Author Topic: Interesting Tpir Q&a On Cbs.com (Read 5134 times)

cmjb13 · « **on:** October 08, 2003, 07:04:41 PM »

Just talked about this today:

Q: Over the many years I have watched TPIR, I have noticed that all of the contestants are addressed by their proper first names, i.e., Christopher instead of Chris, Judith instead of Judy, Kimberly instead of Kim, etc. Is this a deliberate requirement, that all contestants must be called by their birth names without regard to what they want to be called?

A: Unless they request otherwise, an audience member's name will be written on his or her name tag as it appears on their driver's license. This results in a majority of formal names being used. If, however, they ask for their initials or a shortened version of their name to be used, the pages at the studio will be happy to accommodate them.

The 2nd to last line is funny:

Q: All my life I've seen television game shows that say \"Contestants must meet eligibility requirements.\" What are those \"eligibility requirements?\"
Thank you,
Robert

A: Contestants on THE PRICE IS RIGHT must be at least 18 years old, may not be related to or have any affiliation with anyone who works for CBS, the production company or Viacom, and may not have appeared on any other game shows within the last year. A person may only be a contestant on THE PRICE IS RIGHT once in a lifetime. Also, contestants must present valid photo ID and proof of Social Security Number. They must also speak English and be competent enough to play the games. Other than that, it's up to the discretion of the producer who interviews the entire audience en route into the studio in order to select the 10 contestants for each show.

Sounds like a response from Stan Blits:

Q: I've noticed lately that when Plinko has been played lately, the reveal has not been the same as it has been in the past. Rod would say \"You're going to play Plinko!...\" and the camera would show the cool Plinko sign on the turntable. Then the sign would flip around and Rod would finish by saying \"...for a chance to win up to $50,000 (previously $25,000) in cash!\" The whole time, a peppy, upbeat theme plays in the background. Lately the sign and music haven't been used, instead being replaced by an on-screen graphic and harp music. The classic Plinko reveal has been used for as long as I can remember, it always gets me very excited (as Plinko is one of my favorite pricing games). Why has this changed, and are there any plans to revert to the classic Plinko reveal? The new opening doesn't have the same energy as the old one does. Also, I was wondering if any of the TPIR music cues (besides the main theme song) have ever been published on tape or CD. If so, where can I get a CD? If not, are there any plans to produce such a CD? I believe it would be a great addition to any game show lovers music library. Thank you for your time, and for the years of great entertainment.
LJ Johnson

A: The show producers decided to eliminate the Plinko reveal to focus more on the contestant's reaction. There are no plans to bring it back. Thank you for your letter and your interest in \"The Price Is Right\" music. In reference to your first comment about Plinko, I decided to eliminate the \"sting\" music cue because when we got rid of the large Plinko board and used a graphic instead, there didn't seem to be enough time to use the both the harp gliss and the music sting. Since I was not using that gliss on any other game, for variety, I decided to keep it as the only music that is played (similar to the \"Grand Game\" gliss in presentation). As far as your request for our show music, you are not alone! I've had many people ask us for a CD. There have been no plans to release our music at this time, although that may change some day. There are hundreds and hundreds of music cues and putting out an album would be quite a project

Steve Gavazzi · « **Reply #1 on:** October 08, 2003, 07:51:50 PM »

There's an error in that last answer: the Plinko sign was eliminated by Bart Eskander, not Phil and Roger. I'm sure most people wouldn't notice the difference...but we're not exactly \"most people.\" :-)

parliboy · « **Reply #2 on:** October 08, 2003, 08:10:32 PM »

On the first question:

When I went with a friend, the page in charge said that we HAD to use our legal first names, no matter what. This created a bit of an oddity with my friend, because he has a professional name which we always use to refer to him, and he never goes by his legal first name.

clemon79 · « **Reply #3 on:** October 08, 2003, 09:57:33 PM »

[quote name=\'parliboy\' date=\'Oct 8 2003, 05:10 PM\'] When I went with a friend, the page in charge said that we HAD to use our legal first names, no matter what. This created a bit of an oddity with my friend, because he has a professional name which we always use to refer to him, and he never goes by his legal first name. [/quote]
It sounds, then, like the pages who handle such things need to be gathered up and given some training on what exactly constitutes a \"legal\" first name, because, again, as far as the states of Washington and California are concerned, my legal first name is Chris, and pretty much because I said so.

Most people, I'm sure, just shrug and go along with it, 'cuz most people have responsible parents who called their children by the first name they gave 'em at birth, and the difference to them between \"Bill\" and \"William\" are negligible. But spend twelve years reminding teachers that your preferred name is \"Chris\" and not \"Jon\", and have them bother to exercise that simple courtesy or not at their whim, and you get pretty passionate about such things.

