TPiR Recap - 10/31/2023 (TPiR Season 52 Halloween Special)

[JayC]

Do any of you have a favourite "Halloween" edition of TPiR? I know that gimmicky/themed episodes are kind of a staple of the Drew era, but I'm also curious as to whether or not they were (at least) attempted a few times when Bob Barker presented.

The Prize League is my favorite, but the season 37 Halloween episode was really good also and season 38 where Drew, Rich, and the models dressed like items from pricing games and the Big Wheel.

[JBHenry]

Recap up.

I'm not a wrestling fan by any means (find it very barbaric), but this show was absolutely off the rails and it worked well.

Having worked in wrestling for 7 years, it's anything but. There's a huge amount of trust between performers, athleticism, and drive. Most of the folks I've worked with are wonderful people.

[DebonairDylan]

Just two wins today and no car wins. This was certainly an interesting Halloween show today. No matter how many punches I have, I'm always quitting if I have $2,500.

[kingpin623]

I’m nowhere near being a wrestling fan, but I know enough that I knew to expect George to be in a spiffy coat and bow tie.

As for Drew, I have to wonder if he ended up with laryngitis after yelling for most of the show.  I know some of you found it annoying, and I even found it grating at times, but I certainly don’t envy him!  I also wonder how warm/hot and heavy his muscle costume was (I’ve never worn one of those myself)

Punch-A-Bunch: Anyone else notice that the font on the $2,500 slip was smaller than usual, AND had a comma?  Last time I recall seeing a different font, not to mention commas on the 4-digit prizes, was when they were still using white slips in the early 80s before switching to yellow.

Vend-O-Price: Loved how they used the British spelling for yogurt (yoghurt), and the Halloween/Fall-themed groceries (pumpkin yogurt, kale snacks that claimed “natural vampire killer” on the label, and the always polarizing candy corn).  Also the first of two “Drew Dollar” games, along with Balance Game.

Balance Game: I seem to recall them doing that same trick with the prize bag on an April Fool’s episode, tying it down from beneath with strings or an elastic band; I caught a glimpse of them here as James was attempting to lift the bag.

Not a bad Halloween show, but not my fav.  I think my fav was the one where the costumes were pricing game themed (Drew as the mountain climber, one of the models as a Pl!nko chip, etc).

JBK

[SteveGavazzi]

I thought this show was hilarious.  Everything about it was ridiculous, and that's fine, because it was supposed to be ridiculous.  Drew had to walk a pretty fine line between staying in character and actually hosting the show, and I think he struck a marvelous balance.  (I do wonder whether they really planned for him to move Cover Up, though.)

Also, George's coat looked like it was borrowed from Rod.  Any day that happens is a good day in my book.

[route56]

Everyone played their role so well- Drew as the heel champion main eventer

I felt that they were going for an 80s Hulk Hogan vibe. I agree with "champion" and "main eventer", but not "heel."

They could have added a little more facial hair to James and made him look more like Ox Baker.

[bigdodgeram]

if you were entertained, it did its job.

I was entertained.

[Game Girl]

I tried to shorten it but when you do something with this many references and history it is going to be long (currently each person has one sentence). this episode was an interesting idea though done in a very isolating way (feels like it was leftovers for something else).basically it limits it to wrestling history people (even if casual wrestling history people that just looked at strangest moments like me) and not really even people who currently watch wrestling or began somewhat recently. I enjoyed it, I understand the references but I would not have two years ago before I started watching wrestling and still did not get them all. there was no undertaker reference sadly because that would have fit Holloween as well.

I also would have liked some more current jokes (post 2000s) particularly with the female wrestlers/models (which is sadly harder to run across by coincidence since they were separate cancelled shows. I only know based on a 'modern' tell the truth episode) instead of leaning so heavily in the 1980s glam rock. I did enjoy really well including the Hulk Hogan impression and that one is at least more mainstream. The announcer trying to be McMahon's, it would have worked better if he just was the standard generic 'this corner' wrestler announcer the whole time and that is all I am going to go with.

I will admit I was shocked that they did the microphone breaking in half thing coming back from break after the wheel in a good way. 30 minutes in (including commercial) There is a segment in which they are fake wrestling that begins in the middle. I feel like I missed something. I could tell it was a tag team match but still if anyone actually was at the taping since occasionally some of us are was it that weird in the studio. I would say the detailing and cleaning the stars were beautiful but it probably would have made more sense to use price is right green. weirdly enough I loved it even with everything above and ununderstandability but when you do a TV show you have to do it to the most common denominator and this was not done to the most common denominator.