Yahoo Lifestyle The Price Is Right Contestant Makes History With Near-Perfect Bid (Watch)
After more than 50 years, The Price is Right still has a few surprises up its sleeve, even for host Drew Carey.
The game show’s June 7 episode featured a contestant who guessed the price of his final showcase within a dollar, causing him to win both showcases, whipping the studio audience into a frenzy.
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Contestant Patrice Masse guessed $39,500 as the price of his showcase, which turned out to be worth — you guessed it — $39,501. Carey paused before telling him the price, seemingly processing the historic occasion in real time.
“Off by a dollar … with absolutely no help from anybody in the audience, by the way,” Carey said as the credits began to roll. “That was the best showcase bid in the history of the show in my opinion.”
Not to rain on Masse’s parade, but there’s actually quite a bit to unpack here. While he is the first contestant to guess the price of his showcase within a dollar, another contestant previously guessed their showcase right on the money, albeit with some controversy attached.
Back in 2008, just one year into Carey’s run as host, contestant Terry Kniess correctly guessed the exact price of his showcase, making him the first person ever to do so. Watch:
However, it has been speculated that Kniess had assistance from a Price is Right super fan named Ted Slauson, who was known for attending tapings and helping contestants by yelling out correct prices. Slauson had watched the show obsessively since its 1972 premiere and was in the audience on the day of Kniess’ taping, though Kniess maintains that he came up with the price on his own. The controversy is chronicled in the 2017 documentary Perfect Bid: The Contestant Who Knew Too Much, which includes interviews with both Carey and previous host Bob Barker.
Hit PLAY on the videos above to watch these two historic moments from The Price is Right, then drop a comment with your thoughts below.
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