The Spirit of the Game: Cory’s 12/16′s DSW Reaction
I own the Jeopardy! DVD Game and as you, fair reader, might know, all the responses are in the form somewhat obvious multiple choice answers (or questions, as the case may be). Now, the fair way to play a game like that in the spirit of the game would be to buzz in if you think you know, then affirm your thought process by buzzing in. A friend of mine would buzz, no matter if he knew it or not, and the rest of us were pissed at him. Buzzing in without a thought and taking a random guess is rather annoying, especially if your guesses are excessively right or wrong. You’re not cheating; far from it. But, by being shady in your play tactics, you run the risk of ruining everyone else’s fun. “The spirit of the game” is essential to any kind of game. Bending the rules of a game just to win takes away from the fun of the game.
Today’s Double Showcase Win during the Price is Right was the perfect example of ruining the spirit of the game.
From poster Ted on the Golden-Road.net forums:
“There was a very long stopdown between the showcases and the reveal, and lots of conversations going on all over the stage between groups of people. I really don’t think they knew how to proceed, since this wasn’t like somebody bidding $17500 and being on the nose…For the record, this was the third time that I got a showcase on the nose while in the studio…Not sure if I’m welcome at Studio 33 anymore, but I’m sure I’ll find out one of these days…”
I should probably get this out of the way now: Congratulations to Terry on your big haul. $50K+ isn’t too bad, especially since you know my good friend Jay Lewis. Edit: J/K. I misread a journal entry. Sorry, Jay! You’re, at this point, a somewhat innocent bystander in a disappointing moment for two reasons: Ted, the producers of TPiR and Drew Carey.
First, the lashing at Ted: If I were the producer, I would more likely than not, if just for the sake of the budget, essentially ban you from the studio, just as other G-R.neters have already been essentially banned. You know the prizes. You know that the producers at Price don’t really change the prizes that often. Hell, even in Ken Jennings’ book Brainiac, he notes that the Jeopardy! writers will recycle facts somewhat. That doesn’t mean that you should shout out exact answers. The point of the Price is Right is not, as you may or may not think, to give away money and prizes, although that’s a fun side effect. The point is to reward those who make it on stage and have a knowledge of pricing items. What did Bob say on the first episode? “This is your favorite game, still based on the pricing of merchandise, with wonderful awards for smart shoppers.” The game is not meant to reward those with an encyclopedic, freakish nature of items given out on the show. If you would like to participate, then ignore your exact numbers and give ballparks so at the very least, you look less suspicious. Why do casinos frown on card counters? They have an advantage that the other players can’t or don’t have, and that’s against the spirit of the game. The young lady with the excellent bid? It seems as if she didn’t listen to the same help that Terry had, and she should have won her showcase because it was her bid and a very good bid at that. There is no excuse for what you did, it’s not cute, it’s not commendable and it changes the show from “I think I know how much that costs!” to “I hope Ted is in the audience so I can rob CBS.”
Now, the lashing at the producers: COME ON! You’ve sequestered two members of Golden-Road.net because they memorized products, and you’ve got the Banhammer coming down on the third one. Obviously, you guys are either not screening/banning people well enough or maybe you’re recycling too many prizes. I know the Chips Ahoy Snack Pack is 55 cents and I shouldn’t. I know that we’re in a recession and getting sponsors is difficult, but there’s no excuse for re-using prizes over and over again, especially in the largest, most expensive part of the show. If you’re going to stop tape for 45 minutes for a problem that 1) you know existed before, with people memorizing prizes and 2) someone listened to one of those guys, maybe you should start taking preventive measures to make sure you’re not giving Double Showcase Wins away every show.
