, as long as ratings are good, and people fill the audience at the Bob Barker Studio, then Drew should be just fine.
| He is getting better | |
|---|---|
| He's getting neither better nor worse | |
| He is not doing well at all |
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