ObGameShowForum: This, I believe, is post #1000. What do I win?

Fedya · « **Reply #4 on:** October 08, 2003, 10:54:40 PM »

[quote name=\'clemon79\' date=\'Oct 8 2003, 08:57 PM\'] Most people, I'm sure, just shrug and go along with it, 'cuz most people have responsible parents who called their children by the first name they gave 'em at birth, and the difference to them between "Bill" and "William" are negligible. But spend twelve years reminding teachers that your preferred name is "Chris" and not "Jon", and have them bother to exercise that simple courtesy or not at their whim, and you get pretty passionate about such things. [/quote]
You mean I'm not the only one here who goes by his middle name?

In my case, it's worse: My Social Security card has my first initial, middle name, and last name, while my driver's license has first name, middle initial, and last name.

Of course, with a difficult-to-pronounce surname like \"Schuerzinger\", I don't know that the producers would ever want to saddle Rod with such a surname to have to pronounce. :-)

Matt Ottinger · « **Reply #5 on:** October 08, 2003, 10:57:43 PM »

Quote

A: Unless they request otherwise, an audience member's name will be written on his or her name tag as it appears on their driver's license. This results in a majority of formal names being used. If, however, they ask for their initials or a shortened version of their name to be used, the pages at the studio will be happy to accommodate them.

Seems to me that this is more a practicality issue. Surely they can't waste a lot of valuable time in line finding out how each and every person wants to be addressed. But if they say, \"Jon Lemon, come on down!\" and a guy with a \"Chris\" nametag shows up, that's gotta be a problem. The fact that this doesn't happen -- when lots of people use their middle name as their \"real\" name -- suggests that, like everything else on a 32 year old show, they've got a plan in place that works for them. Someone better connected with the show can probably tell us what that plan is, but I doubt it has much to do with legalities.

clemon79 · « **Reply #6 on:** October 08, 2003, 11:19:58 PM »

[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' date=\'Oct 8 2003, 07:57 PM\'] Surely they can't waste a lot of valuable time in line finding out how each and every person wants to be addressed. But if they say, "Jon Lemon, come on down!" and a guy with a "Chris" nametag shows up, that's gotta be a problem. [/quote]
Sure. But there's no way in hell that I would fill out the form using the name \"Jon\" either, for just that reason. What the pages need to be taught is that if I give them a form filled out correctly as \"Chris Lemon\", and show them an ID that reads \"Jon Christopher Lemon\" (because the ropesmokers at the DOL wouldn't convert my CA license to a WA one without keeping the same name), not to give me an attitude about it. The last name is there, the picture matches the guy presenting it, let it be.

GS Warehouse · « **Reply #7 on:** October 09, 2003, 12:00:27 AM »

[quote name=\'clemon79\' date=\'Oct 8 2003, 08:57 PM\'] ObGameShowForum: This, I believe, is post #1000. What do I win?

[/quote]
A new wall calendar! It'll be shipped as soon as I'm done with it. :-)

And let's not forget your Turtle Wax, Rice-a-Roni, Sarah Conventry Jewelry, Polyglycoat, a month's supply of floakti rugs and ceramic dalmatians, a copy of Razzle, the race-for-the-word game, and a new Suzuki Aerio SX...or a picture of one!

Only 769 more posts until somebody gets this facetious with me! :-)

Steve Gavazzi · « **Reply #8 on:** October 09, 2003, 01:01:46 AM »

[quote name=\'GS Warehouse\' date=\'Oct 9 2003, 12:00 AM\'] [quote name=\'clemon79\' date=\'Oct 8 2003, 08:57 PM\'] ObGameShowForum: This, I believe, is post #1000. What do I win?

[/quote]
A new wall calendar! It'll be shipped as soon as I'm done with it. :-)

And let's not forget your Turtle Wax, Rice-a-Roni, Sarah Conventry Jewelry, Polyglycoat, a month's supply of floakti rugs and ceramic dalmatians, a copy of Razzle, the race-for-the-word game, and a new Suzuki Aerio SX...or a picture of one! [/quote]
And let's not forget your year's supply of Buckley's Cough Syrup, the famous Canadian cough remedy now available here. It tastes awful...and it works!

(Sorry. I just couldn't pass up a chance to use my favorite plug.)

clemon79 · « **Reply #9 on:** October 09, 2003, 01:54:29 AM »

[quote name=\'Steve Gavazzi\' date=\'Oct 8 2003, 10:01 PM\'] And let's not forget your year's supply of Buckley's Cough Syrup, the famous Canadian cough remedy now available here. It tastes awful...and it works!
[/quote]
It's off topic, a little, but hey, what the hell, I've got my thousand in.

