Golden-Road.net
Studio 33 - Price is Right Discussion => The TALK Is Right => Topic started by: TPIRViewer on September 30, 2022, 10:33:38 AM
-
Still with the reduced audience and social distancing between Drew and the contestants for Season 51 so far.
Considering covid is never going away and it's something that we're all going to live with on this planet for good, I'm guessing this is the way Drew and the team want things to be indefinitely. I understand why Drew doesn't want to get close to any of the contestants but I wish they could at least add some more people to the audience. Not asking for full capacity like before but even just another 15 people would go a long way and bringing the energy up.
-
Who said Drew doesn’t want to be close to the contestants? If anything he’s been more lax about physical interactions this season.
-
This has less to do with Drew and more to do with production unions, if I had to guess, using their power and imposing draconian COVID requirements.
-
This has less to do with Drew and more to do with production unions, if I had to guess, using their power and imposing draconian COVID requirements.
They ARE draconian, and they don't work. Studies have suggested that lockdowns only made things worse.
https://wusfnews.wusf.usf.edu/health-news-florida/2022-02-02/a-johns-hopkins-study-says-ill-founded-lockdowns-did-little-to-limit-covid-deaths
-
Going to ask we keep this focused on Price and not turn this into a lockdown debate, thanks.
-
Going to ask we keep this focused on Price and not turn this into a lockdown debate, thanks.
Sorry about that. Understood.
-
They ARE draconian, and they don't work. Studies have suggested that lockdowns only made things worse.
https://wusfnews.wusf.usf.edu/health-news-florida/2022-02-02/a-johns-hopkins-study-says-ill-founded-lockdowns-did-little-to-limit-covid-deaths
I'm just gonna put this (https://www.factcheck.org/2022/03/scicheck-what-weve-learned-about-so-called-lockdowns-and-the-covid-19-pandemic/) here, because you don't appear to know what you're talking about.
And then I'm gonna LOCK the thread, because I'm not going to waste any more of anyone's time trying to prove that to you.
EDIT: I've been asked by the OP to reopen the discussion, and I think it's a fair request. But Vahan, DO NOT barge into this again.
-
I have no inside info, but I suspect we're not going to see a return to the 290 person "anyone who wants to go can go" audience the show used to have. The reason is that there's no more Stan Blits. On days where they did 3 tapings, he had to do almost NINE HUNDRED (900) 15-ish second interviews and pick the 27 best. He loved doing it, but very very few people have that same love of people and ability to pick good contestants that he had. By having smaller pre-screened audiences, the show has more control over who appears on the show and they can spread the work around instead of having to do it all at once just before the taping begins. I hope I'm wrong about this, as I think it was better with a full audience. But I don't think I am.
-
I have no inside info, but I suspect we're not going to see a return to the 290 person "anyone who wants to go can go" audience the show used to have. The reason is that there's no more Stan Blits. On days where they did 3 tapings, he had to do almost NINE HUNDRED (900) 15-ish second interviews and pick the 27 best. He loved doing it, but very very few people have that same love of people and ability to pick good contestants that he had. By having smaller pre-screened audiences, the show has more control over who appears on the show and they can spread the work around instead of having to do it all at once just before the taping begins. I hope I'm wrong about this, as I think it was better with a full audience. But I don't think I am.
I was thinking the same thing...especially with taping three shows a day, it seems FAR easier to have the pre-screened audience than doing interviews. Quicker to load the audience, seat people where you want to seat them. Just seems like a faster, more efficient system. Again, I hope we are wrong, but from many different angles, it makes for an easier production.
-
As someone currently going through the process, it's easier on the contestants too.
-
As someone currently going through the process, it's easier on the contestants too.
I would love to hear more about why this is if you're willing and able to share.
-
The benefits have been said. Faster, easier screening.
The downsides are worse, though. TPiR always had this appeal of “that could be me” when you watched it. Of course we know the contestants weren’t selected at random, but most people at home didn’t. You used to get a cross-section of society coming on down and they came down as themselves.
By auditioning contestants, they can manipulate more who gets on. That is, the most filtered, yelly, screamy, over the top, attention seeking personalities (and more LA-centric). I have to concede and admit that’s what the TikTok culture wants now and so I’m sure its to the show’s longevity that it be given to them. I find it just a slide to a point where I can no longer see myself, a lifetime LFAT, as a contestant on the show (and I’m only in my mid-30s; not at all old or curmudgeonly!).
Bias: I own that I have a lot of trouble watching the show today because I find the contestants so difficult to relate to (Drew has become a fine host who has left a great mark on the show; he’s not in the discussion here). I have a lot of trouble with the noise; the constant yelling, the needless jumping, the pointless acrobatics, the endless talking. Its all just too much and its overstimulating. Alas.
-
I would love to hear more about why this is if you're willing and able to share.
I'm already planning a long writeup, ala "So you're going to a taping of TPiR?" from 2007. Not sure what I can and cannot say as of right now, and since nothing's been finalized yet I won't say anything.
I have a lot of trouble with the noise; the constant yelling, the needless jumping, the pointless acrobatics, the endless talking. Its all just too much and its overstimulating. Alas.
That's what they're casting for now. Over the top, extreme energy. Chug down some Red Bull and snort some cocaine before heading into 33 since that's the only way you'll get picked. Jumping up and down and screaming is a part of the audition process now. If you can't be the craziest person ever, you're not getting on.
-
I'm already planning a long writeup, ala "So you're going to a taping of TPiR?" from 2007. Not sure what I can and cannot say as of right now, and since nothing's been finalized yet I won't say anything.
