The Science of Winning on The Price Is Right: 5 Tips from a Sore Loser
Last week I had the opportunity to travel to Burbank, California, where I was interviewed as a forensic DNA expert for a Discovery Channel show—an incredible experience that is a story for another day. But, that is how I ended up with a free afternoon in the land of show biz. And there was only one thing that I knew was happening in Burbank on a regular basis - live tapings of The Price Is Right in front of a studio audience—and last week that audience included me! I'd been a fan of America's favorite game show "TPIR" since before I could walk—my babysitter would watch the show on our family tv every day while she was folding laundry. I think many boomers and Gen Xers feel the same nostalgia about TPIR as I do. And today, I still watch the program any chance I can get. It has always been on my bucket list to be on a game show one day, and last week I made it happen.
So, you ask... why am I a "sore loser"? Well, I left the show with a throat that was raw from cheering so much, and hands that stung from clapping for nearly 3 hours straight, so I was physically in pain that evening! No wonder TPIR tickets are free—it's actually a lot of work to be an active member of the studio audience! And the loser part? Well, I wasn't a contestant, so I didn't play a game, which means I didn't win anything—not even the $100 raffle at the end. So maybe "sore loser" isn't the right phrase to describe my feelings about TPIR, as I had a blast and would do it all over again in a heartbeat. Maybe I should call myself a just a "non-winner in pain!"
Anyway, back to my 5 tips for anyone else who dreams of getting "called on down" to be the next contestant on The Price Is Right! As a forensic scientist, I make a living out of collecting data and making observations to come up with testable hypotheses in my own field of forensic genetics. But here I've applied my skills to show business, outlining a testable strategy to be a winning contestant on my favorite game show, TPIR. Read on if you want to get lucky and improve your odds of being a winning contestant on TPIR!
1. Go with a group.
Do not go alone - you will look like a "sore loser" like me! The Price Is Right seems like an individual sport, but 100% of the 9 selected contestants on the show were members of a team. The team could be a 2-player married couple celebrating a milestone anniversary. Or, the team could be a family visiting LA on vacation, or a group of coworkers on a teambuilding activity. Why do team members make better contestants? Because the entire team is allowed to stand up and cheer when someone in their group gets "called on down"! This is the inside knowledge that I learned from going to the show myself. Everyone else in the audience -- who is not on that person's team—has to remain seated; only the group gets to stand up and cheer. This looks great on TV—it shows that the contestant has a big group of supporters in their life. If you go to the show solo like me, who is going to stand up and cheer for you? No one! No one else can! Not even the friendly person sitting next to you. They can't stand up to cheer since they aren't parcel to your party of 1. No team? No play. No win.
2. Wear a bright colored t-shirts with a custom theme for your team.
On my episode, eight of the 9 contestants followed this rule, a whopping 89%. The only person who didn't wear a theme t-shirt was Ruby—her team just wore their own, colorful outfits with bright pink as a theme color, although the outfits were each completely unique. But Ruby is the exception to the rule. My advice is to just have everyone on the team do their part and wear the team t-shirt. Some wore plain, colorful t-shirts. As for which color to use - green seemed to be the lucky color for my show, as 3 of the 9 contestants wore green! Bright colors also look great on TV—fluorescent yellow and fluorescent orange made it to contestant's row. And no white, black or neutral, per the rules. Once you've picked a team color, customize your team shirt to make it stand out from the crowd. Bedazzle them, add dollar signs, or write a message TPIR message for the host of the show. Any customization is great—it doesn't have to be expensive or fancy—crafty works if you want to decorate the t-shirts by hand. To go the extra mile, get a custom screen printer and put Drew's face on your t-shirt. Or your dog's face with a TPIR sale tag next to it that says "priceless". Make it catchy, cheesy, corny, or just plain cute. But for the best chance of getting on stage, make sure your team has a bright, custom-themed t-shirt!
3. Show your personality!
Don't be shy, that's not what being on TV is all about. You don't have to be the biggest attention seeker of the group, although that person -- Melody from Texas—was indeed the 5th person called down by George to play the game on my episode. During the wait for the auditioning process, Melody was dancing, woo-hooing, cheering, smiling, and all-around bubbly, when everyone else was sitting down in their seats. Melody also followed rules 1 and 2—she came with a team, wearing handmade white pants and a lucky green TPIR themed t-shirt. The other 8 contestants weren't incredibly outgoing, but they were certainly energetic. The youngest girl to get called down, Gina, who also followed rules 1 and 2 like Melody - was incredibly animated. To me, she looked like an actress in a high school play the entire time she was on stage. Her facial expressions were exaggerated, her gestures were dramatic—putting her hands up to her head and making jaw dropping gasps—she was like a mime that could talk! The other contestants were cool and comfortable in their own skin, with affable personalities. One lady rolled her way down the aisle to contestants' row. And this was totally encouraged by the producer—he encouraged us to do cartwheels, jump and hug every person around us, squeal and dance, or make it exciting in any way shape or form if we are called on down—this is TV after all! After rules 1 and 2, personality is the special sauce to getting on camera.
4. If you get called down, remember that TPIR is a game show, and it is totally OK and to play dirty!
You are there to win but also to entertain the audience and millions of viewers watching on tv! Go ahead and make that $1 bet when you know everyone else overbid! There was one missed opportunity for a $1 bid win on my show. It was a flat screen TV, and all 4 contestants overbid during the first round, so a second round of bidding started with a max of $900. Aside from the $1 lowballer's classic, don't be scared to go $1 more than the highest wager when everybody lowballed a big ticket item. Do what you can to win that round of bidding at contestants row! And if you have to bet first, listen to the audience and go in with a solid opening wager. We are there to help! Plus, it's even more exciting when your bet hits the exact price and you get cash on the spot from none other than Drew Carey!
5. For those who get to go up on stage, listen to your group members when you play the game!
You are supposed to interact with the audience, and those of us who are sitting out there are being told to help you bet! The producers want you to win that brand new car because that is what makes good TV! This isn't The Biggest Loser! TPIR wants you to win that brand new car, and the audience members are there to help you do it. Why should you trust the audience over your own price guessing skills and financial acumen? Because unlike you, all flustered up there looking at Drew Carey and a bunch of expensive prizes—we in the audience are not being put on the spot like a deer in headlights. From our seats in the audience, we can see the prizes on an overhead tv screen, and without the stagefright, we can better estimate their cost. Someone out there will know the exact price and be shouting out numbers to help you win! This is a TEAM game, remember? The goal is to make sure that your little yodeling hiker doesn't go over the mountain on Cliffhanger. Some games require some luck, like Three Strikes where you may end up picking the 3 red balls before getting a chance to guess the right price, which happened during my episode. Yet many of the games can be won without needing any luck or putting skills. Turn around and listen to the audience—we ALL want you to win that Showcase Showdown!
So next time you're in LA with your family and friends, get some free tickets to TPIR and follow these 5 tips to get lucky! Maybe YOU will be the next contestant on The Price Is Right!
