Getting on April, when do those who have knowledge on the industry believe we might learn about who gets the coveted hosting job on TPIR?

It could be any time between mid April and June.

Although I work for Fremantle, I have zero inside information and would be prohibited from sharing any if I did. With that said, based on my experience, my educated guess is that by this time they have likely taped all of the prospects and are now doing their research - doing the focus group thing with those test episodes.

If they are not happy with those results, there is a possibility they could go back to try casting again. More likely, the next two steps will involve discussions between the network and the production company followed by financial negotiations. Remember that the future of the show is a big concern for these two multi-national corporations - the wheels turn slowly.

May you live in interesting times.

Randy
tvrandywest.com

I pray that the focus groups pick Dave Price. Just because.


If one of those multi-nats were Disney, they'd build an Audio Animatronics clone of a 45-year-old Bob Barker and be done with it.

If it's the groups that seem to mingle around Dave everywhere he goes...then he's a shoo-in.


Wait...I thought that's what was already being done. According to Dane Cook, he's been gone since '87.

/I wish I could find that on YouTube.....
//Dane Cook should host

Here are my two frontrunners in the People I Hope Nobody In Power Reads And Takes Seriously contest.

-Jason

If Moonves, Roger Dobkowitz, whoever heads Fremantle, or whoever makes this decision takes my comment seriously...I will gladly jump off this platform into the Grand Canyon.

If somehow Dave Price gets the job, I hope that in one final, flowery tribute to Bob, that CBS officially renames him "The Bob Barker Dave Price".

I'm fairly sure Dave Price won't be getting the gig. If it wasn't his "performances" at TPiR Live and the in-studio test weren't enough...

Did anyone catch him on the Early Show with that stupid "All Access" thing they have. Dave is on the deck of the Queen Mary, informs this already excited woman that she's going with him (shudder) to Hong Kong for the weekend.

Of course, this woman flips out grabs Dave, and is huggin him like hell. He didn't say it in these words (and his body language certainly suggested it) but he told her to get off of him.

The host of TPiR should not be adverse to having people hug him when they award them with a prize. Duh.

Replying to my own post (!), I'm starting to think I wouldn't be surprised if we saw another candidate or two be considered. My own experierience suggests that when both parties that have to agree can't immediately find a common favorite, they go back to the well.

Just like in life, it's all in the journey and not the destination.

Randy
tvrandywest.com

Does CBS have a firm deadline for their selection? Couldn't they ride on reruns for awhile if they weren't ready to choose? You figure CBS will hype the 'changing of the guard', but does it really have to happen in early September?

Seems to me CBS has quite a few options here, including recent reruns, or running a few weeks of 'classics'. Perhaps one episode per year for Bob's tenure-that would buy them 7 weeks. I suppose they could even air the 'test hosts' episodes to get a feel for who the public liked. Of course then you could have made a reality show: "The Price is Right-You're the Host That I Want!".

"Classic TPIR" seems like a nice idea to me, if CBS needs a little more time.

Reruns are certainly an option.

This is easily the biggest host replacement decision any game show has had to make -- and I'm sure the words "Rolf Benirschke" have been whispered more than once. Give them time.

Well, at least by me! ;-)

I don't see what would be undesirable about using the same solution that they used for "The Late Late Show"; have all of the potential new guys host a week of shows during season 36 and rotate between them until we find somebody we like. That way, the audience is already used to them when they get the permanent gig. MUCH easier transition from Bob.

One problem with that logic, though...they didn't have to teach the Late Late candidates the rules of Contestants' Row, the Showcase Showdown, the Showcase, and 30 to 75 pricing games (depending on how many shows each one hosted). I'm not sure that's something they want to go through.

I was listening to some morning radio show say that Mario Lopez, once of Saved by the Bell, Pacific Blue, Pet Star, America's Most Talented Kid, ESPN Hollywood, last fall's Dancing with the Stars, and last January's Miss America Pageant, was purported to have "nailed it" during his audition for Bob's job, and was said to have the "inside track".

You forgot Masters of the Maze. :)

Nobody here knows and it's useless to speculate. We haven't even been able to figure out who did the demo tape for Com Lock :)

Let's keep in mind that we were hearing exactly the same thing about Dave Price who, by most impartial accounts, blew chunks. You can bet that whoever was doing the "purporting" works for Mario.

Like Dave's people, Mario's people have apparently decided to play the media game. I don't see how that helps their guy (Fremantle's not going to make their decision based on tabloids and morning radio hosts) and it could be pretty embarrassing if he doesn't get it.

Having said that, I think Lopez is a fascinating choice, and given a decent amount of experience, I have no doubt that he could do a good job.

Oh and do they ever love to play the media game. Speaking as one of those Morning Radio hosts, I can tell you Daniel Rosen's people were pimping him for interviews as the new announcer for The Price is Right back when they were auditioning for Rod's replacement. Luckily I knew better, but I bet he got a lot of interviews with that false information.

And frequently mispronounced.

You should have had him on the air and eviscerated him. That'll learn him a few things about misrepresentation. :)

What Mario might have "nailed" was not the actual audition itself....

/Know What I Mean? Wink Wink, Nudge Nudge, Say No More!/

Mark Steines, who is apparently someone on Entertainment Tonight who I've never heard of, did an audition show after today's taping. That doesn't sound like something that would be happening if Mario Lopez had "nailed it."

(Nevermind that Roger already debunked that rumor last week.)

