Live in Tunica

Game Show Forum doesn't spend all their time parsing tiny details of long defunct shows.

Once in a while a poster actually comments on something that happened less than three decades ago. For instance, this thread discusses a GSF member's experience at The Price is Right's live show when it trundled through Tunica, MS.

Long story short: he had a blast and won $350. Todd Newton helmed this particular show, and the poster burbles with enthusiasm for Todd's hosting skills...

I was beyond impressed with both the hosting and announcing [by Todd Newton and Randy West] and their interaction throughout was really great...as much as I have defended CBS's choice of Drew Carey over the years, while I understand their reasoning, they made a mistake not picking Todd Newton...his hosting was effortless and he kept us laughing and engaged throughout...and he and Randy make a great team.

According to then TPiR showrunner Roger Dobkowitz, Todd Newton did get an audition for the host gig on the TV version of The Price is Right when Bob Barker was about to retire. Dobkowitz was impressed with Todd's technical skills but thought he was a little too slick and set in his ways from hosting all those live TPiR shows...

One of the first that we tested was Todd Newton. Todd is a great guy and one of the nicest people I know. He has a special charm about him in person. I wanted that charm to come out during his test. Unfortunately, and I think it was because of the Price Is Right Live-On-Stage shows that he was doing at that time, he came across a little mechanical and, as some people described him, as slick. The grind of doing Live-On-Stage shows to a new audience each night might have caused him to be more mechanical.

Too bad for Todd. But he continues to make a good living from the live shows to this day. One thing I didn't know was that TPiR's touring show has its own Wikipedia article. The article seems a little dated, though. It only mentions a few locales for the show. By now the live TPiR production has hit a zillion locations throughout North America.

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