Totally understood, and I'm looking forward to your report when you can write it!
-
This is not the first time various behind-the-scenes events affected the show (lawsuits, scandal, the current current events, etc.), and I'm pretty sure it won't be the last.
I have no inside info, but I suspect we're not going to see a return to the 290 person "anyone who wants to go can go" audience the show used to have. The reason is that there's no more Stan Blits. On days where they did 3 tapings, he had to do almost NINE HUNDRED (900) 15-ish second interviews and pick the 27 best. He loved doing it, but very very few people have that same love of people and ability to pick good contestants that he had. By having smaller pre-screened audiences, the show has more control over who appears on the show and they can spread the work around instead of having to do it all at once just before the taping begins. I hope I'm wrong about this, as I think it was better with a full audience. But I don't think I am.
That setup does seem easier for the staff. Not everyone is going to agree with it, though.
-
That setup does seem easier for the staff. Not everyone is going to agree with it, though.
I would certainly agree with it-- back in the old days, if Rod or Rich had called me down (or if George had done it pre-COVID), I would have had to squeeze through a bunch of people to get down to where my assigned spot would be when I was called (assigned spot being determined by who got up on stage in the last segment; I would be in the spot that the last contestant vacated). Now, with the pods, I would be able to get up and go down to where my spot would be, and be right there seconds faster than with the old way.
-
The deeper we get into Season 51, the more I believe the pods may be here for the remainder of the season. However, and as I’ve mentioned a few times before on Discord, this isn’t the only show that tapes inside Studio 33. If CBS still owned Television City, then I might be more inclined to think this change could be permanent. But as it stands, CBS/Fremantle are merely tenants now with a separate, non-CBS program sharing the studio space. If the current TV City owners and/or Real Time production staff want the audience seating restored to ‘normal,’ I imagine they could probably get their way without much of a fight — especially once taping for S51 wraps next spring. I’m sure the other parties are being quite cooperative right now given we’re only now emerging from the pandemic, but will this remain the case next summer as we’re gearing up for S52? It seems like a big ask to keep this setup going long term unless they’re willing to move the production to a different studio entirely. Perhaps I’m wrong.
As for the contestant selection process, it would make sense for that to remain virtual. Any deviation would surprise me given how smoothly it seems to be going.
-
I auditioned for a taping last August but was never invited to the studio as the planned flight approached. I was able to go to a comiccon show in Pasadena, but I'm leaning toward trying another audition for the November 7th taping. I was able to meet George Gary and Devin Goda at a PALEYWKND carnival this weekend and even they don't know when it's going back to full audience yet.
-
What other shows tape in Studio 33 nowadays? Any other shows use the seats that are/were there?
-
I would love to hear more about why this is if you're willing and able to share.
Having gone through this last year, I figured I can offer a little bit of help here. This could be out of date because it's from Season 50, and casting agencies etc change all the time.
I don't recall the order last year honestly, if a casting agency that does Game Shows contacted me or if I applied on the website first. One led to the other though. I feel like an agency contacted me and direct me to apply but I may be misremembering. As a huge fan of the show, I was excited but I didn't think much would come of it. This was maybe in June 2021.
I got a text from a casting person from the Price is Right asking to set-up a call on July 1st or therabouts. That call led to more information and maybe was when I actually applied on the site. I set up a zoom audition with another producer for about a week later.
Most of the information in this e-mail was about what to wear, how to set up the camera/laptop etc correctly with good lighting, about standing and having lots of energy, dressing business casual. It also asked to make sure you familiarized yourself with the show, and knew what your favorite game is (and specifically said don't say Plinko). It strongly asked for recommendations of any friends and family that would be good on the show so they could do their own zoom interview.
The next week I did the zoom call. The producer made me move the camera a bit and turn off some extra lighting to get the right look. He was constantly on the zoom call clapping and swinging his arms trying to get more energy. He made me come on down, and then made me do it again with some coaching. I'm assuming this casting agency was cutting these zoom interviews down and passing them to CBS, dunno. Seemed like it went well.
A few weeks later I got a text that said they liked my tape but were waiting to hear from the Network (maybe?) but wanted any other friends or family who would be good on the show, esp Police or Firefighters.
4 days later I was texted again, with the show asking if I was fully vaccinated for COVID and also for availability in August/Sept
A week or two later I got a text on Friday, inviting me to tape on Tuesday. I had to bring at least one friend or family member, we both had to be at the studio on Sunday for COVID Testing and upload vaccine cards. Any friends or family you brought were eligible to be called down if they liked them. I accepted even though I knew it'd be tough to find someone that short notice (and childcare for my 4 month old so my wife didn't get to come with) and that evening a producer called with more info on all the specifics and sent a long text with info. The most interesting aspect was that if you were not selected in Show 1, you could change shirts and stay for Show 2 (and presumably 3) with another chance to be called down. I think you all deduced this last season seeing some people in the audience for multiple shows.
From there it was a pretty normal Price is Right taping experience. Arrived outside the gate, got let in. Phones were taken immediately though (not after the interview). IDs and maybe Covid cards were checked again. Paperwork signed and name tags made. IDs ran by producer and photos taken. Down the side of the building and waiting for group interviews with casting producer much like Stan did.
Groups of 3-4 contestants and their guests doing interviews with casting producer and an assistant taking notes much like Stan. Masks off for interview only. Imagine if everyone got a "good" Stan interview. It did seem like more time was paid to the people who applied and were "cast" vs their guests. Hard for me to say though. I made a good joke about my favorite game but right now I was playing "Secret X" with the assistant's sheet and trying to get one next to my name. This seemed like a final check to make sure the people they liked came across great in person one last time.
