Alex Carson
TV Guide once referred to it as ‘the greatest game show of all time’, but behind the scenes, The Price is Right has repeatedly found itself at the center of shocking scandals, ranging from allegations of sexual assault at the hands of the program’s former host, Bob Barker, to a bitter pregnancy lawsuit that ended up costing the show a small fortune.
The popular game show has been on the air for a solid half-century now, and thoughout it’s time on network television there have been several instances where contestants were caught cheating. One of these times, however, it didn’t end up being their fault! More on that in a bit.
Furthermore, it’s been alleged by one of the show’s former models that the working conditions on the set of the Price is Right are downright dangerous.
While the average Price is Right fan likely has no clue about some of these controversies, they probably should. For a show that tries to pass itself off as some kind of wholesome, all-American institution, there are simply far too many red flags for us to ignore.
Join Facts Verse as we reveal the scandals that nearly ENDED The Price is Right Forever. If you’re a fan of the long-running game show, this is one video that you won’t want to miss.
Sexual Assault Allegations
Like us, you probably grew up watching Bob Barker inform us every weekday about the importance of having our pets spayed and neutered to ‘help control the pet population’. Bob always seemed like this gentle, kind, grandfatherly figure who could do no wrong. If he was so concerned about the well-being of animals, then certainly he cared about his co-workers, right? Well, depending on who you believe, Bob Barker might not have been the innocent saint that we thought he was.
In 1994, a model named Dian Parkinson, who worked on The Price is Right for almost two decades, made the decision to sue the cherished game show host for allegedly sexually assaulting her. She claimed that Barker had coerced her into having sex with him while she was working on the game show.
Barker immediately denied these disturbing accusations. He said that he never once threatened the former Playboy model with any kind of consequences if she didn’t agree to have sex with him. Barker did admit to having a romantic relationship with Parkinson between 1989 and 1991, but he adamantly denied ever using his position of power to force her to do anything she didn’t want to. In fact, according to Bob, it was Parkinson who first initiated their sexual relationship in the first place.
Barker took things a step further when he claimed that Parkinson was actually trying to blackmail him for $8 million. According to his version of how things happened, he had been a widower since 1981, and one day Parkinson came to him threatening to sue him unless he shelled out that considerable chunk of change. So, instead of playing along with her game, he decided to be the one to go public with the details of their relationship instead. Bob claims it was only then that Parkinson started claiming that he had acted inappropriately.
In the ensuing lawsuit, Dian said that Barker had forced her to perform oral sex on him in his dressing room twice weekly for the better part of four years. She claimed that Bob first did this forcefully, but later he resorted to coercion and intimidation. Supposedly fearing that she would lose her job, Parkinson claims that she gave in to Barker’s demands. She further claims that she had sex with Barker six to eight times for the same reason.
In response to these disturbing accusations, Jonathan Goodson, the show’s producer, came out and said that Parkinson had quit the show because she was suffering from an ulcer and that she was no longer getting along with the other models.
Parkinson then pressed back against these claims by saying that the ulcer in question was a result of Barker’s sexual violence. She also claimed that she was receiving $1,000 a week in hush money. According to Goodson, however, this money was just severance pay.
A year later, Parkinson dropped her lawsuit, saying that it had been harming her health. While she still maintains that she is a victim of sexual violence, her doctor supposedly advised her that the stress of going through with the trial wouldn’t be worth it.
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And don’t going anywhere just yet. Stay tuned to learn all about the horrifying on-stage accident that nearly claimed the lives of two Price is Right models in 1992.
Brandi Cochran’s Pregnancy Lawsuit
In 2012, Jurors awarded former Price is Right model Brandi Cochran nearly $777,000 after she sued Freemantle Media North America, the production company behind the game show, for alleged discrimination she faced due to a pregnancy. Cochran claimed that she had been rejected by the show’s producer when she attempted to return to work in early 2010 after going on maternity leave.
The Superior Court jury determined that Cochran’s pregnancy was, in fact, the reason that she was not rehired. In their defense, Freemantle Media said that they were merely satisfied with the number of models working on the show when Cochran sought to return to work.
