The Bizarre Time A Contestant Won A Horse On The Price Is Right
"The Price is Right" is a game show so legendary that the mere mention of its name has probably already caused the theme song to echo in your head. With the iconic phrase "Come on down" signaling the start of the popular show, "The Price is Right" tasks contestants with guessing the actual price of different items. If the contestants guess correctly, then the item is theirs. The prizes are extremely varied, and winners can find themselves heading home with appliances, trips, automobiles, money, and almost everything in between.
Although Bob Barker is the face of "The Price is Right," the show existed even before his tenure started in 1972. According to Encyclopedia, a version of the show first aired in 1956 with Bill Cullen as host and was broadcast at different points in time by each of the three major networks of the day –- CBS, NBC, and ABC. This makes "The Price is Right" the longest-running game show in history. Considering how long "The Price is Right" has been on the air, it makes sense to see the prizes change with the times. Here is the bizarre episode of "The Price is Right" where a contestant won a horse.
One contestant on The Price is Right took home a horse and many other prizes
"The Price of Right" often tests contestants' knowledge of pricing, or at the very least, the ability to ballpark something's value. With things like refrigerators, blenders, cars, patio sets, and all expenses paid vacations on the line, players on the game show can walk away with some truly interesting prizes. According to Outsider, in 1958 a person took home a rather unique prize when they won a two-year-old Palomino horse.
The winner of that horse was Carl Slater, who was vacationing in New York City at the time. As reported by Syracuse, Slater also took home a dining room set, a suit of armor, and a trip to Scotland, all of which made him something of a local celebrity at the time in his hometown. The value of all of Slater's winnings was initially reported at $6,000, but information provided by Statista shows that those prizes would be worth over $50,000 by today's standards.
Palominos are a distinct type of horse
As a refresher for those without equestrian knowledge, the term Palomino does not refer to a particular breed of horse but rather its color pattern. According to Horse Racing Sense, Palominos usually have a yellow-hued coat, with shades of white for the mane and tail. As such, these horses aren't some kind of exceptionally fancy breed, though depending on the parentage, the horses can go for truly staggering values –- some reaching upwards to $7 million!
Looking at current prices for Palominos on Horse Clicks, it is clear that these types of horses commonly go for anywhere from $1500 to $15,000 today. At the time of Carl Slater's "The Price is Right" win, Palominos would have had a different value, but still, winning a horse on a game show has to be one of the strangest things to take home — especially if the game show has only been on for two years at the time. At least a couple of good stories came out of that surprising win.