Here's trip down memory lane, when they tried to 'update' The Price is Right' and failed miserably.

Get our free mobile app

Today is the 99th birthday of the legendary Bob Barker. I think everybody agrees, Bob is the host you think of when it comes to the game show 'Price is Right'. Nothing against Drew Carey, but Bob is the freaking man. Sick days meant a morning of Bob Barker, some Ginger Ale, and a bowl of chicken soup to get you feeling better.

via GIPHY

In doing some research today, I discovered it's not just Bob and Drew that have hosted the show. Someone by the name of Dennis James also hosted in the 70's during a syndication run of the show. Also a man by the name of Tom Kennedy also hosted a nighttime version of The Price is Right in the mid 80's. These are all before my time, but in the mid 90's, they tried to 'reboot' The Price Is Right' with someone called Doug Davidson.

The NEW Price is Right

This show did air right here in Wichita Falls on KAUZ in 1994. Basically, the plot of the show is similar to "The Price is Right' you know and love. However, no Contestants Row to start the games. None of that bidding one dollar that someone always does.

How the Show was Different

If you get picked out of the crowd, you're playing the games. After three people play the games, they then go to contestants row to guess the price of something. Whoever is closest, goes to the New Showcase showdown solo. That's right, no spinning of the wheel on this one.

How Do You Win on the New Show?

The New Showcase Showdown is like the other one. Three big prizes and you guess the dollar amount of the entire showcase. One catch, you have a lever of the range you think the price will be in. So let's say you think it costs $25,000. They give you a little wiggle room around that dollar amount. So if you pull the lever in the range of that amount, you win. So if it's $27,000, if it's in the highlighted amount you selected, showcase is yours.

So why change The Price is Right? Simple, shorter show. Instead of an hour, this show is thirty minutes. It was billed as the most exciting half hour on television. Sadly, people didn't agree and it was cancelled after one year. So I am curious, did anybody in Wichita Falls actually watch this thing? I have no 90's memory of this show whatsoever.