The Price Is Right's Bob Barker Hosted More Game Shows Than You Probably Think
If you know the name Bob Barker, it's more than likely you know him as the host of the game "The Price Is Right" for 35 years. You may also recall him coming out on top after a tussle with Adam Sandler in "Happy Gilmore" where he made sure audiences knew that the price is, in fact, right.
When Barker retired as the host of "The Price is Right" in 2007, the show stood as the longest-running daytime game show in history. Even after Barker's retirement, the franchise continued with comedian Drew Carey taking the lead.
"I'm often asked what I loved most about my years with 'Price,' and the first thing that pops to mind is ... the money, of course!" Barker joked in 2021 to People. Reminiscing more seriously, he went on to say he was happy the show's massive audience gave him the opportunity to remind people to spay and neuter their pets.
Besides always telling us to control the pet population on "The Price Is Right" through the decades, Barker had plenty more experiences in the world of game shows. These hosting duties may not be as well known to audiences, but they proved Barker was a versatile talent.
Truth or Consequences was his first big gig
Before "The Price Is Right" ever came into his life, Barker was the host of "Truth or Consequences." In 1956, Barker was hired to host the show, which had contestants perform stunts, and if they failed at one, they would get a quick round of questions they needed to answer. Barker hosted the competition series until 1974, meaning there were multiple years of overlap with his time hosting "The Price Is Right" as he was hired for that gig in 1972.
Before making its way to television, "Truth or Consequences" was actually hosted through NBC radio and headed by Ralph Edwards from 1940 to 1957, according to the Encyclopedia of Daytime Television. Other TV hosts besides Barker came along including Edwards, Jack Bailey, Steve Dunne, Bob Hilton, and Larry Anderson. It was also later adapted for British television as "Would I Lie To You?" Hosted by Steve Penk, the adaptation aired from 1998 to 1999.
Barker had been aware of the "Truth or Consequences" radio show before taking on hosting duties and he considered Ralph Edwards an influence and one of the biggest figures in game show entertainment, the host told the Television Academy Foundation.
According to Barker in the same interview, Edwards got the idea to hire Barker after being dissatisfied with host auditions and turning on his car radio and hearing Barker's voice.
The Family Game was a short-lived twist on The Newlywed Game
In 1967, while hosting "Truth or Consequences," Barker also hosted the brief run of "The Family Game." Similar to the game show "The Newlywed Game," "The Family Game" took multiple families, including children, and had them try to match answers to a variety of questions.
"The Family Game" was created by Chuck Barris, who was also behind "The Newlywed Game." If that name sounds familiar, it could be because Barris was played by Sam Rockwell in George Clooney's "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind," which was based on Barris's book, which made the claim that he was working closely with the CIA.
"The Family Game" didn't last long, but it did inspire a real-life board game released by Hasbro, according to Board Game Geek.
Clips of the black and white series can be found on YouTube. Each episode included three families and much of the show's humor comes from Barker's interaction with the kids. In one clip on YouTube, he asks a young girl what her father drinks that she wouldn't. The girl replies, "hot sauce," getting a laugh from the audience and presenting Barker with a moment to milk.
"I'm anxious to meet your father," Barker eventually says, eliciting more laughter from the audience.
Barker was one of the many Pillsbury Bake-Off hosts
Barker was also the long-running host of the annual "Pillsbury Bake Off" competition, which he hosted from 1970-1982, per Pillsbury. The contest began in 1949 and Barker had the longest run of every other host of the broadcast, which included fellow game show hosting legend Alex Trebek from 1994 to 1998. Others to host the competition include everyone from Martha Stewart in 2012 to Oprah Winfrey in 2010.
The contests pull contestants from all over the country, and hosts make their way from baker to baker, checking in on their recipes and emceeing the proceedings for TV cameras. While Barker was hosting the contest, Pillsbury would spend $1 million for the bake-off but retain rights to all the recipes presented, according to a 1982 story on the event from The Washington Post.
While it isn't the major television event it once was, the Bake-Off is still a thing, and the past few installments have aired on the Food Network. Notably, it's also the reason the considerably more popular show "The Great British Bake Off" has to be referred to as "The Great British Baking Show" for United States audiences, as Pillsbury retains exclusive rights to the term "bake-off" in America.