I always read that fur was the main reason TPIR was delayed....
It's funny that a mere 18 years later (and in some ways, it feels like yesterday) urban legends can spring up like this. It just doesn't make any sense that "fur episodes" was the reason for not running
Price. After all, "cigarette episodes" were a problem for
I've Got a Secret, and that show was a major, prime-time series for the network from Day One. If GSN had the rights to
Price in the beginning, it would not be a problem for them to do what they eventually did when they DID pick up the rights, and simply weed out the episodes they couldn't show. For such a popular property as Price, with so many years of content available, they would have found a way to show it if they could. The simplest thing would just be to run seasons following Barker's no-fur edict.
GSN did not have the rights to show
Price in the beginning, period. Speculate all you want about the reason for that, but speculation that they DID have the rights and didn't air the show because of the minor inconvenience of some "fur episodes" is not correct.