Moved on to the area with show playing and bathrooms. Loaded into studio and seated in pods. Masks, purses, bags, jackets all hiding behind the pods (besides the phones being taken, no other lockers or items held). None of us had seen the stage, pods or Alexis yet so a lot new considering 50 hadn't premiered (and I think we taped before the premiere week even).
That was pretty much it, I think those who stayed for another taping went back and rejoined the next show's line, did another interview etc, but I was called down in Show 1 so I didn't stay.
-
A few weeks later I got a text that said they liked my tape but were waiting to hear from the Network (maybe?) but wanted any other friends or family who would be good on the show, esp Police or Firefighters.
4 days later I was texted again, with the show asking if I was fully vaccinated for COVID and also for availability in August/Sept
A week or two later I got a text on Friday, inviting me to tape on Tuesday.
I went though the same process last July, but I never got the invite. Could You remember the Your show's airdate?
-
-
Wow. Frank's words couldn't be truer.
And they have to make up for it somehow. Alas. I won't repeat my previous post but I do thank you for sharing that clip.
-
I went though the same process last July, but I never got the invite. Could You remember the Your show's airdate?
one year ago today. 10/4/21. Filmed 8/10/21.
-
Wow. Frank's words couldn't be truer.
And they have to make up for it somehow. Alas. I won't repeat my previous post but I do thank you for sharing that clip.
I will say that while I knew I had the best possible chance of being on - I didn't know it for sure by any way shape or form. It definitely felt possible that i wouldn't be called down.
Now the surprise of being called down from being 9 of 300 vs 9 of 36 might be different for sure. Knowing you could go to another taping and get another chance might change that for sure. Though I'd wager the smart contestants also knew they either had no shot (Stan blew right past them), or they were in the running (Stan talked to them a bunch). I'd imagine some contestants weren't aware of that at all though.
Certainly didn't change anything for me but I think everyone would love to see a full audience back
-
Giving less than a week’s notice that you’d be a contestant or even able to appear on the show just seems so impractical. Just seems like it makes it so much harder for out-of-state contestants to appear.
Honestly, if the show only wants contestants that are hyperactive, then their casting process they have is fine. But if they want a true sampling of what their viewers are like, they’re missing it completely. That level of energy from every contestant just screams “fake.”
-
Giving less than a week’s notice that you’d be a contestant or even able to appear on the show just seems so impractical. Just seems like it makes it so much harder for out-of-state contestants to appear.
Honestly, if the show only wants contestants that are hyperactive, then their casting process they have is fine. But if they want a true sampling of what their viewers are like, they’re missing it completely. That level of energy from every contestant just screams “fake.”
there definitely is a desire for out of state contestants who will be traveling to the area. I'm not sure how they do that, but I imagine they try to cast out of towners for dates first and then fill in with locals as needed.
I'd also wager that the show can and does cast further out - the process i described was literally the beginning of the season and beginning of the new pod + friends model. That's the only frame of reference I have for ya though! Though perhaps with locals, casting up close is better?
-
there definitely is a desire for out of state contestants who will be traveling to the area. I'm not sure how they do that, but I imagine they try to cast out of towners for dates first and then fill in with locals as needed.
I'd also wager that the show can and does cast further out - the process i described was literally the beginning of the season and beginning of the new pod + friends model. That's the only frame of reference I have for ya though! Though perhaps with locals, casting up close is better?
Out of state-er here. I was told I'd know about two weeks before the taping date. Still not a whole lot of time, but more than the locals.
-
I read through this thread, with high hopes of coming back once my ban lifted in December 2020. From what I read, it seems like the process is riskier. Should you book plane tickets, and then hope they call you back when you submit the online application? Should you apply first, and only book when they tell you which dates to go (which can be expensive, even at 2 weeks out)?
There's just a lot of holes in the process that doesn't have clarity. Hell, I'd be willing to go to a week's worth of shows even if they didn't call me down, but would I be prohibited from going to shows outside the one assigned to me that week? For me, the trip would be more worthwhile if I got to sit for lots of filming. Changing a shirt is very easy.
I understand screening contestants online is much easier for production, but it creates more hurdles for the contestants. I truly miss just showing up early, getting in, getting interviewed, and just relaxing, and leaving the chance of being called down as a happy surprise. Plus, arriving to future filming if I wanted to. If the the beginnings of closings and shut downs happened March 2020, then I hope March 2023 (or at least the start of Season 52) would leave them feeling comfortable enough to go to full audience.
I will admit, the pods are kind of nice, almost loungey, and they look less pressed-together than shoulder-to-shoulder seating. But it doesn't have that same "plucked from the crowd" feel. Maybe if they added more pods, that would be a fair compromise.
Thanks to everyone who wrote down their experience!
-
If anybody was ever wondering what they do with the audience pods for "Real Time with Bill Maher", they leave them in place and cover them with black cloth. I saw this in a photo taken by Colorado governor Jared Polis, who is one of Bill's guests tonight (11/11/22). It looks like they can actually remove Contestants Row.
-
I saw this in a photo taken by Colorado governor Jared Polis, who is one of Bill's guests tonight (11/11/22). It looks like they can actually remove Contestants Row.
Here is a link to the photo: /photo/1
-
Roger did another interview recently on Rich Fields' podcast and he believes Price will never again go back to a 300 member audience.
