"I've waited my whole life to see Bob-- er, I mean, Drew"

[COINBOYNYC]

There's a discussion on Roger Dobkowitz' Facebook page about an Instagram photo, posted by the show, of a couple wearing t-shirts saying "I've waited my whole life to see Bob Drew."  Here's the photo...



The person who posted the image to Roger's page said "to scratch off Bob’s name and put Drew’s name underneath" was "low."  Roger said:

"if this is not a set-up by the shows producers (they seem to like doing things that seem spontaneous but are really set-ups), they I chalk it up to two people desperate to be contestants and they thought that this would catch the contestant picker's eye. Bottom line... the shirt does not make sense...they did not wait their whole life to see Drew (he's only been on for ten years)."

Here's a link to the Facebook thread.  (link)  Any thoughts among those walking the Golden Road?

[urbanpreppie0004]

People are reading way too much into this couples joke shirt.

[JayC]

My thoughts exactly urbanpreppie. The comments on the Facebook post are way overblowing things and Roger's comment made too much of the shirt.

[tpiradam]

I agree. A lot of the comments seem to be from Barker purists who either don't watch anymore or believe it should still be 2007. As much as I love and enjoy the Barker era I do enjoy and continue to watch first run episodes. Drew's host now and has been for the past 10 years and probably will be for quite a long time now. People going to the show are going for Drew, not Bob.

[PatrickRox80]

I would give a gag like this a pass if Drew was a fairly new host at the time, but he's been there for eleven years already. It just doesn't work now.

[imhomerjay]

Thoughts?

People need to lighten up. It’s a joke.

[Hag]

I didn't like the "Bob who?" shirts that were sometimes seen in Drew's early years, but this one dosen't bother me.

[Casey]

Well there’s a whole litany of people who post things like this on Roger’s facebook page, knowing how he feels about the current state of the show, and they know that by saying these things, he’ll agree with them and validate them somehow.  This just happens to be the latest example. 

[RedWing512]

And I'm 100% sure they didn't wait their whole life to see Bob, either. I'm confident Bob didn't hit "stardom" until years after they were born. 

This is part of the reason why I personally feel Roger is every bit as slimy and disrespectful as Bob--you have a bunch of Bob die-hards who hang out on his page and ask theoretical questions pertaining to how him or Bob would handle a particular situation that crops up during recent shows, and instead of taking the high road and not taking that dangling carrot, Roger will constantly use those opportunities to belittle the show and its staff (not to mention, he does the exact same thing on Stu's Show, but that's a topic for another time).

Now, I understand that Roger is probably bitter about his dismissal, and he wouldn't run the show the same way, but...

1) that still doesn't give him the right to do what he does, and
2) the entertainment landscape is much different than when he oversaw the show. What he did with the show back in the 70s/80s/90s won't necessarily work today, especially with a host other than Bob. He needs to get off his high horse and accept that things have changed.

[imhomerjay]

So true. Many people in life are let go from positions, many after a long time. Been there, done that. It stings. But there's also a time to let things go, and value to taking the high road.

[CBSpromoman]

And I'm 100% sure they didn't wait their whole life to see Bob, either. I'm confident Bob didn't hit "stardom" until years after they were born. 

This is part of the reason why I personally feel Roger is every bit as slimy and disrespectful as Bob--you have a bunch of Bob die-hards who hang out on his page and ask theoretical questions pertaining to how him or Bob would handle a particular situation that crops up during recent shows, and instead of taking the high road and not taking that dangling carrot, Roger will constantly use those opportunities to belittle the show and its staff (not to mention, he does the exact same thing on Stu's Show, but that's a topic for another time).

Now, I understand that Roger is probably bitter about his dismissal, and he wouldn't run the show the same way, but...

1) that still doesn't give him the right to do what he does, and
2) the entertainment landscape is much different than when he oversaw the show. What he did with the show back in the 70s/80s/90s won't necessarily work today, especially with a host other than Bob. He needs to get off his high horse and accept that things have changed.

1) Roger has every right to his feelings (and to speak his mind on his own Facebook page). I have to wonder why you follow him and keep up with what he has to say if you feel this way about him. On the other hand, you have every right to your feelings and to speak your mind where that's permitted. (You know, just like the way you called him "slimy" -- which isn't exactly taking the high road yourself.)
2) Yes, the entertainment landscape has changed. That doesn't mean that everyone prefers the "new" of doing things. I don't know what the CURRENT ratings are for GSN, but you might recall that as of a few years ago, it was reruns of the 70s "Match Game" that were the highest-rated show on the network, despite plenty of newer shows. Not everything that is "new" happens to be better.

[RedWing512]

1) Roger has every right to his feelings (and to speak his mind on his own Facebook page). I have to wonder why you follow him and keep up with what he has to say if you feel this way about him. On the other hand, you have every right to your feelings and to speak your mind where that's permitted. (You know, just like the way you called him "slimy" -- which isn't exactly taking the high road yourself.)
2) Yes, the entertainment landscape has changed. That doesn't mean that everyone prefers the "new" of doing things. I don't know what the CURRENT ratings are for GSN, but you might recall that as of a few years ago, it was reruns of the 70s "Match Game" that were the highest-rated show on the network, despite plenty of newer shows. Not everything that is "new" happens to be better.

1) I don't follow Roger on Facebook--I just know of these things from threads like this and visiting his profile once in the past.

2) That's right, he has a right to speak his mind...but when he's in the wrong, he deserves to be called out on it. If the show was being run as poorly as he claims it is, then it wouldn't still be on (or #1 in the ratings) 10+ years after he was canned. Making statements like he does makes him seem like a bitter old fool.

3) I would agree with the fact that 70s Match Game was a huge draw for GSN (at least for a while), but I feel like that's an apples-to-oranges comparison. I would be willing to wager that those who were watching it were probably more in your demographic, who have a strong fondness for classic game shows. And while there's nothing wrong with that on the surface, it's an aging demographic, and one that's not going to pay dividends for Price if it wants to remain relevant in the future.

4) You're right, not everybody cares for the "new way" of doing things. But that doesn't mean that he has to disparage the current regime to get that point across. He could just simply say something along the lines of "That's not how I would have done it, but it's a different time and a different staff, and what they're doing is working well for them", and leave it at that. Same thing, but a lot more tactful and doesn't feed into the "haters" on the other side.

I grew up with Bob and Roger watching the show through the 90s/early 2000s, and have respect for what they did for the show, so don't get me wrong. But at some point, he has to come to terms with the fact that "his way" is not the "de-facto" way to run the show anymore.

[Axl]

Many people in life are let go from positions, many after a long time. Been there, done that. It stings. But there's also a time to let things go, and value to taking the high road.

My respect for Roger takes a hit every time he allows himself to be baited by Facebook followers (and Stu Shostak, for that matter). I can’t believe he really thinks this could have been a setup by the show’s producers. They have shown on multiple occasions the respect they have for Bob.

[silverice878]

I love Roger to death, but he needs to just let it go. It's ten years passed, for Christ's sake. What's done is done. Roger makes valid points most times, but it's stuff like this that just makes me shake my head.

[b_masters8]

As much as I love and enjoy the Barker era I do enjoy and continue to watch first run episodes.

Me too-- Bob will always and forever have his place in television history (especially daytime history) for his 3.5 decades on TPIR, but Drew has done so well lately, that even when some of the segments/games are not up to par, the show as a whole is still a must-see for me.