What if the Price is Too Right?

Maybe you've seen the video. The one in which Drew Carey is hosting the Price is Right and announces that the first contestant guessed the amount of their showcase to $494 and then moves on the second contestant who.... hits the amount right on the head. $23,743 exactly. You haven't seen it? Give it a quick look.

If you think Drew Carey looks a little lackluster and doesn't seem too enthused you'd be right. The whole story is a little more complicated. I'll let Chris Jones explain in his article TV's Crowning Moment of Awesome in Esquire.

It's more fun when you know the whole story. Certainly the whole additional story of Ted Slauson adds several layers. For me the sad part is that apparently the Price is Right ended up changing the very game to help avoid further perfect guesses.

The producers no longer rely on Campbell's Cream of Mushroom soup; now they have different soups. They have different everything. They've built more luck into the games, dumb luck, and they've started doing sneaky things like changing the options on the cars — adding floor mats, taking away the stereo system — to mess with the prices.

It's just not the same anymore.