Finally, Drew. Drew. Drew. I know you read us. I know you’ve seen our website. Listen to me: Your performance was inexcusable. I don’t care if you knew the outcome was shady. Jack Barry knew his outcome was shady and, for the sake of entertainment, pretended that everything was hunky-dory. Granted, that was rigged by the producers, but you get what I’m saying. You are getting chided throughout the internets (and therefore, the country, at least) for the most underwhelming display of emotion anyone has ever seen when someone has won $50,000. I was on Wheel of Fortune and I got beat by a f’ing Prize Puzzle and I still cheered and clapped for the two who beat me. You are, first and foremost, an entertainer and, to a lesser extent, an actor. Act like it’s big news, even if you know it’s not. Your performance this year has been shaky and unsteady, like a boat in the storm. You need to have a steadier performance, you need to think about how your actions on stage appear on the finished product and you need to act like a goddamn professional. You have the potential to be a very good game show host; act like one.
Alex will undoubtedly have more to say, so look for that in the upcoming hours.
Could not. Agree. MORE.
Spot on the money.
It’s too bad they don’t make Cram anymore. The Golden Roaders would have a great time on that show.
How the hell is this Ted’s fault in any sort? If he knows the prices to the prizes, and yells them out, it’s not his fault that A) They’re exactly the same every time, B) the contestant decides to use them, and C) The producers notice a problem after the fact.
The blame for this goes squarely to the producers and Drew. Take a note from BigJon’s game. He does not have the same price every time for a car or a specific prize. While you might offer a trip to Washington, DC every once in a while, there’s no excuse as to why you can’t switch up the length, the hotel, the airfare, or even add a few meals into the deal, to change the price just a bit. Add a few obscure options to that Honda Accord. You get my drift. While BigJon’s game does not do this by adding or subtracting options, it’s the same premise, making the game that much harder.
Drew, on the other hand, no matter what happens, and no matter what the reason, should have made this an important moment no matter how it happened. This was not his fault, but by the looks of it on TV, the blame falls squarely on his shoulders. When you see it on TV without any background, you see someone who doesn’t care, and never did, that no matter what, this was a historic moment, and should have been treated as such. If Drew didn’t get that, then he shouldn’t be hosting Price.
Julia, I agree with you, to a point. The producers should be changing things up and Drew dropped the ball. I again refer to Ken Jennings’ book to talk about those who memorize Quiz Bowl answers: it changes the game from “who knows what” to “who knows what they’re going to ask” and frankly spoils the spirit of the show. Loyal friend and true my ass.
Did Bob not say that paying attention pays off? What ever happened to that spirit?
From what I’ve been reading on Golden-Road, I’ve noticed that the respect for LFATs is gone from the staff there. One person even said that he was moved from his cozy 2nd row seat with his family back to a few rows back. The only reason he can figure out is because he mentioned that he was on G-R within earshot of a page. That might not be the reason, but all things point to it being the reason. If this is the personality of the show tapings now, I can see why people don’t want to go back anymore.
I’ve just got through watching it on TiVo (I went Christmas shopping this morning), and I thought it was incredible, and a little suspicious at the same time. And is it just me or did Drew Carey act like he just didn’t care? Anyhow, congratulations to Ted on his $56,437 in prizes.
Here are some ideas for future DSWs who gets it right on the nose: Both prizes and $25,000.
For me, the viewer who doesn’t know anything about Golden Road.net (or whatever,) and otherwise wouldn’t know about these behind the scenes facts, this was a real disappointment from Drew. No excitement. No nothing. Granted, I wasn’t expecting streamers or anything beyond a standard Double Showcase Win, but looking at Drew, you would’ve thought both contestants had gone over. Not even excited over the first contestant. What a shame, really.
I think I’ll call this another reason why this should be the last season of The Price is Right for a while… I think we’ve all had enough of Manic Depressive Drew Carey. I’ve considered myself a LFAT of TPIR, but this really takes the cake. I’d rather see CBS daytime revivals of Press Your Luck and Pyramid done right.
“The point of the Price is Right is not, as you may or may not think, to give away money and prizes”
Well, that just sums it up, doesn’t it?
The point of a bright, happy, noisy game show is to not be bright, happy, and noisy.
