The Man Who Picks Contestants
The way the show is set up leads those watching at home to believe that audience members are all chosen entirely at random – but that’s not entirely the way things work. A man named Stan Bilts, nicknamed “Mr. Right,” scans lines outside of the studio, looking for potential audience members that catch his eye.
According to an interview he gave, he’s said that he chooses contestants based on their enthusiasm. And, if he seats you in the audience and you “die-off on him” – meaning if you don’t cheer or interact with the game – you’ll get replaced with someone who will!
Prizes Aren’t Given Away Immediately
Even if you choose to take that brand-new car, you’re not going to be driving away in it as soon as taping wraps up. In fact, the show hangs on to some prizes for quite some time afterward. Winning a significant prize on "The Price is Right" is, according to one past contestant, a bit like “signing your life away.”
Not only do you get stuck with an enormous tax bill, but you also have to fill out loads of paperwork. The show doesn’t want people driving off the lot with cars that reveal winners before the actual tapings air.
Sans Cheating Scandals
In 2003, one contestant on CBS’ "Press Your Luck" seemed to be a bit, luckier than any contestant in the show’s history. Luckily, "The Price is Right" never found itself facing any such claims. While contestants may not precisely be chosen at random like you’ve been led to believe - the majority of things on the show do take place at random – including the wins.
Winners get their hands on the items on stage because they’ve deserved to win, and perhaps that’s one of the reasons the show is still on the air today!
Magic Mic
If you’ve been a long-time fan of the show, you’ve probably noticed that the host is always holding a strange, seemingly outdated microphone. Bob Barker continued to use a corded mic long throughout the times when cordless models were available. When he was asked about why he did so, he said it was because he didn’t want to confuse or upset the audience.
He figured they all expected to see him holding that mic, and that’s what he was going to give them! These days, host Drew Carey holds a long, skinny mic that he uses to interact with contestants.
Drew Carey Shells Out His Own Cash
Many of you may have seen the current host, Drew Carey, shelling out some cash during specific recordings. And, while you may think that producers gave it to him specifically for the award money, that’s not the case at all.
On the show, when a contestant makes a bid that’s spot-on when it comes to the retail price, Carey gives them something that they can walk away with that day - $500 of his cash! As of 2017, he’d given away nearly $200,000 of his salary to contestants on the show! That reveals just how cool of a guy he is.