I gotta tell you, nobody on the planet was happier than me to see Buckley's make it to the US. I was in Eastern Canada in...I think it was 1996. And of course, the second I landed, I came down with a cold. And my host said she'd get me some Buckleys, and then repeated that catchphrase, which at the time was \"It tastes bad...but it works.\" And I kept thinking, \"why would they advertise a cough syrup like that\"?

And then I tried it. And I understood why. There simply is no hiding, masquerading, or getting around the fact. A spoonful of Buckley's Mixture tastes like you grabbed a handful of fresh sappy pine needles and took a big bite out of them. And this doesn't hit you until it's already down the hatch. But DAMN, does it hit you. Think back to the hottest pepper you've ever had, even in these days of concentrated hot sauces. Multiply that by about 5. That's the afterkick of a shot of Buckley's.

But damn, did it clear up my congestion. EVERY orifice in my head opened right up, and my cough subsided. I'm not sure if it was the medicine, or the knowledge that if my head DIDN'T respond, I'd have to have another spoonful that much sooner.

So when your winter colds kick in, I urge you to give it a shot. But don't say they didn't warn you.

J.R. · « **Reply #10 on:** October 09, 2003, 02:23:06 AM »

[quote name=\'clemon79\' date=\'Oct 8 2003, 08:57 PM\'] ObGameShowForum: This, I believe, is post #1000. What do I win?

[/quote]
Why, you've won a year's membership into \"GS Pain Video Club\" where every month, you'll recieve a tape containg episodes of a really bad game show and/or host:

January: Benirschke WOF !
Febuary: Wayne TTD !
March: Scrabble Spelling Era !
April: \"Best of Shop Till You Drop\" hosted by Grandma Curmudgen !
May: Bargain Hunters !
June: Davidson HS !
July: Three's a Crowd and the popular revival !
August: Finn TJW
September: Taboo !
October: A bunch of game shows in Hungarian !
Novemeber: Pop N'Rocker Game !
December: Merry Mo' Money Marathon ! A showcase of game shows with overblown payouts !

Also, you will recieve 500 rejected \"Classic Concentration\" rebus Steve Ryan made while he was drunk !

Enjoy, complements of Raygor Media !
-Joe R.

zachhoran · « **Reply #11 on:** October 09, 2003, 08:11:32 AM »

[quote name=\'GS Warehouse\' date=\'Oct 8 2003, 11:00 PM\']

a copy of Razzle, the race-for-the-word game,
[/quote]
Some of us tried to make a game show out of Razzle in 1981 or 1982 during its brief moment on toy and game shelves.

uncamark · « **Reply #12 on:** October 09, 2003, 04:04:15 PM »

[quote name=\'Fedya\' date=\'Oct 8 2003, 09:54 PM\']Of course, with a difficult-to-pronounce surname like \"Schuerzinger\", I don't know that the producers would ever want to saddle Rod with such a surname to have to pronounce. :-)[/quote]
But on the other hand, there's Rod's fill-in who will be sure to get it right--isn't that right, Randy West?

tvrandywest · « **Reply #13 on:** October 09, 2003, 04:36:53 PM »

[quote name=\'uncamark\' date=\'Oct 9 2003, 03:04 PM\'] [quote name=\'Fedya\' date=\'Oct 8 2003, 09:54 PM\']Of course, with a difficult-to-pronounce surname like "Schuerzinger", I don't know that the producers would ever want to saddle Rod with such a surname to have to pronounce. :-)[/quote]
But on the other hand, there's Rod's fill-in who will be sure to get it right--isn't that right, Randy West? [/quote]
\"Right you are, Bob Barker!\"

Sorry - force of habit with that response.

I'm pretty good with names provided I'm not reading \"cold\" and have a moment to look them over, which is not always the case at TPIR. The names usually don't make it from the producers to the announce podium until moments before air, which is in the thick of warm-up. But considering that the contestants' last names are never heard or seen by the audience with the one exception of when you call it, it really doesn't matter if you're close at all on that show. You just gotta say it with confidence! ;-)

Randy
tvrandywest.com

Don Howard · « **Reply #14 on:** October 09, 2003, 08:51:09 PM »

Quote

Why, you've won a year's membership into \"GS Pain Video Club\" where every month, you'll recieve a tape containg episodes of a really bad game show and/or host:

Quote

August: Finn TJW

Oh, that wasn't that bad. Force-feed him the Jimmie Walker-hosted week of Matchmaker over and over.

Happy 1000th anniversary!