Who knew there was a book about what goes on “Behind the big doors at The Price is Right?” I certainly didn’t… but I was pleasantly surprised to come home from work tonight, to find a copy of “Come on Down!” on my desk. Kelly bought me a copy and, as much as I usually don’t enjoy reading books… I sat right down and started reading. (That’s why tonight’s posts are sooooo ridiculously late.) Here’s the book’s listing on amazon.com. It’s written by Stan Blits — who works in three different roles on the show.
As promised, the book tells you what goes on “Behind the big doors at TPIR,” and it’s written very well. It’s not too “dumbed down” for people who work in TV, yet it’s not too “over your head” for people who’ve never stepped foot in a TV studio before. The book explains how the show is put together — everything from how they decide which games to play and which prizes will be offered — to how the audience members are interviewed for their chance to potentially become contestants.
Through it all, Blits maintains a sense of humor that’s sometimes cheesy, but sometimes a little edgier… you might even call it PG-rated. I almost wondered at some points if CBS will wind up getting nasty letters from sponsors, or even from ultra-conservative viewers who can’t stomach reading words like “damn” or “ass.”
At the end of the book, there’s a 20-something page fake episode where you can “play” the games for yourself. The rules are bent, so even if you don’t have the best bid in contestants’ row, you still get to go up on “stage” and play the games. As you’d expect with any book that tries to emulate a TV or computer game, it’s lame… but at least it’s just a small section at the very end of the book… and Blits has some fun with the prize descriptions so it’s still a little fun to read.
And now, as a bonus for reading to the end of my review, here’s a page full of TPIR Sound Effects!
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