There is a unique type of devastation that comes with getting close, but just barely missing the mark. In a recent episode of The Price Is Right, one woman experienced that pain in front of millions of viewers. One woman named Jennifer on the March 3 episode made it to the Showcase, where contestants compete with against one another by spinning a giant wheel in order to take home a bundle of prizes. After they’ve seen the first batch of Showcase prizes, they can either pass it on to the other contestant or they can keep it for themselves and guess the price in order to win.
Jennifer decided to keep the Showcase, which featured a video camera, a home theater, and a Nissan Versa (not a bad haul), guessing $23,294. Her opponent Robert was over by $6,083, so it seemed like Jennifer was about to taste the sweet relief of victory. However, all of those dreams came crashing down when host Drew Carey drawled out “The actual retail price is 23 thousand… two hundred… ninety… one.” She was over by just three dollars. The devastation is real.
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Shooting The Price Is Right has been tricky during the pandemic, and production had to be suspended in January after a spike in cases of coronavirus. There have been changes made to the usual format, including no longer having a live studio audience and Carey now has a pandemic beard. The comedian opened up on CBS Sunday Morning in October and explained how the iconic game show looks a little different now and how his facial hair was reflective of inner growth.
“To be honest, a lot of this stuff about COVID, if you haven’t been sick, it’s kind of been a little bit of a blessing in disguise to be shut down so much,” Carey said. “Because I had a lot of time for introspection. A lot of spiritual growth this summer. Part of me wanted to reflect it with a different look. So let me just grow a beard and see what it looks like. And then I liked it when it came out and I kept it.”
Carey also talked about how they kept in the usual “Come on down!” aspect of the game. “They unhook their ears and they hold their mask over their face,” Carey explained. “And if they hear their name, they throw the mask down and run out. So they’re just as surprised.” Carey continued, talking about how he missed the physical manifestations of celebration that have been put on hold because of COVID. “Nobody’s picking me up and swirling me around,” he said. “But I liked, you know, high five-ing people, and I liked hugs and, like – you know, none of that anymore, man.”