Roger's reasoning was prior to Covid, the show had to pay some people to attend, to sit in the audience. I forget what his annual calculation was regarding payment for audience members but he claimed it was over $1 million dollars. To that end, having a 36 person "audience" would appear on the surface at least to be far more beneficially financially.
It is a shame though that this is just the latest in a long line of things that are changing for the show, and not necessarily for the better (at least from a home audience's point of view).
-
Roger did another interview recently on Rich Fields' podcast and he believes Price will never again go back to a 300 member audience.
Roger is clearly not the best source on price is right details anymore, especially as we are now coming up on 15 years since he's been there.
As for audiences? We honestly dont know. LMAD added more people this season, price could as well.
-
I haven't listened to the podcast, but if I had to guess, I think it's trending more toward speculation and less toward what actually might happen. If the attendance is accurate then I think it's a valid point, or he made a valid point in general. If there are no restrictions but a business can't reach capacity (on a regular basis or at all), then what's the point of increasing the number of attendees at a particular show or event.
Like urban mentioned, I'd take this with a grain of salt. However, Drew recently tested positive for COVID. I think he has/is taking everything seriously, so that might factor into a delay or (current reluctance) to increase the size of attendees.
The above is just my thought(s). Nothing concrete. If they don't ever get to 300, but maybe move to 100, I think I might be fine with that
-
As of now the audience is 20 "invited" contestants and up to 3 guests, for a theoretical audience maximum of 80 people in the audience.
-
Roger did another interview recently on Rich Fields' podcast and he believes Price will never again go back to a 300 member audience.
Roger's reasoning was prior to Covid, the show had to pay some people to attend, to sit in the audience. I forget what his annual calculation was regarding payment for audience members but he claimed it was over $1 million dollars. To that end, having a 36 person "audience" would appear on the surface at least to be far more beneficially financially.
It is a shame though that this is just the latest in a long line of things that are changing for the show, and not necessarily for the better (at least from a home audience's point of view).
Though they should have a decent accounting of how many people actually had to be paid on average, so they could use that to come up with a number that would work (that is 300-that number of paid people = how many seats would be feasible to have back.
-
Do we have any actual proof that the show was paying people to sit in the audience? I know that was a thing when Drew first started back in 2007 but I have strong doubts that was still the case 13 years later in 2020.
-
Do we have any actual proof that the show was paying people to sit in the audience? I know that was a thing when Drew first started back in 2007 but I have strong doubts that was still the case 13 years later in 2020.
Well, Roger's say-so, and people who attended tapings on this board from 2008-2012 who met them.
Roger's math was based on needing to 100 people for every show, getting paid $80 for a four hour taping, costing $8,000 per show. If it was needed for 200 shows a year, that's an $1,600,000 expense. This seems like an incredibly high estimate to me.
Maybe it was true in S36 or S37 when Drew was just starting out, but that doesn't match with any of my experiences visiting the show in the past four years. Each taping I attended had people numbered in the 250s-300s that showed up at the same time as everybody else, had numbers attached to their name tags, got interviews from Stan, were wearing custom T-shirts, and seemed enthusiastic about the show when had the chance to chat with them. If dozens of them were seat-fillers then they truly went the extra mile to blend in and deserved to get paid a lot more than $80.
Afternoon taping were less full than morning tapings, and they occasionally let a few people from the morning taping stick around and see an afternoon taping, but the few times I tried it there were far less than 50 seats available. Maybe 20 or 25 max. It wasn't ever enough to fill one of Stan's interview groups and the numbers assigned were all pretty close than 300.
Obviously this is all anecdotal. I'm sure that seat-fillers were necessary on occasion, but it certainly seems far lower than 100 people per show, 200 shows per year.
-
I asked a page about this when I attended a taping in 2019. He said he could only recall 1 time in his years of doing TPiR that audience fillers were needed. I don't know how long that page had been at TPiR but he didn't seem to be new.
-
When I went in December 2018 they used fillers. One of the main security guards was sitting in the audience too; he said it was the first time he had ever did that. He told me it was a very slow week and that it was rare when they didn't fill an audience. It was Dec. 10-13 that week and I met a handful of "actors," although they weren't allowed to say they were actors, they eventually told me they were (after I called them out on it and told them I'm one of those TPIR Super Fans- they were impressed).
-
The show would occasionally need to purchase audience members during the slower tapings, usually around the holidays. This has been a common practice dating back well into the Barker era.
-
Honestly, if the show only wants contestants that are hyperactive, then their casting process they have is fine. But if they want a true sampling of what their viewers are like, they’re missing it completely. That level of energy from every contestant just screams “fake.”
The modern youth generation (whatever you want to label them) is used to and even embraces "fake". It started with reality TV. I could see how reality shows were scripted and fake decades ago. Unfortunately, modern society slowly got used to the fakeness and now watches it like a brain dead corpse. Then came social media. Today's youth with their smartphone apps all desperately want to be an "influencer" basically recording a TPIR audition every day for anyone who will watch. It's annoying and stupid, but I guess that's what every aging generation says as they get older. As for me, I don't even pay for television or streaming services. What I watch is mostly old stuff because it actually has substance.
-
I had not watched a new daytime the price is right since the contestants were on stage during Covid in 2020. While working out at the gym, I happened to see one of the primetime shows recently and I was appalled and in shock at the small amount of audience sitting at tables. What the heck is that? How is it even exciting or surprising that you get called to "come on down" out of 30 people? I'm obviously not the target demo anymore for TPIR and I never watch new episodes, so I'm sure CBS cares as much about my opinion as a Gen Z'er cares about a rotary phone. But my gosh, there is no energy or excitement in that studio anymore. There is simply pre-casted over-energetic, attention-seeking, good looking robots who nobody cares about.