The producers get stiffed if they do away with the more obscure “always ends in 0″ types of rules, yet in a case where they haven’t done away with something that rewards eagle-eyed viewers, they get stiffed.
It’s Carpenter Millionaire all over again. Can’t even be happy for someone without a ****storm starting over the moment not being absolutely perfect.
You know, I watched this today and was thrilled with the feat, but now I read this am sincerely bummed. Actually, I’m pissed. Are we to believe Ted didn’t tell the guy ahead of time he was some sort of TPIR freak and had memorized the prices…he sat right next to him. He visibly motioned to Terry’s wife that he had suggested the exact price on the washer/dryer IUFB.
And this is an open comment to Ted:
Do you think you’re cute? Did you do it just to impress your friends on the net so you could openly brag about it as soon as the show aired?
Mark my words, YOU and fans like you, not Drew Carey, will be the end of this show. All you’re doing is showing that the show perhaps has run it’s course. It was fun before when things could be somewhat unpredictable, but today is just an example of a thought that has probably run through some CBS staffer’s head “We’ve been on for 37 years, maybe we’ve finally lost that surprise feel; maybe we’ve run our course. Hell America knows all the prices. What kind of show can we have now?”
Also, don’t you know how skeptical the American audience is? We never believe anything without having to have proof. Ever heard the saying, “Don’t believe anything you hear and only half of what you see?” Just imagine the number of viewers who watched this today and said “What a rig-job, there’s no way he could’ve just picked that number out of the sky.” Remember us fans on the net are a very tiny, tiny few of the total viewership. Not everyone will hear the true story of what happened today, they’ll just talk about it and say “Yeah, I saw it, it had to be fixed.”
So congratulations…you’ve just hung a dark cloud over Studio 33.
Keep it up and you’ll get rid of Drew…you’ll also end up getting rid of the show and then you and your friends will sit curled up in a dark corner rocking back and forth sweating and muttering “but I got it on the nose, but I got it on the nose.”
See I don’t know…
I think the Drew bashing would have been inevitable. If Drew did act excited people would be hating on Drew just like they are now since he would have played it off. Terry lost on the switch gimme and yet he had the showcase right on the nose. I honestly thought something fishy happened when I watched the show since he got that on the nose and he also got his IUFB on the nose too. It makes me wonder if he lost Switch on purpose. And when watching it, Drew seemed like he knew something we didn’t know after the DSW by his tone of voice.
But yeah this is going to be very interesting to see how this all turns out.
Kevin G. wrote: “It’s Carpenter Millionaire all over again. Can’t even be happy for someone without a ****storm starting over the moment not being absolutely perfect.”
I remember when I saw John Carpenter win a million, and I was very happy for him. I know no one in my house thought it was rigged – heck, we knew the answer, too! :) But for me, that was exciting. I think what happened for Terry is great regardless. What bugs the heck out of me is that Drew either doesn’t care anymore, or is acting like he doesn’t care anymore. Either way, it’s a loss for the fans. I’m ready for more changes.
I wholeheartedly agree with this post. I’ve been a lifetime TPIR and game show fan. I even produced my own game show for 3 seasons in college.
If something like this had happened on MY show, I would’ve been seriously pissed off. I probably would’ve played it off a lot like Drew did. Of course, I was the producer, not the host, and it’s not my job to put a happy face on it. He should’ve responded better.
But, ultimately, game shows are about having fun. It’s like playing Trivial Pursuit with a bunch of friends but one guy in the back has all the cards memorized. The game ceases to be fun to play.
I’m going to have a hard time watching TPiR after today, and it sure isn’t because of Drew’s reveal. Because from now on, every time a contestant scores a huge win I’m going to be thinking in the back of my head “Did they REALLY guess that right, or did they have help?”
TPiR got Michael Larsen’d today. I believe its days are numbered now. If so, then it will be a sad ending for one of television’s greatest institutions.
