Carey On, My Native Son: Drew Takes Over "Price Is Right"
Posted October 15th, 2007 by Rich Heldenfels
The Indians have won, 4-2. So let's look at another Northeast Ohio milestone today. …
You can see that he enjoys dealing with people. He was probably at his best in the little banter in "One Away," about the "mighty sound-effects person," because it was a chance to be a tad silly and still keep the game going.
And he was smart enough to go with a cordless mike instead of, like Bob Barker, sticking with a corded one that could lead to all sorts of mishaps.
But he's still not completely at ease running some of the games. He got a little impatient with one contestant. And even if he's relaxed, you can sense that there have been discussions about being careful with the physical contact with the women — which may be an attempt to avoid reminding viewers of sundry accusations re Barker.
The basic thing Drew needs, though, is an air of command. All of the things I have already mentioned are signs that Drew isn't quite in charge of the on-air activity yet. He's not guiding contestants, not keeping them from spending too much time in consultation with the audience. But it's tough to keep the ship running and still seeming like an affable host. Still, I think it will come in time.
October 15th, 2007 at 10:57 pm
I already think he's terrific, but this is probably because I was never much of a fan of Bob Barker to begin with. Obviously there are some things he needs to work on, as you mentioned above, but he'll get them sooner or later.
Honestly, I think he's already doing a much better job of connecting with some people than Bob did. There were a lot of times it appeared as if Bob was just going through the motions, and Drew seemed more genuine to me.
And, I don't know if I'm happier about what Kenny Lofton (!) did tonight, or seeing Manny struggle mightily against his former team . . .