-
What I watch is mostly old stuff because it actually has substance.
I'm in with you in a lot of ways-- I prefer Emergency! and The Streets of San Francisco from the 70s over Chicago Fire and Blue Bloods of today.
-
But my gosh, there is no energy or excitement in that studio anymore. There is simply pre-casted over-energetic, attention-seeking, good looking robots who nobody cares about.
As a Gen Z pre-casted over-energetic attention-seeking good-looking robot contestant who was on a primetime show, politely, mrrp off. The energy in that studio is still immensely overwhelming. You still have no idea you’re being called until they say your name. And absolutely nothing is fake, what you see is real human emotions. Everything that I “manufactured” to bring up my energy was edited out.
Also, I love rotary phones. I’ve got three of them, one of them hooked up and working!
There’s no need to make broad generalizations about the show and an entire generation because you personally don’t like it/them.
-
As a Gen Z pre-casted over-energetic attention-seeking good-looking robot contestant who was on a primetime show, politely, mrrp off. The energy in that studio is still immensely overwhelming. You still have no idea you’re being called until they say your name. And absolutely nothing is fake, what you see is real human emotions. Everything that I “manufactured” to bring up my energy was edited out.
Also, I love rotary phones. I’ve got three of them, one of them hooked up and working!
There’s no need to make broad generalizations about the show and an entire generation because you personally don’t like it/them.
Go watch TPIR: the Barker Era channel and tell me that audience isn't 1000% more energetic than 30 people sitting at tables. And its authentic energy and excitement. I make a generalization because I'm not going to take up time and space analyzing every contestant that comes on. Just look back at the process you had to go through to get on the show and how elaborate and detailed it was. They were hiring an actor not a real person. I don't mean this as a personal attack on you. My critique is on the process and mentality of the current show runners and modern television. It is my view that TPIR is on the air still only because of the decline of network television today and the legacy of TPIR. You don't have to get a huge rating anymore to have a hit show. The quality of the current TPIR is nowhere near what it used to be.
-
meanwhile, you haven't made a post besides to complain about the state of the show and how "fake" you think everything is
who's to say season 52 won't go back to a full audience... just sit this storm out
-
Yeah, with rumors of the production moving to a new studio, I wouldn't make any claims about what the audience is going to look like in future seasons, one way or another.
-
Go watch TPIR: the Barker Era channel and tell me that audience isn't 1000% more energetic than 30 people sitting at tables. And its authentic energy and excitement. I make a generalization because I'm not going to take up time and space analyzing every contestant that comes on. Just look back at the process you had to go through to get on the show and how elaborate and detailed it was. They were hiring an actor not a real person. I don't mean this as a personal attack on you. My critique is on the process and mentality of the current show runners and modern television. It is my view that TPIR is on the air still only because of the decline of network television today and the legacy of TPIR. You don't have to get a huge rating anymore to have a hit show. The quality of the current TPIR is nowhere near what it used to be.
I watch TBE and that audience isn't 1000% more energetic than 30. The energy isn't in the quantity it's the quality. While I've yet to be in the audience during the current audience situation I have to agree with Thatgameshowguy that everything you see and hear is 100% real and natural. Besides if you don't like the current show, don't watch it
-
Non-real person here. Been in both the full audience and the pods. Energy levels are comparable.
-
I had not watched a new daytime the price is right since the contestants were on stage during Covid in 2020. While working out at the gym, I happened to see one of the primetime shows recently and I was appalled and in shock at the small amount of audience sitting at tables. What the heck is that? How is it even exciting or surprising that you get called to "come on down" out of 30 people? I'm obviously not the target demo anymore for TPIR and I never watch new episodes, so I'm sure CBS cares as much about my opinion as a Gen Z'er cares about a rotary phone. But my gosh, there is no energy or excitement in that studio anymore. There is simply pre-casted over-energetic, attention-seeking, good looking robots who nobody cares about.
I *dearly* want the studio full again in S52, if for no other reason than I want to go before they move. However, I think they've done a terrific job of getting folks from all ages and across the socioeconomic spectrum, especially considering the restrictions of the pod setup and the tiktiok culture you reference, if not by name.
The old eps reveal a need to bring the pretty people up along with regular people, even then. The drive has always been to hold viewers with arresting visuals.
-
Things seem to be escalating here a bit.
I think some of us, myself included, might just need to come to the realization that the show has strayed too far from what we want it to be for it to be enjoyable enough for us to watch anymore. It really makes me sad to come to that conclusion myself. I've watched every episode for decades and I've been watching since a kid in the late 70s. Until this year. The 50th season excitement got me through last year, but I just can't seem to get myself to be excited by it this season enough to watch regularly. I haven't even tuned in to more than one of the prime time specials this season. I read about the super fans episode that I had wanted to watch but missed. It sounded great, but I never even took the time to look it up online.
We're at a point where we're largely beyond seeing what the show might learn from its experiments. So much of what they're changing now is really a consequence of outside factors...the state of broadcast television, the way life is post-COVID (or not really post COVID). The world has changed and the show has adapted to continue operating in the current environment, but somehow for me the magic is gone. Maybe some of it is a factor of my own age and changing priorities, but the fact is that I really *do* still *want* to like and watch the show. But it's note even the medicine I need on a sick day along with my chicken noodle soup and 7UP any more. It doesn't feel like the familiar friend at the end of a long day. It's reflecting what the world has become, as it probably should, but I don't really want or need a reminder of that.