^Yeah this is BIG. I wouldn’t be surprised if it gets canceled or goes into a hiatus after this. I wonder if any news shows will have stories about this…
Hey all,
After watching and reading everyone’s opinions on this, why not chime in. First, Cory, I respect your opinion, however, I am going to disagree a bit. I don’t think this ruins “The spirit of the show”. The spirit of the show has always been a loud audience yelling out answers. Some of them are great, others are terrible. I understand your complaint about someone who knows exact prices of things. Unfortunately, in the age we live, that will happen sometimes, whether anyone wants it to or not. I think if/when it happens TOO OFTEN is when the issue becomes a lot bigger. Back when this show started, no one videotaped shows. Now, you can watch an episode online. That, by it’s nature, makes it easier to study prices of prizes.
I will concede, I don’t think this guy would have come up with that bid on his own. However, he got lucky with who he was sitting with, because he probably found out in line that this guy knows his prices and decided that IF he got called, he would look to him. Anyone who has been to the show, myself included, always wants a good friend to look to for help in the audience
. I think, honestly, the poorest part about this has been the term of “rigging”. The show IS NOT RIGGED! By definition, the Producers would have had a hand in what happened, and they clearly did not, nor would they ever.
As far as others, I must say it surprises me that many people will be skeptical of big wins now. I didn’t take that away from the show at all.
I also think Price may now be looking at the repeat of their prizes and make some changes in that direction, something which I don’t disagree with. I think there needs to be some familiarity (admit it- it’s nice when you watch that you KNOW the price of the Chips Ahoy Cookies), but you do need to temper it with some fresh and change too.
And Cory, I don’t see this like a card counter. This is a TV show that has an audience, something which a casino does not have to worry about. A card counter hurts the house BAD, but unfortunately, the casino house can’t change the game except to remove them. This house (TPIR) can change the prizes offered and the prices though.
Something that has annoyed me about TPIR is its use of “Suggested Retail Price on the West Coast”. Honestly, it makes me not think badly of Ted in the least because the prices are – to be blunt – fake and arbitrary. Who the heck pays “Suggested Retail Price” anymore? If the show actually rewarded “smart shoppers” for their knowledge about what items should cost, then it wouldn’t be using artificially inflated prices for items. Thus, the knowledge about “Suggested Retail Price” is a completely arbitrary fact, and if people memorize those prices, more power to them. And don’t get me started about the trips – how in the world is somebody supposed to estimate the price of those given that people can pay several different prices for the same seat on the same flight or the same type of room in a hotel depending on when/how they book trips?
Posted by Brad D.: Terry lost on the switch gimme and yet he had the showcase right on the nose. I honestly thought something fishy happened when I watched the show since he got that on the nose and he also got his IUFB on the nose too. It makes me wonder if he lost Switch on purpose.
Ted posted on Golden-Road that he helped Terry out with Switch. He said he gave Terry the wrong advice, and that is why he lost.
Alright, alright…first off, the show ain’t gonna end because of this…please!!!!
There is a very simple explaination. Ted did nothing WRONG! So what, he watches the show probably more than you and I do and he pays attention to the show and the prizes (obviously). To speculate and say he told the contestant and his wife before the show he memorized all the prices…even if he did, it’s NOT ILLEGAL AND WRONG! Having a price list with you is ILLEGAL AND WRONG, not this….Audience participation by shouting out prices has always been part of the show, ALWAYS! This is no different. Ted helped a contestant win and he beat TPIR at their own game, PERIOD! No contestants and audience members are at fault!! I congratulate Ted’s ability to play along with the show so accurately. And kudos the contestant who won over $50K and made history!!
I do agree with Alex that Drew basically blew it with his lack of enthusiasm. Poor, poor poor!
^yeah I know Xavier. The show here in Buffalo wasn’t able to be seen since the station here had technical difficulties so I couldn’t see it until it was uploaded (and I didn’t watch it until almost midnight). I meant to edit my post in past tense to show how I felt when watching the show online but my post just came out like that in the spur of the moment. But the average viewer who doesn’t know anything about the situation and/or G-R.net probably thinks the show was rigged.