Plinkogate
Plinko was introduced on The Price is Right in 1983. The game consists of round plinko chips, a pegboard, and a chance for contestants to win up to $50,000 if the chips they drop down the board fall into just the right spaces.
Plinko has been a staple of The Price of Right for decades. The game notably has created some of the most memorable moments in game show history, but there was a time when the beloved game almost proved to be the show’s undoing.
During Drew Carey’s second season hosting The Price Is Right in 2008, a college student ended up winning $30,000 after she dropped three Plinko chips down the board. As exciting as that sounds, it turns out she wasn’t quite as lucky as she appeared to be.
According to Carey, after the student dropped the first three chips into the $10,000 space, the floor director came over in a hurry and stopped her fourth chip mid-drop. He then whispered into Carey’s ear, explaining that the game had been fixed.
Carey was dumbfounded. In that moment, he saw his career flash before his eyes. He thought for sure that his future as a game show host was over, but in the end everything ended up being okay.
Apparently, before that day’s taping, a commercial for The Price is Right video game had been filmed using the Plinko board fitted with a fishing line to guide the chip to the winning space. Before the show went live, however, no one had remembered to remove the line.
Since it wasn’t the student’s fault, the producer’s decided to go ahead and award her with the $30,000 despite the circumstances, and The Price is Right’s reputation remained intact.
On-Set Injuries
It hasn’t always been fun and games on the set of The Price is Right. In December 1992, Holly Hallstrom and Kathleen Bradley both suffered serious injuries while filming a showcase skit that involved a quarter-ton industrial stove that sat atop a rotating platform dolly.
When the backstage crew started wheeling out another prize, an enormous two-ton sailboat, the boat’s hull bushed up against the stove, pushing it forward. The platform dolly was supposed to be moved offstage, but no one had gone out to remove it.
When the massive appliance began to tip over onto Bradley and Hollstrom, the two models both frantically tried to push it back. Unfortunately, it was far too heavy for them to keep it from falling on them.
Holly was able to jump out of the way, but Kathleen wasn’t as lucky. When the stove fell, it pinned her against a wall leaving her unable to move. Quickly, a stagehand who had realized what was happening rushed out to come to her rescue.
After the stove pushed it out of Kathleen’s way, it crashed on the stage floor, shattering into thousands of pieces.
Holly and Kathleen were then struck by the shrapnel from the exploding appliance, leaving several parts of their bodies severely injured.
The audience didn’t witness the mishap, and Bob didn’t learn about it until after the show taping was finished.
Holly and Kathleen had to be rushed to the hospital in an ambulance. Both models suffered terrible bruising and several lacerations. Neither was able to return to work the following day.
Model Janice Pennington was not present during that terrifying ordeal as she had taken the week off. Since Holly, Kathleen, and Janice were all out, Dian Parkinson was the only regular model present for the next several episodes.
A substitute model named Kyle Aletter was called in to help Dian for the next few taping. When Hallstrom and Bradley finally returned to the show a week and a half later, they were still badly bruised and in a lot of pain.
Fearing a lawsuit, The Price is Right producers and CBS apologized profusely and offered the two injured models monetary compensation for their pain and suffering, which both willingly accepted without incident.
Holly later said that the incident was extraordinarily frightening and that she and Kathleen were both fortunate to have survived it. She further stated her belief that that stage was jinxed.
In another incident that happened in 1988, Janice Pennington was knocked unconscious when a camera smashed her into contestants row. The resulting injury left her with one shoulder that was an inch lower than the other as well as a bunch of unsightly scars that prevented her from wearing her signature show swimsuits.
In 2000, Pennington was fired without explanation. That same day, Kathleen Bradley was also fired. Both models later received financial settlements.
It’s crazy just how much behind-the-scenes drama has plagued The Price Is Right over the years. And really, what we’ve discussed in this video is only the tip of the iceberg!
Were you surprised to learn that Bob Barker was once accused of forcing one of his famous ‘beauties’ into nonconsensual sex? And did you know about that notorious round of Plinko in 2008 that was accidentally rigged? We’d love to hear your thoughts on these and any other Price is Right scandals you’re aware of in the comments section down below.
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