VERY hypothetical question

[UniquePerspective]

This just sort of came to mind.

Suppose, in another world, less than 9 people said that they wanted to be contestants and get the Stan talk? What would they do? I'm just kinda curious.

[gamefro]

It'd be a very sad state of affairs if they couldn't find 9 people in an audience of ~320 people to be contestants.  If that were somehow the case, I'd think there would be way too few people to even fill the audience and they'd probably cancel taping.

[Demerolguy]

I'll bet they would cancel any taping if they had less than 70 people---that would probably only fill up half of the middle section.

However, CBS has been know to "buy" audiences to make sure the seats are filled (lots of TV shows do this).  I remember being there the first year Drew was doing the show and there was a line of about 150 paid people that they let into the show to fill out the audience!

[Punchboard91]

I think what Unique is saying is in some rare instance, either all of the audience had been on in the last 10 years, and/or they wanted to see the show, but not be called down.

My best guess would be they would just find 9 people walking down the street, and say "Do you want to be a guaranteed contestant?" Would ruin the surprise element, but it'd do the job.

[95cents]

Fear not, that will NEVER, EVER happen.  You can literally find 9 people in EVERY taping line-cycle who would give an arm and a leg if needed to be on TV.  Even on a day when California was hit by monsoon rains back in 1991,when the studio was over half empty, if not 75% empty.  That opening is on You Tube.

[brtsimpson142]

Fear not, that will NEVER, EVER happen.  You can literally find 9 people in EVERY taping line-cycle who would give an arm and a leg if needed to be on TV.  Even on a day when California was hit by monsoon rains back in 1991,when the studio was over half empty, if not 75% empty.  That opening is on You Tube.

I've seen that opening.  Some really strange camera shots, but to me it says that if the staff can get there to make a show, it's a pretty safe bet they'll have some kind of audience (maybe not the most packed house in Price is Right history, but an audience is an audience, no matter how small!)

I wouldn't worry about the whole house being ineligible due to prior appearances on the show (or other shows).  The odds are astronomical, for one reason:  1 out of every 100 people who wants to appear on a gameshow actually make it onto one as a contestant.  It would be one fantastic coincidence if four hundred (or so) of these lucky people all showed up at Beverly & Fairfax on the same day, to be in the audience for the same show.

It'd be like a group of four hundred (random) people or so gathering together and taking a cruise on a particular ship, then disembark and return to their normal lives, only to reunite and go on another trip on a different ship (which just happens to be part of the storyline from an episode of Star Trek believe it or not!)

[SteveGavazzi]

Fear not, that will NEVER, EVER happen.  You can literally find 9 people in EVERY taping line-cycle who would give an arm and a leg if needed to be on TV.  Even on a day when California was hit by monsoon rains back in 1991,when the studio was over half empty, if not 75% empty.  That opening is on You Tube.

Of course, this has nothing to do with the question that was being asked.  UniquePerspective is aware that this is unlikely, and he's not "afraid" that it might happen.  He just wants to know what would occur if it did -- and I think it would be an interesting answer to know, even if just for the sake of knowing it.

Personally, I don't know for sure, but I figure they'd have to cancel the taping.  I can't see how they'd do the show with less than nine contestants.

[sideshowPA]

Very simple solution.  Let's say that we only have 7 volunteers.

You run through acts 1-3, the big wheel, and pricing game number 4.  After the Big Wheel segment, the two losing contestants are sent to CBS Make-Up, where they are done-over to look like new people.  They are also given new names and nametags.  The two made-over contestants are then later called down as contestants 8 and 9 of the day. 

If there are less than 7 volunteers, we are out of luck here.

OR

We go to Oak Lawn and find some volunteers there.  Call it the "Weekend at Bernie's" strategy.  Of course, these contestants are not particularly chatty, and should not be made to play Race Game, or be expected to take under 10 seconds in Ten Chances.

[PriceFanArmadillo]

If nothing else, they could always steal people from Craig Ferguson's audience, right?

*crickets*

[tpirfan28]

Why not just shoot a half-hour show?  They could always then just dump it on one of their Mon/Wed half-hour comedy blocks.

[COINBOYNYC]

Maybe they could have some staffers fill in and play as contestants?  Of course, they wouldn't actually get to keep any of their winnings, and a post-game announcement of some kind might be in order, but that might solve the problem.

[CBSpromoman]

Why not just shoot a half-hour show?  They could always then just dump it on one of their Mon/Wed half-hour comedy blocks.

Would not happen.  'Price' would be wasting money from their prize budget to produce a show the Network didn't ask for, and would have to recoup the money in prizes won on that episode and STILL have to produce a full hour for the show intended to air in daytime.

[BobJacobsenVer1]

Does anyone have a link or search words for the empty audience opening on Youtube? I tried a few different searches with nothing coming up..

[Punchboard91]

After searching "empty" on this site and finding the video, it appears it was removed by the user.

[blackwood]

If they did have less than nine in my version, I could use a 30 minute verison.