Is the Price Right?

A few months back, I was appalled when Drew Carey was announced as Bob Barker's replacement on "The Price is Right." Today I happened to catch some of the show with Carey at the helm and my mind has not changed.

Bob Barker was an icon. He had been doing game shows for 50 plus years. He was a game show host. He was "The Price is Right."

In his replacement, they selected another icon, Carey. But Carey is not a game show host. He is a comedian. Now, he has done some game shows, but none that were successful, with the exception of one, "Who's Line Is It Anyway."

And can you guess why "Who's Line" was successful? It wasn't because Carey is a good game show host, it was because he is a good comedian. "Who's Line" was a comedy show more than it was a game show.

Accepting the position as Barker's replacement was also a bad career move for Carey. He could have done much better sticking to comedy and steering clear of game shows. Now he will inevitably be dragged down into the realm of two-bit hosts on dying game shows later to be recycled on the Game Show Network.

A better choice would have been to select a replacement for Barker that was relatively unknown, perhaps with some game show experience. That way that person could easily step into the most iconic game show of modern time without overshadowing or conflicting with the program.

Instead we have two big icons, Carey and "The Price," clashing together on the TV, creating an abysmally boring game show.