I’m not sure how many episodes of "The Price Is Right" I watched with my grandparents a few decades ago, but it was enough to make "spinning the big wheel" one of the many items on my bucket list.
I just might get the chance on Tuesday, April 23, when The Price Is Right Live comes to the Riverside Theater.
According to the host, Pat Finn, the on-stage version is very similar to the television show.
Audience members pre-register and then some are called to contestants' row ("you're the next contestant on..."). They then proceed to bid on items to win a spot on stage where classic TPIR games from Plinko to Cliffhanger to Hole In One are played for prizes, including a new car.
"The big wheel is the same. The yodeling in the cliffhanger game is the same, too," says Finn.
Finn became the host of "The Joker’s Wild" in 1990 and went on to host "Shop ‘Til You Drop" and the California-based "The Big Spin." He is also a producer of game shows.
Since he was a child, Finn wanted to host "The Price Is Right." When he was hired as the lead man on "Joker’s Wild," he was honored to get the former dressing room of Bob Barker, the host of TPIR from 1972-2007. (Drew Carey took over as the host in 2007).
"People love this show for so many reasons. For some, it’s the chance to win, but for others, it’s really about nostalgia. The show reminds them of a simpler time in their lives," says Finn. "I really like to see people so happy."
Go here for tickets and to read more about the legalities of the show.
Molly Snyder started writing and publishing her work at the age 10, when her community newspaper printed her poem, "The Unicorn.” Since then, she's expanded beyond the subject of mythical creatures and written in many different mediums but, nearest and dearest to her heart, thousands of articles for OnMilwaukee.
Molly is a regular contributor to FOX6 News and numerous radio stations as well as the co-host of "Dandelions: A Podcast For Women.” She's received five Milwaukee Press Club Awards, served as the Pfister Narrator and is the Wisconsin State Fair’s Celebrity Cream Puff Eating Champion of 2019.
