Get ready to come on down!
For this installment of Variety’s Making a Scene, presented by HBO, the team behind one of America’s favorite game shows came together to break down its primetime special: “The Price is Right At Night: Superfans.”
On the heels of their 2023 Emmy nomination for Outstanding Game Show, hosts, producers and crew of “The Price Is Right”” explained the full process — from casting to prize selection — behind this special legacy edition episode.
“The superfans of the price of right, they know the show better than all of us that work here,” said Evelyn Warfel, executive producer of “Price” since 2019. To get a crowd of the game show’s biggest fans, the production team posted a call for applications on all their social media accounts.
After finding a slue of “Price” fanatics, they narrowed down the group by asking them questions, like “What are some of the former announcers or former models?” or “Do you remember games that have been retired?” and even “What’s our studio number?” in order to find their superfans. (And superfans they found: one selected contestant, Jacob, showed up wearing a shirt he’d made adorned with all the retired “Price” games.)
And to award these winners accordingly, the team ensured prizes were “priceless,” things that only a true devotee would appreciate including dinner with host Drew Cary and a signed yodeler from “Cliff Hangers.”
With “Price” running for over five decades since its premiere in 1972, the production crew was more than prepared to take on this primetime special. In a single year, they crank out 190 shows, each following the same classic format. The camera crew hit all the iconic marks, making sure to catch the overall excitement, the huge shots of the audience, and the moments when contestants are picked and told to “come on down.”
The game show’s long history endures as well in the games themself. Some are nearly as old as the program, with “original parts that can require tender love and care.” This also means that hosts are privy to the secrets behind winning games like “10 Chances.” Carey admits that it’s the show’s easiest game: “Not everybody knows the easter egg trick to it,” he said. “I’m not allowed to say anything, but every number ends in zero, so the first two should be gimmes. Then there’s only so mnay combinations for the car that makes sense.”
But most of all, the legacy of “The Price is Right” exists most in the hearts of the show’s team. “I like being here more than being at home or anywhere else,” Carey said. Announcer George Gray added, “I’ve hosted a lot of shows, but this one is so special and so iconic. Ir’s so woven into the fabric of our lives in America.”
