FULL RECAP - TPiR 10/14/2008

[TPIRSteven]

Most Expensive:  This was not an easy setup, but Emily made it look easy!  I would have never guessed that the dinette set was $2,500.

It's In the  Bag:  This was extremely easy for the first three bags, but then it became much more difficult.  I also would have walked at the $4,000 level because the $8,000 bag was a 50/50 shot between the cat food and the mouthwash for me.  I just wish Bernadine had gone on to give us our first 4-win show of the season.

Card Game:  Even with just a $2,000 card, this was easy.  This was played so well that Amanda would have won with the $1,000 card!

Secret X:  Another easy setup here -- the Secret X being in the middle almost makes this a sure win.

Cover Up:  This was next to impossible!  While I was playing along with the show, I made the following picks:

First Try:       $24,719  (Purposely blowing the second number to guarantee a third try)
Second Try:  $21,321
Third Try:      $21,908
Fourth Try:    $21,952
Fifth Try:       $21,954  -- LOSS

That's right -- I would have still lost this despite getting five chances at it!  That fifth number was simply a shot in the dark.  I think the paint and fabric protection option is only included to make car games impossible to win.

Barker's Bargain Bar:  Another tough setup, and it would help if Marta knew her math.

Showcases:  Nothing too spectacular here today, except that this is now the fourth straight show with either a or a .  This time, though, I was on top of pricing them for a change, nailing a top-5 finish in CSS.
 
Overall, this has to be one of the best shows that we've seen all season, despite the impossible Cover Up setup!  Drew was on top of it today, we had a decent number of wins, and a solid pricing game lineup to boot.  This one gets a solid "A" in my book!

[SteveGavazzi]

Drew was surprisingly good today.  There were still some things I didn't like -- his making fun of the Contestants' Row instructions and his screwup (again) during Cover Up -- but overall, if he hosted this way every day, the show might be in better shape.

I still don't like that they're screwing with the showcases (although after that horrendous Port o' Price, I was relieved to see Train Depot escape relatively unscathed), but I really have to applaud them for having the Train actually pull into the depot today -- that's the first time it's happened since the time cuts back in Season 34.

It was weird to see Drew have so much energy in It's in the Bag -- and I mean that in a good way.  He can't do the whole show that way, but it works in a suspenseful, risky game like Bag.

Drew also did probably the best job I've ever seen him do of hosting Card Game.  His price reveal was completely non-Bob-esque, but for once, it still worked...and it was nice to see him not babble on and on about how it was "just like Vegas."

I'm not sure how I feel about using an IUFB to provide its own background music...having Lanisha play the drums seems like a neat idea on paper, but in practice, it looked kind of awkward.  There was never anything wrong with having the Beauties pretend they were drumming.

Yay!  Secret "X"!  So nice to see a regular small prize game!

I was surprised at how natural it felt not to have Drew talk about Bob during Barker's Bargain Bar.  I guess that's really how it should be now -- just a silent tribute to him that doesn't need to be mentioned every playing.

Drew actually did the Showcase right!  His price reveal today was one of the best I've seen from him.

Speaking of the Showcase, Bernadine's reaction when she won was priceless.  The woman was clearly in shock.

Cover Up:  This was next to impossible!  While I was playing along with the show, I made the following picks:

First Try:       $24,719  (Purposely blowing the second number to guarantee a third try) ...

I hate to tell you this, but most people on here probably would have gotten the fifth number in two chances -- Pontiacs with paint sealant and fabric protectant almost always end with 1 or 6.

[Wayoshi]

But the average contestant won't know that - so, TPIRSteven is right.

[TPIRSteven]

But the average contestant won't know that - so, TPIRSteven is right.

That's right -- and remember, I'm relatively new here (just look at my post count).  I haven't learned all of those intricate pricing rules yet.  I just know that paint and fabric protection means that the price usually doesn't end in 0 or 5, and that makes for a tough setup in most games.

[Mallory16]

No... I'm pretty sure the average contestant would have about an 83% chance of getting the seemingly last number right if given five chances.  Might not have been the world's easiest playing of Cover Up, but it was hardly impossible, either.

[SteveGavazzi]

But the average contestant won't know that.

True -- but I wasn't talking about the average contestant.  I was talking about TPIRSteven, who listed his own guesses in his post.

Of course, there's nothing wrong with being new.

[TPIRSteven]

No... I'm pretty sure the average contestant would have about an 83% chance of getting the seemingly last number right if given five chances.  Might not have been the world's easiest playing of Cover Up, but it was hardly impossible, either.

Okay, I admittedly ran into some bad luck there, but most contestants also won't get five chances at the last number, either.  An average contestant will probably only get about three, which gives only a 50-50 shot at getting the last number, and that's assuming she got the other ones right.

To clarify what I meant earlier, I was exaggerating a little bit when I said it was almost impossible.  I meant that I usually nail Cover Up easily when playing along.  In many setups, the first, second, and last numbers are a piece of cake, making the game pretty easy to win if you play strategically.  With this setup, it was much more challenging than usual.

