Been sitting on some notes regarding this run of the show; it's kind of an infodump but heregoes:
Show N-0335 (Taping week 33, show 5; show 165 out of 170 taped) recorded on 2/26/1986, and aired in roughly May (airdate on slate was TBA)
Shows *definitely* were not aired in strict taping order; the definite first show aired (at least in major markets) in Sept. '85 used the second intro out of three (big door pan with prizes behind the doors, still blue titles, "Show sparkling with excitement"); the earliest tapings used the same spiel and setup as the 70s shows (audience pan, "audience is sparkling with excitement", just continuing with the daytime light border.
When GSN ran the show briefly in the mid 90s they appear to have, as with virtually every other Goodson show, run Tom's version of Price in taping order. When they included it in their '97 First on the 1st marathon they aired the first taped show, even though the presenter indicated otherwise.
When the show was taped, the show-ending plugs ("Contestants not appearing on stage may receive...") were done in post-production, a relative rarity for Goodson shows of any era. In the one master I have, the show's logo card (the golden "space" logo) plays over the theme with the crowd, with no announcer for the duration of the plugs. Those were edited in later (Hence why Gene is heard on the otherwise-Johnny O-announced "finished" versions aired on GSN; depending on when they were taped, Johnny would have been at times unavailable - or later dead.). Relatedly, I'm fairly certain I have at least one episode where Gene is announcer while Rod does the plugs.
Personal opinion is that Tom was exceptional; I've got about a dozen episodes with him as host and enjoy them greatly. It's also one of the few shows that I proactively wish I could "complete the set" with. I adore Tom's hosting work in general, love Price OBVIOUSLY, and would love to see the entire run start to finish. I do not believe there was another host available in that era who could have exceeded Tom's performance, and with thirty years of hindsight actually find Tom more enjoyable to watch than Bob. (There are a lot of details about Bob's hosting, particularly in the 70s and 80s, that I find a little cringy in 2018) .