How did this Bob Barker rumor start?

[JayC]

OK, this rumor about Bob dying is really getting annoying.  It can't possibly be true, unless they haven't bothered to say anything about it yet.  Today while I was watching PiR in school, a teacher and a couple of kids asked me if he really died.  I said no, and they believed me.  The teacher even said it couldn't be a new episode on because he died.  I also read about the rumor being circulated somewhere in PA.  

So, how did this rumor start?

[BrandonFG]

[quote name=\'JayC\' date=\'Jan 30 2004, 01:04 PM\'] OK, this rumor about Bob dying is really getting annoying.  It can't possibly be true, unless they haven't bothered to say anything about it yet.  Today while I was watching PiR in school, a teacher and a couple of kids asked me if he really died.  I said no, and they believed me.  The teacher even said it couldn't be a new episode on because he died.  I also read about the rumor being circulated somewhere in PA.  

So, how did this rumor start? [/quote]
My guess is they're thinking of Rod Roddy's recent death. I'd also guess that being in school during the year, they might not watch/tape/TiVO TPiR as much as we do, so they're probably surprised to even know it's still on the air.

Again, this is just an (un)educated guess on my part.

[Matt Ottinger]

Actually, this is the first I've heard of any rumor about Barker being dead, so maybe it's just something happening around you.  Still, what fostergray says makes sense.  Every once in a while I'll hear somebody say that they thought Richard Dawson had committed suicide, and that's almost certainly because they heard "that guy from Family Feud" killed himself.

[inturnaround]

[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' date=\'Jan 30 2004, 01:22 PM\'] Actually, this is the first I've heard of any rumor about Barker being dead, so maybe it's just something happening around you.  Still, what fostergray says makes sense.  Every once in a while I'll hear somebody say that they thought Richard Dawson had committed suicide, and that's almost certainly because they heard "that guy from Family Feud" killed himself. [/quote]
 Sure, oftentimes when you heard about Rod's death on the news a few months ago they teased it like "A death in the family for 'The Price is Right'" or "The voice of TPiR is silenced" and then they go to commercial. If you didn't tune into the show after the break and you didn't hear about it again, some people might conclude that it was, in fact the host and not the announcer who died.

Happens all the time to celebrities, though. I don't think you can call yourself a star until a rumor about your death or sexuality propagates. Bonus if you get both of them...or both of them at the same time.

[PeterMarshallFan]

I believe this originated from golden-road.net. Someone posted that they had kept hearing that Bob died early Thursday [which was eventually disproved]

I'd bet it shot off from there.

[chris319]

Teachers are too preoccupied with their stupid soap operas to know about game shows. That's all they do in the teachers' lounge -- chain smoke and watch soaps. One probably said to the other, "Mabel, that guy on The Price Is Right died" and Mabel responded with "Oh, you mean Bob Barker?" and that's how the rumor got started. Mabel could have responded with "Pat Sajak" or "Gene Rayburn" and we'd be hearing rumors about them.

Tell your teacher it was Gene Rayburn who died.

[zachhoran]

[quote name=\'chris319\' date=\'Jan 31 2004, 05:06 PM\'] Teachers are too preoccupied with their stupid soap operas to know about game shows. That's all they do in the teachers' lounge -- chain smoke and watch soaps. One probably said to the other, "Mabel, that guy on The Price Is Right died" and Mabel responded with "Oh, you mean Bob Barker?" and that's how the rumor got started. Mabel could have responded with "Pat Sajak" or "Gene Rayburn" and we'd be hearing rumors about them.

Tell your teacher it was Gene Rayburn who died. [/quote]
 Then why did some teachers I can recall call game shows stupid, yet they were watching soaps, which are on a negligible intellectual level the way some game shows are/were.

[Kevin Prather]

[quote name=\'chris319\' date=\'Jan 31 2004, 03:06 PM\'] stupid soap operas [/quote]
 Here, here! *raises his glass to Chris*

[Brandon Brooks]

[quote name=\'chris319\' date=\'Jan 31 2004, 05:06 PM\'] Teachers are too preoccupied with their stupid soap operas to know about game shows. That's all they do in the teachers' lounge -- chain smoke and watch soaps. One probably said to the other, "Mabel, that guy on The Price Is Right died" and Mabel responded with "Oh, you mean Bob Barker?" and that's how the rumor got started. Mabel could have responded with "Pat Sajak" or "Gene Rayburn" and we'd be hearing rumors about them.

Tell your teacher it was Gene Rayburn who died. [/quote]
 Wow.

In your younger years, a teacher must've shafted you.

Brandon Brooks

[PeterMarshallFan]

Yep, here's where it started:

http://www.golden-road.net/modules.php?nam...1ba7bee6745c617

[MikeK]

[quote name=\'chris319\' date=\'Jan 31 2004, 05:06 PM\'] Teachers are too preoccupied with their stupid soap operas to know about game shows. That's all they do in the teachers' lounge -- chain smoke and watch soaps. [/quote]
 *writing in notebook*

Chain smoke.  Watch soaps.

I don't recall being taught that in any of my education courses but I might've been absent that day.

ObGS:  For my educational technology course, I created a TPiR Web activity aimed to high school students taking a statistics course.  The instructor thoroughly enjoyed it.

[Jimmy Owen]

Is it possible someone heard the story about Alex Trebek's accident and mixed him up with Bob.  To the average viewer, what's the difference?  Alex does occasionally appear on a commercial during TPIR.

[Craig Karlberg]

[quote name=\'Jimmy Owen\' date=\'Jan 31 2004, 10:56 PM\'] Is it possible someone heard the story about Alex Trebek's accident and mixed him up with Bob.  To the average viewer, what's the difference?  Alex does occasionally appear on a commercial during TPIR. [/quote]
I don't think so.  The Bob Barker death rumor was stirred up at least 24 hours before Alex's accident.  Though he & Bob are nearly 20 years apart in age, it's rather hard to mix the 2 up unless you look closely at their facial features.

[chris319]

*writing in notebook*

Chain smoke. Watch soaps.

I don't recall being taught that in any of my education courses but I might've been absent that day.

Maybe you have to spend 10 years with screeching, unruly third-graders for this affliction to take hold. In your case you'll be bringing a DVD player and watching episodes of Blackout.

[MikeK]

[quote name=\'chris319\' date=\'Feb 1 2004, 08:13 AM\']

*writing in notebook*

Chain smoke. Watch soaps.

I don't recall being taught that in any of my education courses but I might've been absent that day.

Maybe you have to spend 10 years with screeching, unruly third-graders for this affliction to take hold. In your case you'll be bringing a DVD player and watching episodes of Blackout. [/quote]
 In my case, it'll be three months of unruly high schoolers, and I'll have a flask of some potent potable hidden in my desk...plus that DVD player with Blackout.  If Blackout doesn't eradicate the stress of dealing with rowdy teenagers, the alcohol will blackout everything.