FULL RECAP - TPiR 10/08/2008

[catdogwheel]

I'm surprised no one mentioned the blooper that happened today. It wasn't too histerical, but it was funny.

[heelsrule1988]

If you're talking about the bed breaking... I did.

[TPIRSteven]

Most Expensive:  By far the easiest game of the day, as there was no doubt that the wine cabinet was big bucks.

Punch a Bunch:  Technically this was a loss, but $1,000 is still pretty good for this game.

That's Too Much:  Ugh.  This is my least favorite car game, and it was the only "car game" played in the show (Bullsye isn't always played for a car, so I don't call it a "car game."  I was shouting, "One more!" when Lawrence stopped.  He is lucky Bob Barker is not still hosting the show, or he would have been chewed out big time!

2 For the Price of 1:  What was Jacqueline thinking when she picked the four as the first number? 

Bullseye:  It's great to see this game played for a car, but I would have liked to see another regular car game besides That's Too Much.  Drew's archery analogy was a good idea; he just got confused when trying to describe the rules of the game, which kind of spoiled the execution.  Michael suffers a tough loss, and I also noticed that Drew goofed when he revealed what was behind the rolls.

Push Over:  This was a nice win here!  I can easily see $3,879 or 5,420 tripping up many contestants.

Showcases:  Today's first showcase was one of the better ones I have seen in a while, but that's not saying much given what we have had to endure the last few days.  Michael very nearly committed a serious  before he realized his mistake.

My Showcase Bids:
Trip/Car:  $33,410 (Diff: $4,070)
Room/Golf Cart:  $18,295 (Diff: $3,471)

Overall, I'd say we had a pretty good show today, with solid showcases and a decent pricing game lineup, with the exception of That's Too Much being the only car game played (again, not counting Bullseye).  Punch a Bunch was one of my favorites growing up, so it's nice to see it make a return.  The only other bad thing about the show as that no cars were won, resulting in a low winnings total.

[rob79]

BEST CONTESTANT OF THE DAY: Michael, an early Contestant of the Season candidate

I disagree. Michael was a show off and frankly got what he deserved in Bullseye.

[catdogwheel]

If you're talking about the bed breaking... I did.

That's the one! It's like the guy just sat on it and wham! And I loved Gabrielle's look that practically said "oops!" Who's dog was that anyway that she had? Drew seemed to love that dog.

[wpghi5]

Most Expensive: My gut told me the treadmill. 

Punch-A-Bunch: Jeffrey's money amounts really grew as Drew went through every hole all ending in him winning a $1,000. With one $25,000 slip and one $10,000 slip this is definitely bound for disaster.

That's Too Much: I would've stopped where Lawrence stopped. And if you want to stop on a certain price you have to say "That's Too Much"!

2 For The Price Of 1: Knew it was $847. Boy did Jacqueline's friends really gave her bad advice. 

Bullseye: Had Michael taken 3 of either the cat food or the rolls he would've won.

Push Over: It was either $3879 or $4203. Luckily $4203 was the right one resulting in Fern winning.

Showcases: I too wondered whether Toto was real. And indeed he was. Michael got so excited on winning that he broke the bedroom set. I do admit though he was pretty annoying.

 

[The Square]

As Drew tried to explain Bullseye, there was an interesting shot from the side of the board where the flashing lights were next to one another. It looked cool from that angle.

Since I already know how Bullseye is played, I could see where Drew was trying to go with that arrow explanation, but I think it was lost on Michael. Michael only picked two jelly beans on his second attempt, and unless he thought that tiny little bag was $5.00, it looks like he was trying to add to his $7.98 from the cat food.

I don't know what to make of that first showcase. It was this close to feeling like the showcases of past seasons, but it wasn't quite there. It had a solid premise: the Wizard of Oz theme. It had a model dressed as a convincing Dorothy, even with a real Toto. And as a special bonus, there was the fun cameo appearance by the Golden Road rainbow at the end. All of the elements were there, but something about it didn't click. And what does Spain have to do with The Wizard of Oz? The justification for the prize wasn't even in the right chronological order with the movie: the showcase mentions driving to Oz after receiving your wish from the wizard. It was like the showcase had two endings, first with the trip tying in with the end of the movie and then with the car being the end of the showcase.

Actually, now that I'm thinking about it, I've figured out why it felt off. They had a model dressed up as Dorothy, but they kept making vague statements in the second person. They didn't once talk about what Dorothy was doing, they were just telling "you", meaning the contestant or the viewers at home, that you should ask the wizard for a trip to Spain and that you should drive to Oz in a car. It would have felt less disjointed if the showcase had said "Instead of going back home to Kansas, Dorothy asked the wizard to send her to Spain" and "Dorothy decided to drive to Oz in a new car." Then it ties in with the fact that Gabrielle is prancing around in a plaid blue dress while holding a dog. As it was written, the showcase didn't acknowledge that there was anything happening onscreen. It's a subtle difference, but I think that's why this didn't feel right.

He has 75 games or so to know. Bob had a huge advantage in that he learned the 75 games basically 1 at a time. Drew didn't have that. That's why I give him a pass at times with that.

This is true, but when do we stop using that as an excuse for Drew forgetting the rules, or forgetting how many prizes are in a game, like he did a couple of times near the end of last season? He's been hosting for a year now, and even though there are over 70 different games, twelve months is more than enough time to memorize the rules, especially if you're being paid Drew Carey money to do so.