No no no. Terry is NOT a friend of mine.
The contestants share the same names as my g/f’s folks.
I must say, I agree wholeheartedly with Cory’s post. I know people in the audience always yell out prices, numbers, help, and advice to the contestants, but that DSW took it a bit too far. As Cory said, a couple of people were essentially banned from Studio 33 because of similar situations. One such individual cost the show millions of dollars. However, what he did was somewhat different – he told everyone in line to look at him for help (and to my knowledge, this was in earshot of the producers), whereas this Ted guy just told one person (Terry) to look at him for help. The situations are a bit different, but in a sense, they’re kinda similar as well. Some people would even go as far as saying what Ted and this other guy did is kinda like card counting in a casino. Still, if there were people like this whose freakish knowledge of prices and stuff were causing questionable things like this to happen, I would most certainly ban them from the studio if I was the producer, especially if the show had been experiencing budget problems at the time.
Either way, congrats to Terry for the awesome win. I wish Drew would have handled it better, but hey, you can’t have everything. I wonder what the Price staff will do about this Ted character the next time he attends a taping of the show. Being a LFaT of the show means you should just be a fan of the show. It should not mean that you have to memorize the prices of everything that TPiR gives away. I suppose that it’s sometimes good to know the prices of stuff, which can sometimes come in handy you’re buying things at a store, but anyone who constantly memorizes the prices of things just because they’re a really big fan of the show needs to seriously get a life. That’s my $1.98 on this matter.
1.Yes they need better screening (A question on the Application “Have you ever been on “Golden-road.net”? perhaps)
2. If the recycling of prizes is bad as I’m hearing, Who’s to say another Michael Larson isn’t out there? And while were on the subject shouldn’t someone at CBS S&P remind the people at TPIR of that fact?
3. It would have been interesting to see had this been a MDS what the would have done. Also what they could have done?
4. I agree that drew shold have played it straight instead of making it like he was $1 over instead of getting it right on the nose.
I’m going to have to “chime in” here(sorry for the off-net pun), but I think at least for the Showcases, have the rules in effect like for wheel and J!,
no help from the audience.
Also a $50,000 bonus for someone who comes within $50 seems doable
That’s all.
Okay, I am probably going to get slammed for this but……
Cory, I respect your opinion, but I honestly think you took things a bit too far with your comments. This was an exciting moment, and I don’t feel “The Spirit of The Game” was ruined. The spirit of this, and any other game will live on. Look, TPIR is an audience participation show, and always will be! I understand you think the screening process should be improved, but at the same time, you will still get people who know the prices of certain things. For example, Ted. He watches the show, and know the price of things, that’s FINE! If he helps someone win, it’s no different from any other of the many, many times the audience has helped out. And you have also left out the fact that sometimes, the audience causes a contestant to lose, or bailout too early. It’s up to the contestant to determine if they need help or not, if they know the price or not, and if they can win with or without help. Yes, the show recycles prizes, but you must not be paying that much attention to the show because I have seen a lot of NEW prizes as well, the show has a lot of new prizes every year! Keep in mind, TPIR has always recycled certain prizes at certain times because they want to give a fair amount of people a chance to win them. Did you ever think about that? This was just another Michael Larson situation, he did nothing wrong, and neither did Ted, THE END!
So Cory, you’re telling me that the “Spirit of the game” was never in question during the hundreds of past perfect IUFB’s, perfect games, and DSW’s, but NOW, when something as unbelievable as this happens, you do? Um…….Okay. Also, let me get this straight, are you now going to question the integrity of every BIG, or historic moment that happens on every show now?! Are you now going to suspect foul play the next time someone does something big on any game show?! Are you going to question the next Million-Dollar Winner, or perfect game player?! GIVE……ME……A…..BREAK!
