THE PERFECT BID IS A GOOD WATCH TO HONOR BOB BARKER

Game shows are not what they used to be. They used to rule airwaves at night well before they ever became a daytime staple. Folks used to gather round the “ol’ boob tube” and watch strangers win fabulous prizes, trips, and cold hard cash. As sitcoms started to control more of the viewing landscape game shows became the friend of housewives and kids home sick from school. In the 1970s and 80s it was the boom of the daytime game show. You could watch them in the morning and then in the afternoon before supper as they sandwiched soap operas and talk shows. The Almighty On High of game shows is The Price Is Right. No other game show is as well known or as iconic in pop culture as TPIR. From tag lines to “come on down”, and “It’s a brand new car” to games like PLINKO and the Big Wheel you know what show people are talking about. It even has spawned a rule in numbers games of “getting as close as you can without going over” simply referred to as The Price Is Right rule. In 2017 Netflix released a documentary about a man and his ability to get the prices too right called “The Perfect Bid: The Contestant That Knew Too Much“.

In this documentary you get introduced to Theodore “Ted” Slauson who is a mathematician. He became somewhat obsessed with The Price Is Right and traveled several times to the show to try to get on it. Interestingly enough is he was on it more than you think even if he wasn’t in Contestants Row. Ted knew almost every price on the show no matter what the product was. You get to see his story and a bit of Bob Barker’s as well. How the show functions also gets revealed and what and where those folks go after they win.

Ted’s story takes a bit to get to the really good part, but just like sitting in Contestants Row you have to wait your turn. Ted talks about how he went to the tapings and what he did to get on. He also shares that if he made a friend of you in line that he would help you from the audience. Several times you get to see his knowledge help others before he finally gets his shot. Bob gives his input along with a former producer to give some real depth to the story. Does everything turn out to be trips and new cars for Ted? Sort of. That’s where things go from the Race Game to Cliffhanger in a few scenes. Ted Slauson is and should continue to be a pop culture icon. Save for the spinning of The Big Wheel he might be, but leave it to other people to steal his thunder whether you want to believe it or not. See a bit of what made Bob Barker the epitome of game show hosts and while he will always be the G.O.A.T that all others are compared to. It’s from 2017 but definitely give this a watch to see how great the show, Bob, and Ted truly are while we all mourn the loss of the guy that entertained us on snow days and took care of us on sick days. What was the price of having Bob Barker around? Priceless.