[heelsrule1988]

I disagree. Michael was a show off and frankly got what he deserved in Bullseye.

Uh... how in the world did you get that impression? Everything he did showed me that he was ecstatic and just happy to be there. The guy was excited about a bedroom group, for goodness sake. How is that being a show off?

[SteveGavazzi]

Yeah they've never had a technical win before. He has 75 games or so to know. Bob had a huge advantage in that he learned the 75 games basically 1 at a time. Drew didn't have that. That's why I give him a pass at times with that. The thing is, if he's doing a poor job, than it's Fingers and Stan's job to set him straight.

Bob did the same thing often.

Not this often.

Anyone else think we can cut out any confusion in this game by just getting rid of the hidden bullseye already?  You get 3 chances to show that you are good at pricing groceries.  Seems like enough shots to me.

I've got a better idea; have Drew learn the damn rules.  That would fix this and a hell of a lot of other things.

[Briguy]

SteveGavazzi said:

What the hell did Drew reveal the cinnamon rolls for when he was looking for the hidden bullseye?!  Can you imagine the cluster**** that would have caused if that had been where Roger had hidden it?  They'd have had to award the car!

and ...

I've got a better idea; have Drew learn the damn rules.  That would fix this and a hell of a lot of other things

Where this show's Bullseye game turned south was Drew's fumbled explanation of the rules, which I think began when he tried the "arrow" joke. If he begins to flub like that, then perhaps it would behoove Fingers or Stan (or somebody) to stop tape, take Drew aside and have him take a deep breath, and then start again.

Also, it is the producers' job to make sure that Drew understands the rules of the game. As several other posters have pointed out, it is unclear whether he has had to face this "second chance" win situaton where one of the chosen products was taken out of play by a contestant's poor guess (i.e., "didn't make a mark" on the board, such as the case with the cinnamon rolls). In private, it might be a good idea for Fingers to kindly explain to Drew, "Hey, when a contestant is incorrect with a grocery item (in Bullseye), he can't win with that item." Or something like that.

The same might go for recent complaints with Switcheroo (where Drew says the only prize to be truly concerned about is the car). If he is indeed saying that, and if the small prizes in that game are so important, then it is Fingers' or Stan's job to make sure Drew understands that, and then conveys it to the contestant.

woohookitty is correct — "If he's (Drew) doing a poor job, than it's Fingers' and Stan's job to set him straight." I might add to that, it should happen in private, away from the rolling cameras. I'm not sure modifying the rules of Bullseye is a good solution.

BTW — I think, Steve, with your response to woohookitty's post, you may have taken the quote "Bob did the same thing often" out of context by posting it with his response to Drew's mistake in Bullseye. woohookitty was referring to the contestant's having slept in line all night so he could get tickets.

While I'm at it, I'd like to point out a gripe I have, and it's with the producers' decision not to give a manufacturer's plug with every prize. Case in point: the office furniture/computer prize package. For all I know, this was a generic desk and armoire that I would be able to buy (for hundreds of dollars less, perhaps) at Wal-Mart. At least give the name of the store where it came from. And there was no excuse for not plugging the computer manufacturer.

Brian

[PriceFan14]

I'm not going to go into great detail about each game and such, but I do want to mention that these last few days Drew has been doing an INCREDIBLE job hosting the show. IMHO, he's becoming more of a game show host and less of a stand-up comedian performing @ the BBS. There are still many elements of Drew being himself, but he's not making fun of prizes as much (or to the degree) as he used to and his reveals and game/prize intros are smack-on! I've also noticed he's thrown to commerical in a couple different ways as well....even brought the show back in without his normal spew. If this continues, my confidence in Drew will be restored.

[rob79]

Uh... how in the world did you get that impression? Everything he did showed me that he was ecstatic and just happy to be there. The guy was excited about a bedroom group, for goodness sake. How is that being a show off?

Personally, and this is just my opinion,it seemed to me that he was being overly dramatic during the playing of Bullseye. What I perceived as his antics just seemed to give me the wrong impression. Again, that's just my opinion.

[PriceForever]

 If he begins to flub like that, then perhaps it would behoove Fingers or Stan (or somebody) to stop tape, take Drew aside and have him take a deep breath, and then start again.

Also, it is the producers' job to make sure that Drew understands the rules of the game.

It is Fingers' or Stan's job to make sure Drew understands that, and then conveys it to the contestant....

These statements, which I agree with, highlights one of two things that must be taking place at Price:

 1) Drew has completely taken over the show as uncredited executive producer and the producers can't really tell him what to do.

OR

2) The current producers ( and there's quite a few of them, now) are totaly inept at running the show and the host.

Personally, I believe all of this shoddy production stuff can be attributed to Drew doing whatever he wants to do or write.

[heelsrule1988]

Personally, and this is just my opinion,it seemed to me that he was being overly dramatic during the playing of Bullseye. What I perceived as his antics just seemed to give me the wrong impression. Again, that's just my opinion.

The guy's an aspiring actor... naturally, he's going to be more dramatic than most people.

[anynumber76]

Has there ever been a technical win due to Drew not explaining the rules of a game correctly (or him messing something up with the reveal)?  If my memory serves, I don't believe it's happened (yet), but it almost did with the hidden bullseye and the cinnamon rolls.

As for his reveal of the hidden bullseye, the fact that he didn't even seem to be building the tension before he pulled the cards shows that his reveals still need a lot of work.  As a poster above said, they were playing Bullseye for a car.  You would think that the reveal would have warranted a little more excitement on his part.