Alex Carson
Bob Barker is cemented in game show history thanks to his time as host of The Price Is Right. However, since his retirement in 2007, he’s revealed his true feelings about the iconic show and the host that took his place. Although you might think that he looks back at the show fondly, his true feelings about The Price is Right are sure to shock even the most casual fans. Let’s take a look back at Bob Barker’s time on the show and how he really felt about it.
Bob Barker’s Amazing Journey
Bob Barker made his career debut on a game show called Truth of Consequences in 1956. He hosted the show for 18 years before getting the golden opportunity to host The Price is Right in 1972. After becoming the face of not one, but two game shows, Bob Barker gained international recognition. He hosted thousands of episodes throughout his career, and even took on the role of producer for many years.
Throughout his time on The Price is Right, Barker, altogether with the producers Roger Dobowitz and Phillip Rossi, earned the show many accolades. From 1982 to 2007, The Price is Right received a total of 30 nominations and 23 wins from the Daytime Emmy Awards.
Not only that, but Bob Barker also set a Guinness World Record. He held the record for the most episodes of television ever hosted, with over 6,700 episodes under his belt. He would hold this record until 2014, when Alex Trek of Jeopardy overtook him. That year, Alex Trebek clocked in at 6,829 episodes of Jeopardy, and he continued to expand that number in the years that followed.
Bob Barker’s Replacement
After leaving his position as the host of The Price is Right, the network had to find a replacement. After all, The Price is Right became one of the most watched programs in television history. In 2007, Bob Barker was replaced with Drew Carey. Many fans accepted the change, and even embraced Carey as the new host. However, it’s rare that any show of this caliber can have a change in staffing without a little pushback.
In this case, the pushback came from Bob Barker himself. Barker fearlessly stated his opinion on Drew Carey in a TMZ interview. Bob Barker felt that the show was genuinely entertaining during his reign, but when Carey took over, it turned into something that wasn’t even worth watching. He blamed this specifically on Carey’s lack of engagement, saying that the show was now dull and lifeless.
Still, Bob Barker understands why the show is able to continue even with a lackluster host. He says it;’s all thanks to the audience and the viewers at home. Once the contestants begin to make a bid on the items on the show, he says that viewers and audience members alike are immediately engaged. The show’s ability to keep viewers involved was the secret to success!
Even though Barker does not seem thrilled with his replacement, he’s still made several appearances on the show since he officially retired. The first appearance came in 2009, when he appeared to advertise his autobiography. Later, in 2013, he appeared in celebration of his 90th birthday. Most recently, in 2015, he appeared as part of an April fool’s episode.
Bob Barker Avoids the Show
Besides a few appearances in recent years, Bob Barker seems to avoid The Price is Right whenever possible. He proudly told Good Morning America that he doesn’t even watch it on television anymore. Whether this is because of Drew Carey’s performance as host, or whether Barker simply never liked the show to begin with is anyone’s guess. He says that he occasionally turns the show on for a game or two, but doesn’t watch it regularly. He specified that he is not a loyal viewer of the show.
After his vocal dissatisfaction with Drew Carey and what the show’s turned into, it shouldn’t be much of a surprise that Barker feels so uninterested in watching the show. Now, many viewers are concerned that it’s possible he disliked the show all along, but masked his disagreements for the sake of continuing his successful job as host. Specifically, viewers are raising questions about the show’s 40th anniversary, which took place back in 2012.
Bob Barker was noticeably absent from this anniversary program. However, he may have had a good reason. The producers of the 40th anniversary episode were offering admission to Sea World and The Calgary Stampede as rewards. Bob Barker is a vocal animal advocate, and made the public decision to avoid any association with the show’s anniversary episode because Sea World and The Calgary Stampede are notorious for animal abuse.
Bob Barker’s Controversy
Bob Barker’s career was largely respected, but few celebrities are able to survive decades in the spotlight without controversy. For Barker, the accusations came in 1994, from former model Dian Parkinson. Parkinson was one of the “Barker’s Beauties”, a model who was on-stage for The Price is Right productions. She came at Bob Barker and the show with an $8 million lawsuit, claiming that she was told to be intimate with Bob Barker or else she would lose her job.
The production team quickly removed Parkinson from the show. And while Barker initially denied the allegations, it was later revealed that the two had been having a sexual relationship for over a year. Many of these issues ended up being settled behind the scenes, and the network likely had to take some serious and costly actions to keep the show moving without legal interruptions. Unfortunately, the damage was already done to the reputation of Bob Barker and The Price is Right.
Even worse, this wouldn’t be the last allegation taking place. In 2007, just before Barker’s retirement, a long-time employee had accusations of her own. Deborah Curling worked on the show for 25 years, screening contestants for the show. She came forward with accusations of discrimination as well as many other concerns, which she had evidently been struggling with for many years.
Another thing going on, before ending his The Price is Right’s seamless career in 2007, further case expectedly appeared when a participant screener, Deborah Curling, who had worked at the company for 25 years, argued against Barker in an unrelated production assistant’s lawsuit and assertions. She charged Barker and the executives and accused them of discrimination misconduct, along with many other items that she has been hiding for years. This too, was settled quietly while Barker’s retirement took center stage.
Bob Barker’s Animal Activism
Due to his strong beliefs, Barker’s commitment to animal welfare has led him to make numerous decisions that landed him in hot water. Namely, his decision to avoid the 40th anniversary episode of the Price is Right. While many celebrities give in to the pressures of the media and apologize for upsetting others, Barker has held true to his beliefs and continues to fight for what he believes in.
After his retirement, he devoted himself to efforts that would make our planet a kinder and safer place for animals of all kind. He offered $2.5 million to PETA to help construct their Los Angeles facility, which is now known as the “Bob Barker Building.” In 2014, he invested $700,000 to relocate three elephants from a Toronto zoo to a California wildlife sanctuary. It turns out that the beloved game show host is not just a golden celebrity, but also a delightful citizen who cares for animal welfare.
Bob Barker Today
Behind all this drama, there is still something to be said of host Bob Barker. These accusations and other turbulence can be shocking because we know him so well for hosting The Price is Right with a smile.
After departing as host, Bob Barker was a morning TV star for the rest of the season. Even though he retired and handed over his long and slim spotlight to tv star Drew Carey, he is still getting attention, as he has done during his career.
He used his impressive talent to give us the feeling that The Price is Right is not just a game show but something revolutionary. In addition to earning numerous awards, The Price is Right has the title of the longest-running daytime game show in North American television history.
Today, Bob Barker 97 years old and still happily retired. With the 50th anniversary of the Price is Right coming up, perhaps we can expect to see him return to the iconic program soon.
Would you like to see Bob Barker return to the Price is Right stage? Or do you enjoy Drew Carey as the host? Let us know in the comments below! And if you enjoyed this video, be sure to click the like button, subscribe to the channel and hit the notification bell for more videos like this.
