Big PRICE is Right fan Ted Slauson has shared his thoughts on Drew Carey taking over as host of the game show after Bob Barker’s retirement and the impact this has had on the program.
The US Sun caught up with Ted for an exclusive interview to talk about his experiences as a contestant on the show and as a 37-time viewer, which earned him quite a reputation in the game show scene.
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Ted is known for speaking out in the audience and often helping the other participants in the game with his devilish memory for the prices of items.
He was often challenged by former host Bob, who was impressed by the San Antonio native’s quick wit and generally accurate guesses, and he even became the star of the Amazon Prime documentary “Perfect Bid: The Contestant Who Knew Too Much.”
After dominating the awards show as a spectator for some time, he was finally selected to compete in the games in 1992. He made it to the Showcase Showdown before being eliminated.
This was also the math genius’s one-time opportunity to appear on the show and prompted him to take a break from recording.
Since Bob stepped down and Drew took over as moderator, he has distanced himself even further.
Host castings
Ted admitted to The US Sun that his absence from the tapings was mainly due to the change of presenter and that he was not a fan of Drew’s presenting style.
“I think everyone’s reaction (to Drew being cast as host), everyone who was a big fan of the show, was like, ‘Huh?’ And what was really weird was that they auditioned a lot – probably close to 10, maybe 12 different (people for the gig) and they did it between takes or after a taping,” Ted revealed.
He noted that contenders for the role included Mario Lopez and Mike Richards, who later served as executive producer of The Price Is Right from 2009 to 2019.
“They wanted to keep the audience and have a host do a kind of mini version of the show,” Ted explained of the auditions. “They filmed it and wanted to find someone who would fit well into the show.”
However, Ted claimed that the former Drew Carey Show star was exempt from this process and ended up at the top of the resume pile.
“Drew never auditioned. He was just offered the job by either (the show’s producer and distributor), Fremantle or (someone else). And I remember thinking, well, that’s an interesting choice. I wonder how that’s going to go.
Ted admitted he was surprised by the decision to hire Drew after the former “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” player appeared to engage in questionable behavior.
“And then, you know, after I saw it, I was like, OK, yeah, he’s very different from Bob, and after meeting (former executive producer) Roger (Dobkowitz) in person more than a few times because (he was part of) the Perfect Bid documentary, and listening to him tell stories about what it was like working with Drew and trying to get him to do certain things, and Drew just resisted so much.”
Host of The Price is Right
The Price is Right first aired on television in 1972. Fans loved the game show so much that it has been running for over 50 years. During that time, the show has had several different hosts. Find out who they are below.
Bob Barker – 1972 to June 2007 (also became executive producer in 1988)
Drew Carey – October 2007 to present
Dennis James – filled in for Bob in 1974 when he missed four episodes and also hosted the night version
Craig Ferguson – April Fools Special 2014
Ted continued, “It’s like he was just doing things the way he wanted to do them, and it’s like he thought, okay. That’s why when people spin the wheel behind them, you see it’s the same thing over and over again. And after a while, it’s like you should do something different.”
“It’s always the same. ‘Next prize, please.’ I’m thinking, seriously, you can’t come up with something different at least a few times during the show? But I’m not getting paid. He’s getting paid, so.”
In July 2007, Drew became the new host of Price Is Right, succeeding Bob, who had held the role for 35 years.
The actor recently became the longest-serving game show host on television after “Wheel of Fortune” host Pat Sajak retired in June 2024.
DREW’S CAREER PLANS
Shortly afterwards, Drew revealed to TV Insider that he would stop and it wouldn’t happen any time in the near future.
“I just go to work, punch the time clock and hope I have a job every day,” Drew told the outlet.
“I have one goal: I want to keep going until I die. This is my 18th season. I have to reach 35 and 41 so I can catch Bob Barker and Pat Sajak,” he concluded.
Bob died last August at the age of 99 after battling Alzheimer’s disease.
Drew honored the popular host in a Social media postwhich read: “A very sad day for the family of ‘The Price Is Right’ and animal lovers around the world.”
“Not a day went by on set that I didn’t think of Bob Barker and thank him. I will carry his memory in my heart forever.”
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