I'm glad that there are still fans that feel as passionate and interested in the show as I have been proud to be for so long. But maybe only four+ decades worth were my cup of tea. That's still staggeringly amazing that a show could have been such a source of joy for me for that long.
Just my thoughts. Maybe they can resonate with others, or maybe not.
-
Maybe they can resonate with others, or maybe not.
They certainly resonate with me. You've put into words exactly what I've been feeling about this show for a while now.
It's not like I hate the show or am mad about how it's changed. There are certainly things I don't like, but really it's just... not the show I loved anymore. The COVID changes were the final straw; watching the show without a full audience is just sad to me.
The crowd noise and excitement, and the fact that anyone could just walk off the street and be called, is a huge part of the magic. Without that, it's just not the same show. I really hope this new arrangement isn't permanent, but I'm not optimistic.
-
Once the show got popular, that put a quick halt to just walking in off the street and getting called, no?
-
I still watch the show every so often (though not nearly as much as I used to due to my work schedule) and the enjoyment is still there with the pods. I didn't watch during the no audience phase, though.
What disappoints me the most is that if this becomes the norm, I'll never have a chance to sit in the full audience and have that experience. It was the one game show that didn't have a full audition process, and seeing the show in person is something I've wanted to do since I was about six years old. It's honestly heartbreaking to me.
-
The quality of the current TPIR is nowhere near what it used to be.
No. It’s higher now.
-
The show is still just as good and ratings reflect it. I've personally accepted I'm never gonna be on the show because of my utter lack of personality and lack of connections. But damn it, I still love the show and I still love doing the recap even if lineups like yesterday's stink donkey pigeons.
-
The show is still just as good and ratings reflect it. I've personally accepted I'm never gonna be on the show because of my utter lack of personality and lack of connections. But damn it, I still love the show and I still love doing the recap even if lineups like yesterday's stink donkey pigeons.
Boring people used to get on the show all the time. And Bob made them interesting.
-
I watch TBE and that audience isn't 1000% more energetic than 30. The energy isn't in the quantity it's the quality. While I've yet to be in the audience during the current audience situation I have to agree with Thatgameshowguy that everything you see and hear is 100% real and natural. Besides if you don't like the current show, don't watch it
I would bet my life savings they are pumping in crowd noise on the new shows. It's so obvious. Also the edits on the current show drive me crazy. Just tape the show and let what happens happen. That is what made classic TPIR so great.
-
Yes, there is some crowd pumping in because the noise isn't always loud. It's noticeable and gets a little annoying, but that's also not unusual within game shows. The audience is still pumped and happy to be there, even if sweetening is a thing.
It's not like they're taking 3 hours to film an hour episode. Things still flow pretty naturally and the edits are just a product of having less time to work with as compared to the old days. And honestly, I'm fine with that. I really don't appreciate, especially as we head towards the end of the Barker Era, how he'd take his sweet time in the first segment or two and then we're be in hurry up mode the rest of the show.
It's not fair to the later contestants and plus now it gives the show space to breathe when it needs to. There are days when it feels like we have so much to pack in that it feels cramped, but they still regularly have time to include overbids or highlight those special moments that happen within the show. It's still the same show all these years later. Even among everything that's changed over the last 15/25/50 years, it's still got the same core that it had when it first started.
Yes, it sucks that they are limiting the audience to the contestant pool and I wish they could go back to a bigger audience; but for what they have had to do, it has been very successful and it has continued to produce quality content. They've figured it out and it works very well for what they want to do.
-
Boring people used to get on the show all the time. And Bob made them interesting.
Look. I'm 31 (32 in 16 days). I can't get myself worked up excited like these people can. Even Jeopardy would turn me down for being utterly boring on television. if they want excited contestants, then you know what, let them be excited. It's not affecting the show.
As for editing, the show is down to 38 minutes of show. Unless you want to start cutting the 6th game out of the show period, you'll have to edit parts out. It happens.
-
I've personally accepted I'm never gonna be on the show because of my utter lack of personality and lack of connections.
Whoa, are we the same person?
As for editing, the show is down to 38 minutes of show. Unless you want to start cutting the 6th game out of the show period, you'll have to edit parts out. It happens.
That’s by far my biggest issue with the show nowadays. The show feels rushed because it has to be rushed as a result of 22 minutes of commercials. I get the feeling that a lot of hardcore Price fans would have a higher opinion of Drew Carey if the show was 42 minutes without commercials. He would have more time to interact with the contestants.
-
at this rate, we might enter a time where there's more commercial time than actual show
-
Why TPiR has not 6 commercial breaks like prime time edition and other daytime tv show?
-
at this rate, we might enter a time where there's more commercial time than actual show
I think we’ve maxed out on commercials. 38 minutes has been the running time for a long time now — over a decade, I think? Perhaps longer? And that’s spread out over an hour. Half hour shows literally have no wiggle room without it being painfully obvious. We’ve simply run out of room for more ads — a good thing for those of us who don’t want shows to be cut any shorter, but also a big negative for television in general, as there’s no more space for ads paired with a decreasing audience to watch the existing ads. Eventually the cracks in the old model will turn into catastrophic failures. It’s only a matter of time.
-
Why TPiR has not 6 commercial breaks like prime time edition and other daytime tv show?
The daytime show has more commercial time requirements than prime time.
-
at this rate, we might enter a time where there's more commercial time than actual show
For real. Though, and IMO, we might be in a world where broadcast television is done away with (in favor of streaming) before more commercial time plays out
-
Once the show got popular, that put a quick halt to just walking in off the street and getting called, no?
