When I was a kid, Bob Barker was sort of this larger-than-life, white haired guy who came on television at the same time every morning and presented an hour of excitement in my living room. Even before I was old enough to fully understand all that was going on, something about this show drew me in unlike most anything else I watched, and I was fascinated by it.
As I got older and came to know the games and how the show worked, my interest only grew. I started looking more into the history of the show and how it got to be where it was — all of the different set changes and retired pricing games, syndicated versions and nighttime specials, Johnny Olson and his succession by Rod Roddy, etc. The history of the show was about as fascinating to me as the show itself! What’s more, despite some of the cosmetic changes over the years and Bob’s hair turning white, the show still felt the same in 2001 as it did in 1981 — much of which I credit to the emcee.
When the emcee changed, the show changed too. Maybe not for everyone, but it sure changed for me. I’ve tried for over 10 years to find that spark again that so enticed me as a child — the spark that’s been missing ever since Bob bid his final farewell on June 15, 2007 — but I’ve yet to find it. And I truly have given it my best effort. However, I’ve about stopped watching altogether the past couple of years, outside of the occasional pricing game or showcase I’ll catch if it happens to be on. It’s not that I don’t like the show anymore, it’s just that my interest in the current production isn’t near what it once was, because again, it’s not the same show to me anymore.
It doesn’t help that my initial reaction during the transition from Bob to Drew was mostly negative. I was bitter over Drew being chosen over some of the other candidates. They overhauled the set (at least it felt like, I had no idea what was to come...). They screwed with the theme music. They even changed the logo!
Over time, I’ve come to accept these changes. Drew is doing an excellent job. The set, music, etc. all make sense for 2018. It’s all good. But it’s still not the same show to me. It’s Drew’s show now, and while I like the job he’s doing and hope he stays on for many more years and continues the show’s success, I’ve accepted the fact that I don’t think I’ll ever get that interest I once had in the show back. I still keep up with this site for the latest on what’s going on and generally look at the recaps each day in case I missed a big event. The history of the show also still fascinates me, and I’ll occasionally watch an old episode or two on YouTube. However, it’s no longer appointment television and hasn’t been for many years. Perhaps one day that spark will come back, but I think I simply had lightning in a bottle those first 13 and a half years of my life, and when it all changed, the lightning escaped.