I'm basically emphasizing that Cover Up can be (and is) manipulated to some extent by Roger (and now Kathy) to make it easy or tough to win, much like Lucky $even.  This was one of the toughest setups I have seen in a while.

[Casey]

The more I watch Drew, the more I realize how he isn't so much influenced by the number of wins and losses, but it's who he gets as on stage contestants that really seem to influence his energy level.  Bernadine was such a bundle of energy and excitement that at times she seemed completely dumbfounded, and Drew just fed off of that energy and really made her stand out throughout the show.  This was easily his best hosting of the season thus far.

[woohookitty]

Not just some more, if he'd do that all the time he'd be great. Consistency is the key. It's the lack thereof that's plagued Drew and has drawn the complaints.

Yeah but that's not Drew nor will it be full time. He's not a "You win!!!!" kind of host. He wasn't on Whose Line, he's not on Power of 10 and he's not on Price. He tends to be low key. He's been on for over a year and I keep wondering why people are waiting for a new energetic Drew to emerge full time. It's just not going to happen. He's not going to suddenly morph into Bob...sorry.

[heelsrule1988]

I can't believe Bernadine bailed out in It's In the Bag. That was as close to a surefire win as I've ever seen in that game.

BEST CONTESTANT OF THE DAY: Jessica
SHOW GRADE: 3

[The Square]

This episode is a good example of how minor mistakes are forgivable when the energy of the show is up so much and everything is so much fun to watch. Drew made a couple of small errors, like forgetting the two-step process of asking for correct numbers in Cover Up and making it really obvious that he was peeking behind the giant price tag to look at Secret "X", but because he handled the bulk of the show really well, I have less of a problem with those little bumps.

Not only did Emily win Most Expensive, she also won Easy as 1 2 3 by predicting that the exercise bike was the least expensive.

I don't know what was going through Drew's mind, whether he was goofing around, trying to make light of something, or if he was caught up in Bernadine's energy. Whatever it was, that was undoubtedly the most exciting playing of It's in the Bag since Drew took over. Steve is right that it's not for every game, but if he could keep up that energy for the appropriate games, honed by developing the remaining finer points of game show hosting, then I would be absolutely fine with seeing him host this show for years to come.

Drew made a big deal about how he had to ask Bernadine whether she wanted to spin again on 10 cents, but then just assumed that Amanda wanted to go to a tie-breaker when she got 75. She would have anyway, but as he just said, he needs to ask.

Christine: "I don't want drums. I have three boys." That was very funny.

To end on a down note, though, the showcases are still leaving me cold. The first one felt like the very early shows, where they would have three random prizes they needed to use and tried to tie them together with whatever thin explanation they could. And while I'm glad they didn't change the wording in the main part of the train depot showcase, the changes to the beginning and especially the end weren't needed and didn't make the showcase any better.

[SteveGavazzi]

Yeah but that's not Drew nor will it be full time. He's not a "You win!!!!" kind of host. He wasn't on Whose Line, he's not on Power of 10 and he's not on Price. He tends to be low key. He's been on for over a year and I keep wondering why people are waiting for a new energetic Drew to emerge full time. It's just not going to happen. He's not going to suddenly morph into Bob...sorry.

I guess we just want the show not to suck.

[edmojautis]

Most: Who knew that a teensy-weensy Dinette would be the ME? Not me, unfortunately.  Good start, though.

IITB: OH BERNADINE!!! YOU HAD THEM ALL!!! Even I knew right away that she did it and she bailed. But $4K does better than nothing for her. Drew definetly was in top-form all through this playing, too.

Card: I would've stopped at around $18K.  But Amanda took it all, there. Good win.

Secret: I never thought I would say this but...Great to see this game again!!! Good win, too.

Cover: The 5 would've not been my choice for the fourth digit. Too bad.

BBB: It did felt like a "Suckerpunch". Ouch.

Showcases: Bernadine sure was a BLAST!!! She can hardly believe it herself and it showed!!! A much-deserving win here.

A 4-star show.

[Teddy]

I just hope there can be more days like this. Had that bailout not occurred in It's in the Bag, we woud've had a winning show. Oh well...Looks like Drew's outdoing himself in this one, and hopefully, it can get better from here.

[MrPlinko]

WOW. Just...WOW. Drew's performance during IITB today was nothing short of spectacular!AMAZING! Drew Carey, do that some mo Can you imagine what he would've been like had she not bailed out?!

Amen!

If Drew acted like this more often, people would stop criticizing his hosting abilities.  Someone should YouTube this, because his energy level during this game was comparable to some of Bob's best moments!   It was stunning and jaw-dropping! That clip goes down in Price is Right history as not only Drew's best hosting segment so far, but one of the best in Price's 37 year history!  This my friends was a joy and a dream to watch!

Joe