Just getting on ‘Price is Right’ is a show in itself

So you always wanted to experience Bob Barker on “The Price of Right” but missed your chance.

Let me offer this consolation: It takes some serious stamina just to get into the audience. And getting the magical “come on down” to play the game takes pluck, luck and a plan.

I had a chance to see the legendary game show host, who retired Wednesday, work his television magic at a “Price is Right” taping last month in Los Angeles. As far as life experiences go, this was one to remember.

Related: Barker says so long to ‘Price is Right’

If you’ve never seen the show, it’s campy. The studio decor is trapped in the ’70s. Beauty queens in evening gowns present prizes like cutlery, refrigerators and bedroom sets.

An announcer, hair coifed into a sleek brown helmet, hollers, “Come on down” and a select few from the audience stumble to the front to play the game while the audience goes berserk. Barker reigns over it all, a cool, poised charmer.

The 83-year-old has built an adoring fan base in his 35 years as host, and many of those fans were willing to do anything to get on the show and kiss his leathery bronze cheek.

I do mean anything.

The day I was there, hundreds showed hoping to get into the studio audience. Many came the night before, camping on the sidewalk with cheap lawn chairs and Styrofoam coolers.

My mother-in-law, the instigator of this adventure, reserved tickets to the show, but we soon learned they were no guarantee. We arrived early at 6 a.m. and found a line around the block. My place in line: 599.

We joined a cross section of America, including wispy-haired octogenarians and over-caffeinated college students.

Just about everyone had created homemade T-shirts with glittery puffy paint, giant glued-on letters, ribbons and slogans designed to draw attention. My mother-in-law had spent a month thinking about her shirt, sporting a photo of her dog and “My pound puppy.”

As they funneled us and hundreds more into a covered outdoor pen lined with benches, I knew I was in trouble. I had no creative shirt.

In the next three hours, the staff of the show began taking the first several hundred people around the corner in small groups to some mysterious, out-of-sight location. They make the first taping. I begin to feel like a chump holding my No. 599 ticket.

After sitting and shivering and waiting for hours, I wonder how any of Bob’s elderly fans handle the sleepless night and long wait to watch this show.

At 11 a.m. the staff dismisses us but offers a glimmer of hope: Come back in a few hours. There will be one more taping today.

It’s this later show we got on.

On TV, it seems like the contestants who get to play for new cars and refrigerators are picked by chance. They’re not. Around a corner is a woman with a clipboard and an interviewer screening the audience members.

By the time they get to us, the woman with the clipboard isn’t writing any more names down. She’s staring at her toenails. Dreams of new cars and refrigerators evaporate.

When the audience finally heads into the studio, most are exhausted but jubilant. A man works the crowd, riling us to scream and stomp and stand up for America’s most beloved television game show host.

Inside the studio, it’s smaller and more intimate than the panning cameras make it appear on television. The game moves fast and the crowd is so loud we can hardly hear anything.

The action stops every few minutes. Barker, wearing a baby-pink tie and a metallic tan, charmed the studio audience during taping breaks, answering questions and chatting about his upcoming retirement.

In a blink, it’s over. Mother, in her pound puppy shirt, and I walk out into the California sunshine and call for a ride.

That’s Hollywood.

Reporter Debra Smith: 425-339-3197 or dsmith@ heraldnet.com.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

Olivia Vanni / The Herald 
The Mukilteo Lighthouse. Built in 1906, it’s one of the most iconic landmarks in Snohomish County.
The Mukilteo Lighthouse. Built in 1906, it’s one of the most iconic landmarks in Snohomish County. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Mukilteo mayor vetoes council-approved sales tax

The tax would have helped pay for transportation infrastructure, but was also set to give Mukilteo the highest sales tax rate in the state.

Marysville Mayor Jon Nehring gives the state of the city address at the Marysville Civic Center on Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2024, in Marysville, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Marysville council approves interim middle housing law

The council passed the regulations to prevent a state model code from taking effect by default. It expects to approve final rules by October.

x
State audit takes issue with Edmonds COVID grant monitoring

The audit report covered 2023 and is the third since 2020 that found similar issues with COVID-19 recovery grant documentation.

Bothell
Bothell man pleads guilty to sexual abuse of Marysville middle schoolers

The man allegedly sexually assaulted three students in exchange for vapes and edibles in 2022. His sentencing is set for Aug. 29.

Larsen talks proposed Medicaid cuts during Compass Health stop in Everett

Compass Health plans to open its new behavioral health center in August. Nearly all of the nonprofit’s patients rely on Medicaid.

Everett
Judge sentences man, 73, for intending to have sex with ‘teen’ in Everett

The Arizona man sent explicit images to an agent posing as a 13-year-old. Investigators found images of child sexual abuse on his phone.

State’s draft of climate action plan open for public comment

Residents can submit public comments or climate-related stories online through Aug. 22.

Community members gather for the dedication of the Oso Landslide Memorial following the ten-year remembrance of the slide on Friday, March 22, 2024, at the Oso Landslide Memorial in Oso, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
The Daily Herald garners 6 awards from regional journalism competition

The awards recognize the best in journalism from media outlets across Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington.

The Edmonds School Board discusses budget cuts during a school board meeting on Tuesday, April 15, 2025 in Edmonds, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Edmonds school board approves 2025-26 budget

After facing an estimated $8.5 million shortfall earlier in the year, the board passed a balanced budget Tuesday.

A wall diagram shows the “journey of the ballot” at the new Elections Center on Tuesday, July 9, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
County Auditor: No need for feds to meddle with state or local elections

Garth Fell’s comments were in response to a report of Justice Department mulling criminal charges against election officials.

Edmonds Police Chief Loi Dawkins speaks after the city council approved her appointment on Tuesday, July 8, 2025 in Edmonds, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Edmonds City Council confirms new police chief

Assistant Chief Loi Dawkins will begin in the role Aug. 1. She has more than 23 years of law enforcement experience, including three years in Edmonds.

The Edmonds City Council discuss the levy during a city council meeting on Tuesday, July 8, 2025 in Edmonds, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Edmonds votes to place levy lid lift on the ballot

By a vote of 5-2, the council decided to put the $14.5 million property tax levy lid lift to voters in November.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.