I've only seen the show through Lucky $even, but wow, is there so much that can be said just to that point.
First, I've had Bob hosting L7 as my avatar for the past week, for those of you who never caught that
My oh my, where to begin...
I was already aware of Bob hosting Lucky $even thanks to Kyle's (actually Roger Dob's) spoiler, so I fully expected him to take Drew's place by walking through the doors in the intro and hosting the first item up for bids. The nostalgic part of me really hoped to hear the original versions of "Walking" and the main theme, but it was no surprise that the '07 versions were played instead. A bummer, but it didn't make the idea of Bob being present any less special.
With Bob's intro, the only gripe I have is that they used Drew's "Hey, Gwendolyn is here, and everyone say hello to George Gray" version, with the camera focused on Bob as he
slowly made his way to Gwen to receive the microphone. Huge directing fail there. That intro sequence works well for Drew, but it doesn't work for Bob. He's 91, for crying out loud. The whole thing was just so out of place. It would have made much more sense to have had the camera slowly zoom in on Bob as he walked through the doors, cut to a camera from behind pointed at the lights and pan down as he accepted the mic from Gwen, and then cut to him standing in front of the turntable. That was Bob's intro, and even with the star wipes removed, it still would have looked much more presentable and wouldn't have brought out Bob's age and feebleness nearly as much.
Despite that, man, did nostalgia hit me hard. Even with the crap cue for the IUFB and Bob's somewhat slower and ever-so-slightly slurred speech, just for a moment, I felt like I was watching the show I grew up watching again. There he was, the man who hosted my favorite game show until he retired when I was 13, standing there in his old spot on the stage, asking the first four contestants for their bids. I was truly lost in the moment.
And then Mary wins and comes up on stage. Bob was noticeably out of practice, but he was still able to interact with Mary in a way that Drew simply can't. His reaction to Mary wanting to play Pay the Rent for $100,000 was so...Bob. I couldn't believe it.
I wanted her to win Lucky $even so much, and all I could hope for was an easy setup so we could see a great playing, and that's what we got. Throughout the game, I could see that spark in Bob reignite. His speech became faster. His voice became full of excitement. And his hosting of the game returned to the way I remembered - not slow and seemingly forgetful of the rules, but quick-witted and excited. Mary's win brought out every great memory I have of Bob hosting, and again, the nostalgic aspect was indescribable.
I absolutely loved Bob referring to Drew as "the Star of The Price is Right." I'm not sure if that was meant as a jab at the show for no longer introducing him with that title or just a reference to a simpler time, but it was great to hear that line again, and especially by the former host.
I'm sure I'll have much more to say once I watch the rest of the show this evening, but wow, was the first 8 or so minutes incredible, at least to me.