Cory, I respect you as a game show fan, but when you, or anyone, morph into “Mr. Angry Game Show Blogger,” making outlandish statements about a show’s future or unnecessary and inaccurate statements or references to society is ridiculous! Unfortunately, I already see too much of that on internet blogs already. Don’t get me wrong, I love blogging, but there are just too many instances of people saying things, that they really shouldn’t say! Often, in retrospect, we realize that some of those things that were said could not have been more wrong! I do not believe the show is doomed, I think TPIR will continue on as long as the format remains tried and true, yes Drew needs to get a WHOLE lot better hosting this show, but he still can. If not, they will get someone else because I still can’t see them canceling this show after all this time. I could be wrong, but for now I stand by this.
Hey, it is your opinion, I respect it, I don’t have to agree. Same, with you. I will still visit Pacdude Games and play your great online wares. And, I know you will respond to this, but before you do, please make an effort not to flame, insult, or scream at the top of your lungs at me. Make it a point, counterpoint, thing if you want, but please, be respectful, and social towards me, and everyone else for that matter.
In closing, I say, in spite of what has been said, Congratulations, Terry on the historic win, and congrats to the show for making it happen! (UNRIGGED, of course! :p)
For my two cents, I think Drew suspected when the contestants made the bids. He made a rather interesting side statement, “A very exact bid”, when Terry gave his. I automatically assumed he was either right on or just over when I heard that.
Also, since I’m not a rules expert, can someone tell me if he hadn’t gotten it on the nose, would the woman have gotten a DSW for being within $500? Seems she should be ticked if so. Might have cost her quite a bit.
As to whether Price should ride off into the sunset, I don’t think so. It seems to me that, for the most part, Drew is excited for those who actually earn their prizes rather than those who have a G-R.netter to look to.
Not to be random or anything, but the only thing that raised my eyebrows in that post was Cory saying, “and I still cheered and clapped for the fat bitches who beat me,” referring to his loss on WoF. Holy crap. Considering how he phrased that, I’m amazed he pulled the cheering and clapping off. “Fat bitches”? O_o Geez. Makes me wonder about other contestants on there…
Ryan,
No, what Ted did was not in any way illegal. Whether it was “wrong” or not is in the eye of the beholder, so I won’t comment on that.
However, IF (and that’s a big if) TPIR is in trouble of surviving this incident, it has nothing whatsoever to do with whether or not Ted broke any laws. It has EVERYTHING to do with whether or not the game is still fun to watch. And a show IS less fun to watch if the unpredictability factor is diminished. If it can be reasonably guessed that someone in the audience actually KNOWS the majority of the answers, and if more and more contestants know to look to that person FOR the answers, the unpredictability of the show suffers.
TPIR needs to figure out how to respond to this. If they don’t, then there is indeed a problem that could threaten the program’s survival.
And, for the record, I agree with those who feel that, no matter HOW Drew felt about the situation, his job as a host REQUIRES that he have played the incident up better. That was absolutely abysmal, and there’s really no excuse for it. I won’t join in with those who argue for his replacement. By and large, I’ve liked how Drew’s done. I won’t condemn him for this incident alone. However, on this one, he blew it big time.
A little history is worth recalling here. The reference above to Michael Larsen on Press Your Luck is spot-on. Larsen memorized the patterns of the Big Board — something the producers had never considered. The memorization of board patterns was not illegal. PYL changed the Big Board after that (indeed, those who watch the double-episode carefully will note that some on-the-fly tweaks appear to have been made in the board rotation to try to throw Larsen off, but his pattern memorization was so perfect that the change was of no real consequence).
On TPIR, this contestent did nothing illegal or wrong. He listened to an audience member on a show that encourages and allows that suggestion-making. If CBS/Fremantle wants to avoid this in the future, the answer is simple. Change the prizes, get new prizes, include strange prizes no one could reasonably know the exact price of at time of taping, use strange combinations of prizes for the Showcases. All of this is within the control of the producers.
Now on to Drew — compare his reax to that of the late Peter Tomarken, who was amazed and dumbfounded at Larsen’s run. His reactions only added to the excitement of the game. He reacted the same way we did at home. It was Tomarken’s best performance and perhaps one of the best of any game show host in history, in a history-making moment. Tomarken did not really know what was going on, and he went with the flow as if nothing wrong was happening.