I didn't mean literally. If you wanted to go, and you planned ahead, you could be in the audience and become a potential contestant. Aside from the prizes, that's the big source of excitement. People on Wheel of Fortune already know they're going to play Wheel of Fortune.
-
People on Wheel of Fortune already know they're going to play Wheel of Fortune.
People on Price is Right don't know they're going to play Price is Right until they're playing it. Until the cue card with my name on it popped up, I had no guarantee I was being called down. They still interview you in line, they still pick people out of the studio audience without them knowing. You're not auditioning to be on the show, you're auditioning to be **in the audience**.
They also like to keep that nervous energy in you for as long as possible. Local contestants might not get an invitation to a taping until the week of, if not closer. The only reason I was given a three week notice to show up at the studio is because I quite literally had to book an entire vacation in that time and get there. The contestant coordinator seemed a bit taken aback when I flat out said I would pay my own way out just to see the show, no hesitation, whenever they wanted me there.
I'd much rather watch the show with 50 audience members who are excited about the show and whipped up into a frenzy actively participating over 300 or so audience members, half of which are only there to see a television taping and have no cares about the show. How many old people fell asleep during a taping in those Barker days? The Pluto channel shows at least three. I've seen every single episode in rotation on the Barker era channel and the amount of times the audience is completely dead is entirely too many. Especially towards those "forgettable" end of the season budget mode episodes.
The show is exactly the same as it was. I challenge you to go back and watch the Barker era channel and see just how many things you point out as "flaws" in the current show appear back then. It's a lot more than you think, I guarantee it.
-
Case in point: look at today’s episode.
Crowd is fuller. Every pod’s got 3 or 4 people in it, with few exceptions. Everybody’s amped to be there. Look at the pan shot to George. See how many people are cheering and how much energy the crowd brings. Listen to what they’re shouting in the pricing games.
Look at the range of contestants that get called down. Check out the variety in ages and personalities at the Showcase Showdown.
-
I assume it's safe to say if Bob and Roger were still in charge, full studio audiences would have already returned?
-
Let's see... Bob is 99. It's pretty unlikely he'd be there now no matter how many people are in the audience.
-
I assume it's safe to say if Bob and Roger were still in charge, full studio audiences would have already returned?
No, not at all.
The current showrunners are spending thousands of dollars per episode on COVID compliance every episode. They have to pay for 200+ COVID tests per tape date for every audience member & crew member. I am sure they would rather that money be used in the budget in other ways. It definitely isn’t being done out of convenience.
Roger (or anyone else) can’t magically wave a wand and tell TVC employees “we don’t WANT to pay thousands of dollars for COVID testing, so we won’t, hope you’re fine with that” or tell the unions that provide key crew members “yeah, your contracts says you’re entitled to X working conditions as part of COVID compliance, but we don’t want to do those.”
If the union that provides cameramen & grips & production workers says “we require everybody that potentially could come in contact with our members at our workspaces to have a negative COVID test”, your options are 1) tell the union to buzz off & fire all of your workers and try to find new ones—not a great option and a great way to make enemies in a town where everyone knows everyone, and the production quality is sure to take a massive drop; 2) tell CBS that they need to massively increase their budget so they can conduct six times as many COVID tests every episode, and potentially 1200+ on a single taping day, and they have to pay for six times as many medical personnel & testing equipment to process all these in a timely matter on-site, or 3) wait for the unions to change their requirements.
Sure, Roger (or anyone else) might have priorities or things he would *like* to see happen, and he might try to negotiate for them, but there’s no guarantee he gets them.
-
No, not at all.
The current showrunners are spending thousands of dollars per episode on COVID compliance every episode. They have to pay for 200+ COVID tests per tape date for every audience member & crew member. I am sure they would rather that money be used in the budget in other ways. It definitely isn’t being done out of convenience.
Roger (or anyone else) can’t magically wave a wand and tell TVC employees “we don’t WANT to pay thousands of dollars for COVID testing, so we won’t, hope you’re fine with that” or tell the unions that provide key crew members “yeah, your contracts says you’re entitled to X working conditions as part of COVID compliance, but we don’t want to do those.”
If the union that provides cameramen & grips & production workers says “we require everybody that potentially could come in contact with our members at our workspaces to have a negative COVID test”, your options are 1) tell the union to buzz off & fire all of your workers and try to find new ones—not a great option and a great way to make enemies in a town where everyone knows everyone, and the production quality is sure to take a massive drop; 2) tell CBS that they need to massively increase their budget so they can conduct six times as many COVID tests every episode, and potentially 1200+ on a single taping day, and they have to pay for six times as many medical personnel & testing equipment to process all these in a timely matter on-site, or 3) wait for the unions to change their requirements.
Sure, Roger (or anyone else) might have priorities or things he would *like* to see happen, and he might try to negotiate for them, but there’s no guarantee he gets them.
I trust your knowledge/interpretation of the situation. My question is, do the same crews not staff Maher's and Corden's respective shows, which play to full capacity in the same space?
-
Maybe. But there’s also a huge difference in the way those shows use their audience.
Full disclosure I don’t know that specific scenario with the unions is true for certain, I just started from the assumption that “COVID testing is a need, not a want” and then worked backwards.
-
I trust your knowledge/interpretation of the situation. My question is, do the same crews not staff Maher's and Corden's respective shows, which play to full capacity in the same space?
Those shows don't have multiple audience members going up on stage and interacting with the host. One person with COVID getting on stage could mean the show shutting down for days as we saw when Drew got it.
