Why am I blogging about The Price is Right?

Why, of all things, am I starting a blog about The Price is Right?

Call it a return of childhood memories.

As my parents will tell you, I always had a fascination with numbers. I spent many a morning while on vacation, or home “sick,” watching the show. And while I hadn’t the slightest notion what that dinette set cost, I loved watching those numbers light up on bidders’ row and spin around on stage (One Away was my favorite game then).

I fell out of touch with the show during college and my first years in the “real world.” Still, thoughts of bidding a dollar, or whether there was more strategy to Any Number than meets the eye, never completely went away.

A recent entrance to the world of (f)unemployment give me plenty of free time, and it didn’t take long for me to set aside The Price is Right as appointment television. The personnel on stage may have changed (I wonder what “Barker Beauty” Janice is up to these days), but the show has otherwise remained virtually unchanged.

Contestants still go mental before they’ve won a thing. It’s still an event when someone spins a dollar on the wheel. Plinko is still a fan favorite and remains riveting viewing.

And people still make asinine decisions on bidders’ row.

It is that last item that has inspired this blog more than anything else. Now that I’m watching The Price is Right with a bit more sophistication than I did 20 years ago, I find myself analyzing the workings of the show. Whenever some jackass bid a dollar LESS than a previous contestant, for example, I found myself needing to share that stupidity with someone. After a few such Facebook updates, it was suggested to me that I start a blog.

So, I did.

Over the coming weeks and months (or however long I can keep this going), I’ll chronicle all the highs and lows of the show. Most episodes will get their own post each day (starting tomorrow!), with all the big wins and epic blunders. There will also be occasional essays on various TPiR-related topics, postings of some of my favorite YouTube clips from the show’s history, how the show is seen through social media, and perhaps even a live blog of an episode here and there.

And you’ll also get the occasional video, such as this product fail from this morning’s show:

(Yes, I recorded this with a potato.)

I’m new to this blogging thing, so feel free to leave comments and suggestions for improvement. You can also email me at thepriceisrightfiles@gmail.com, and don’t forget to follow the blog on Twitter! (@TPiR_Files)