I must comment on Mark Steines...he was at KSPR in Springfield, Missouri (sound familiar, folks!?!?!?!) right before he hit the big time on ET.

He's their #3 anchor, behind Mary Hart and Mary Hart's legs.

Actually, that would make him #4...

I know the whole "Mario Lopez blew them away" thing is just spin created by his PR team, but still...I still fail to see how he could even be capable of being a competent host when he couldn't go 5 seconds without stumbling over his words on "Masters of the Maze". He's like Richard Karn. Take away his cue cards and he becomes a deer in headlights. Granted, that was over a decade ago and he may have improved, but then I might strike the Mega Millions on its next drawing so I guess anything's possible...

Looks like you answered your own question.

What would be the objection to having Alex Trebek host TPIR? He did a similar show in the past and has handled an equivalent workload before, plus he's a household name.

One egotrip followed by another, IMO.

I can see why Mario Lopez might be appealing to the producers, but is he funny? Or will it be like Jim Lange hosting TPIR? Does anyone know if he was reasonably funny on the maze show, or that talk show with Dick Clark, or even on "Dancing with the Stars?"

Of course, he was hysterical on SbtB, but that was scripted.

Hysterical is in the eye of the beholder.

I freely admit that I may be forgetting something obvious, but what's the "similar show"?

Yeah, pretty much. I don't have anything against him getting the show, or anyone for that matter. As long as whoever becomes the new host actually possess the skills necessary to do the job well, I'll be happy.

Wizard of Odds, I think... it had "Percenting Games", if you will.

I think watching that show made me hysterical.

That's what I was thinking.

Alex is now 67; my opinion is he wouldn't want the workload. He also has a bad back (he once noted his favorite game to host was TTTT because he could sit down); having eager contestants jump on him is probably not high on his list of favorites either.

On the flip side, Peter Marshall noted Trebek is the only host he's ever seen who didn't use cue cards.

What a strange statement. Lots of emcees don't use cue cards for language, but do use cue cards for such things as contestant winnings.

When did TPIR become a comedy show?

(This is being spoken from someone who's never seen a show in-studio before...)

I'd assume that Alex knows the contestant winnings from the podium(s) lecturn(s) at the end of the show. He always has the scores in front of him...what else would there be?

Theoretically, when a show first starts you might want to have the rules on cards to make sure that the host says everything correctly. Trebek by this point doesn't need them because he has all those thousands of shows under his belt and excepting that short-lived "bonus" category, the rules have stayed the same all along--and seeing several "J!" shows in person, the only time he used cards or a prompter was for the anniversary clip show, for obvious reasons.

On the other hand, I was sort of surprised that the main game play verbiage is still on Meredith Vieira's prompter after several years (along with her top-of-show and top-of-segment intros). Of course, she may not look at it the way that Peter Marshall stopped looking at the "Squares" rules cards after several years, but if someone wants to be anal about those sort of things, so be it.

Warning: I do not feel like finding the post buried somewhere on the J! boards that backs this up, so take it with a bucket of salt if you like. But I believe Alex has each contestant's wager provided on the card he's holding during Final Jeopardy!, as well as what each total will be after either a right or wrong answer. That, of course, is not a cue card, as it's not cuing him to say anything, but I thought it might be interesting to note.

Oh come on! You know that joke Barker does about not being able to restart the range finder for 37 hours! That kills me every time!

My objection would be his stiff personality. Not to slam the man, because he fits J! very well. But he's not the most personable cumquat in the basket.

And, egad...tying in with an earlier thread....how many times would we hear something like this?

ALEX: And what is your bid for this showcase?

DAVE: What is $22,500, Alex?

Gossip site TMZ.com claims George Hamilton is the front-runner

This site looks to be just as credible as any tabloid. No direct quotes from anyone makes me think its BS.

Take a look at some of his earlier work. He's not as stiff as he may come off on "Jeopardy!".

I believe he said in an interview that the only reason he's so stiff on Jeopardy is because there is so much material to get through, and he doesn't want to waste any precious time with antics.

That said, he's been hosting Jeopardy for over twenty years, and hosting the National Geography Bee for quite some time. Is it possible that the public has typecast him as a quizzer by this point? Would he be accepted as host of TPiR?

That's what I was thinking, too. We've seen his earlier work and know he may be able to handle a show like TPIR, but what about the average person? I bet that most people don't even know he did other game shows (how many do you think remember he did CC?). I agree with you that he's probably been typecast as a smug, know-it-all quiz show host...;).

Now, here's a question that I've been thinking about: Do you think the show's going to have a major makeover when the new host comes aboard (i.e., a more "modern" set, more modern prize cues, new format?), or will it be kept the same, except with a new host?

I could really see Fremantle messing with the show, maybe not format-wise, but certainly looks-wise. I'm envisioning a set like the Davidson version (which, IMO, wasn't too bad). I know it'll be the end if they have roving spotlights and WWTBAM-esque prize cues...:). However, maybe they'll realize that the same formula's worked for 35 years and leave it alone...or am I giving them too much credit?

Anthony

Yes, I did...at least. My first recollections were of Alex on CC, not Jeopardy.


If they wanted to kill the show off very quickly...then they'd do that. TPiR without Bob will be enough change right now for most people. Change everything else...and...well....you might as well bring back TPiR '94. And we all know how well that did.....

I would think the show won't change to any great extreme as long as it's on CBS. However, any future syndicated revivals will probably look like they came from another planet.