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So Long, Bob - November 1

If you haven't heard by now, Bob Barker has decided that this year will be his 35th and last as the host of The Price is Right. A survey of various online forums dedicated to game shows has shown reactions ranging from "Meh" to "I feel like I've lost my grandfather!"

Trust me, the earth is not going to wobble off of its axis and hurtle out of the solar system just because a game show host is deciding to retire. Let's remember that he's retiring on his own terms. Jack Barry died before he got to make that choice...and, well, that's the only example I can come up with right now. Anyway, let's be glad that Bob can live out his remaining years having brought unbridled joy to millions of fans. I think the man has earned a break.

That said, this could be great news for the show itself. Ever since Mr. Barker took over the Executive Producer duties on the show, there has been a static look and feel; we get the same camera setups, same music beds, even new games on the show draw from the same color scheme. This could be the chance the show needs to experiment with some new ideas.

Since we're still months and months away, there's no point in debating over who the new host will be. If I were in charge, I would air a series of "Special Guest Host" shows in prime time, as a sort of tryout for six hosts. But then again, I'm not trusting Fremantle to do much of anything right, after the choke jobs they did with Match Game, Card Sharks, Whammy!, and the casting choices of Louie Anderson, Richard Karn and Rich Fields. Color my skeptical. But if the production company does the right thing, picks a good host, and makes some much needed changes, The Price is Right might again be the great daytime game show that it once was. That would be the best send-off of all.

Travis Eberle can be reached at
traviseberle@gmail.com.

 

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