Drew, unfortunately, appears to have been “in” on the discussions during the stop-tape, and it clearly affected his performance and reaction if that was the case. Drew knows an honest moment when he sees it and reacts honestly and genuinely when one happens — the million dollar win on the first episode of Power of 10 was a classic example of game show history, a genuine reaction form the host, and a host who placed the moment in perspective. It was Drew’s best moment as a host, and no wonder CBS signed him on for TPIR. He showed genuine empathy for contestants on that show.
Having said this, I now feel badly for harshing on Drew for lack of professionalism in this case, on another related thread. If he was vested with knowledge about how this contestant made the winning bid, perhaps that was a mistake of the producers for involving him. It clearly affected him if so. But here is my biggest concern for Drew: I did not know about all the circumstances, and I daresay most viewers did not, when I saw the replay. It came off as if Drew was disinterested at best — it was a STRANGE reaction. Now I know why. But it made Drew look very bad. He bears some responsibility, to be sure, but not all of it. In a sense, he was set up, and perhaps his reaction was truly genuine, knowing what he may have known.
I would love for Alex to get an interview with Drew so he can tell his perspective, or for Drew to make a post here and tell us himself. My sense is that Drew considered this a cheap win, and he probably felt that the lady who was also very close was robbed of a legitimate win. But I feel badly that he is being assailed for his performance in an quite unusual situation.
There is a reason that some shows do not allow audience participation or shouting out answers. It makes the game less about the skill or knowledge of the contestant. The problem here is that TPIR has always been about audience participation. So, the producers need to make adjustments, and fast…or set up Jeopardy-style or Twenty-One-style dividers or isolation booths.
I have to wonder how Bob Barker WOULD have handled this…something I admittedly rarely think about. Knowing what we appear to know now, how would each of us have handled the situation? I probably would have delighted in the monent and felt great for the lucky contestant, but let’s not be so quick to throw stones at Drew Carey. And the last thing he needs is thoughtless allegations that he is connected with a “rigged” show. The show is not rigged, just too “predictable”…
Hey Mark B-W:
Appreciate your insight and understand your viewpoint of the unpredictability of the show. I can agree with that.
I would follow up to say, TPIR would need to find ways to maybe make it more challenging for situations like that to ever occur. They got beat on that show by an audience member who know his prices very well. The answer to that, i have no idea….
Interesting comments on many boards about this. Here’ my .02…
This could have happened at any time in the long history of the show. It just happened to take place on Tuesday’s show. I’ve read in another forum that this wouldn’t have happened if Roger Dobkowitz was still EP. WRONG! No matter who’s in charge, you have to keep your eye on flaws — someone will catch on, and someone will take you down as a result.
Go back to the Michael Larsen incident on PYL. Michael wasn’t the first person to know of the show’s biggest flaw, but he was the first person to get on the show and expose it. The same thing applies to Ted and TPiR. It may be wrong and unethical, but it’s not cheating and it’s not against the law.
I do feel bad for Terry, the contestant who won the DSW. Going through a 30-45 minute stopdown and being questioned about cheating puts a damper on the win — I’m curious if he will ever speak publicly on what happened, given the historic nature of his win.
As for Ted, this has more to do, IMO, with the growing power of the Internet than anything else. I remember watching the show in the 80s and remembering the ARP of a few of the smaller prizes on the show (Tylenol, Swanson dinners, etc.). The predictability and memorization were there, but there was no way to share that info with others. Now, thanks to message boards, podcasts, etc., you can, and people are using what they learned to make out big at Studio 33.
I agree that Drew should have handled it better, but I can also understand his frustration with what just happened. I’m curious if he’s having problems trying to handle the criticism he’s getting from numerous fronts.
TPiR simply needs to work on the flaws. No pointing fingers, no shoulder shrugging — just fix the exposed flaws.