-
Those shows don't have multiple audience members going up on stage and interacting with the host. One person with COVID getting on stage could mean the show shutting down for days as we saw when Drew got it.
Good point, but I'm certain the HVAC in 33 is not set up for mitigation and non-symptomatic people in the first few rows could be just as problematic as someone on stage.
All moot, taping at TVC ends shortly and TPTB will have to make a call for the set-up at Haven.
-
Good point, but I'm certain the HVAC in 33 is not set up for mitigation and non-symptomatic people in the first few rows could be just as problematic as someone on stage.
All moot, taping at TVC ends shortly and TPTB will have to make a call for the set-up at Haven.
Possibly, but do any of the other shows have hosts that regularly stand right next to the audience? That might be the key - if they stay back a bit from the edge of the stage, they are likely far enough away from most, if not all audience members, and only close to actual guests or the occasional person invited on stage (thinking like Tonight Show with sweaters around Christmas for 12 days).
-
Possibly, but do any of the other shows have hosts that regularly stand right next to the audience? That might be the key - if they stay back a bit from the edge of the stage, they are likely far enough away from most, if not all audience members, and only close to actual guests or the occasional person invited on stage (thinking like Tonight Show with sweaters around Christmas for 12 days).
good point.
-
good point.
I read through this entire thread, and wanted to say thank you to everyone for their perspective. Roger's opinion on the matter is now a few months old, but he did make a good point: If you are a studio, and the unions decide testing is no longer required, you now save yourself the testing expenditure, and have more control as to who comes into the audience in the first place. Why WOULDN'T you keep the audience small in order to avoid having to call in more audience? Even if you don't mind the large audience, they're able to curate the audience more fully beforehand, so why go back to whatever random audience members that come into the studio that day dictate the vibe of the show?
But I've seen other threads where people say they were only needing spare audience during low tourist season pre-pandemic. So maybe they would go to full audience again eventually once they feel comfortable they can fill up the studio without having to resort to extras?
I think back to my own episode, now more than a decade old, but I remember it was an early Monday morning November audience, very tired, but keeping their energy up, and I want to say they did have filler audience that day. All of the first 8 contestants lost their pricing game, and the energy was just at a bare minimum for most groups (who I'm guessing were the "real" audience). I stood out, because I just kept yelling and cheering and screaming help at the previous contestants the entire show. Not to put myself down, but sometimes I wonder if my low energy audience was the reason I got chosen from the pool.
With the change in studios, though, I feel we're right back in the air of truly not knowing what is next. It'll be interesting to see what everything looks like come Season 52.
-
Hope is a wonderful thing to have, but ponder this: You had problems filling a studio audience of 300 pre-COVID. The general television audience is still watching the show. The “Loyalist” folk are apparently fine with a studio audience of just pre-selected contestants and their guests.
Why go through the expense of re-expansion?
-
I want to see everything through and have been thinking on this for a few months on and off. and there are some really good points. someone on here awhile ago mention the possibility of not 300 but slightly smaller like 100. that seems to not likely happen currently and it actually would not make much sense to start doing that considering now we know they are planning on moving anyway. it really makes no sense to redo the set when you are going to move in a few months anyway. but when they get to the new set maybe they might be able to make the set to like 100 or 50. I personally do not completely mind the size as I got used to it but I still really do mind the pod set up that just feels clicky. I think it might be best to do it similar to let's make a deal (originally) which has about 30 people (I have not heard a sticker really above 27) which is less than even I was originally suggesting, though shows that you really do not need to have a jumbo audience to give the impression of one. this idea give us a few of people and in a way that is not not just basically about five people in their clicks surrounding them in a manageable way.
-
that seems to not likely happen currently and it actually would not make much sense to start doing that considering now we know they are planning on moving anyway.
It makes even less sense considering they've already finished taping for the season.
-
It makes even less sense considering they've already finished taping for the season.
What's the capacity at Haven?
-
We don’t have that info yet. They’re building brand new studios for TPiR and LMaD.
-
"Building" is a strong word, considering it's where LMaD has taped for a little while already and where PYL and CFF taped recently. There was no dedicated audience pit made for PYL but we comfortably fit a standard audience. Probably around 300 people.
-
I’m not too worried about capacity. There will be an audience. This is guaranteed. We know from various accounts that filling seats has, at times, been a problem in the past at the BBS, so a decrease in capacity of some sort at the new studio wouldn’t come as a surprise. In fact, it might even be a good thing, as we will likely have a ‘normal’ audience again for Season 52 instead of pods if there is less room for seating. Even if audience capacity were to be reduced by as much as half, that’s still an improvement over pods and a concession I will gladly take at this point. They can make an audience of 150-200 look and sound as impressive as 300+, no doubt.
It’s all speculation at this point. I imagine it will be July or August before we see any photos, unless something is leaked before then. I have faith they won’t go ‘cheap’ with this transition and have a front audience row that literally sits flush with the stage floor — featuring a raised contestants row like some low-budget, over-seas clone of the show, but I am trying to keep an open mind that we’ll probably be getting a different look than we’ve been accustomed to the past 51 seasons. That’s not necessarily a bad thing as long as they don’t deviate too much from what we’re used to.
And on that point, don’t forget we have a giant screen in the back of the audience that has to be accounted for, too — and ideally, it needs to be at eye-level with the cameras on stage. I don’t foresee them ditching it, either — it’s become too much of a staple. Modifications of the studio of some sort are almost guaranteed to accommodate this show. And with as much guaranteed money as it brings in to CBS, I bet they’re willing to do pretty much whatever the production team asks to make it work the way it needs to, audience and all.