Come On Down!
OU Price is Right is great for gamers of all ages
By Veronica DeSantos, Campus Life Writer
May 10, 2007 | midnight
Contestants lined up early for this year’s production of OU Price is Right, forming a line that wrapped almost completely around the second floor of Baker an hour before the show was even set to start. The show which was put on by The Game Show Appreciation Society here at OU, proved to be a success despite its "smaller than last year" crowd.
"The big news is that this might be our last year," said Shane Tilton, graduate adviser of the Game Show Appreciation Society. "We need more members."
The group, which meets every Thursday night from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. in Baker 235, was founded in 2004 by Travis Schario, the current president of the Game Show Appreciation Society.
"This is probably one of the best crowds we have had," Schario said. "It was smaller (than last year) but more energetic."
The event, which took place on May 5 at 8 p.m. in the Baker Center Theater, was smaller this year because of the small size of the theater, but that didn’t stop the contestants from being rowdy and excited. Before the show even started, members of the audience were amped up and cheering even just standing in line. Some people even wore special Price is Right T-shirts.
Once inside the theater, announcer Dave Peffer got the crowd going with practice cheers. He then announced the host, Travis Schario, who was welcomed by the crowd with a standing ovation. Schario has a lot of experience with the Price is Right. He was once a contestant on the show who won a hot tub in Contestants Row, and then went on to win a Cadillac in the game Lucky 7. Schario also interned for the Price is Right and actually met longtime host Bob Barker. Schario even stated to the audience that he got to party with Barker two times.
To begin the show Peffer told four lucky audience members to "Come on down!" The four contestants then had a chance to bid on a prize and the bidder who was closest to the real retail price, without going over, won the chance to play for a video iPod. The first contestant to play a game was a man named Chris, who won the iPod in the game Lucky 7. The game, just like in the real Price is Right, then proceeded in the usual fashion of contestants row winner’s playing a pricing game, until three contestants were left to spin the wheel for the chance to play in the Showcase. A total of six pricing games were played until there were just two contestants left for the Showcase.
The big winner of the night was sophomore DeAndre Christian. Christian started the night off right by guessing the exact price of a prize in Contestants Row, earning him an extra $10 in cash. He then played the game Step Up and won a CD player and a DVD. Later, when spinning the wheel, Christian landed on 90 cents which earned him a spot in the Showcase Showdown. Finally, in the Showdown, Christian guessed the closest price to the actual price of his showcase, earning him a Nintendo Wii, an outdoor lounging set, and a George Foreman Grill.
"It was really unexpected," Christian said. "I never get called for this kind of stuff so I was like…I won?!"
Christian, who attended OU Price is Right last year but wasn’t a contestant, said he was most excited about his new Wii and the George Foreman Grill. Also in attendance with Christian was his mother Cathy Christian.
"I knew he was a winner," she said. "I knew as soon as his name was called. He’s a winner."
Another lucky winner, Sally Culver, mother of freshman Missa Culver, won a Playstation 2 in the game One Away.
"I’ve never played video games before," Culver said. "I’m going to try it out."
Missa, her daughter, stated that she was nervous but excited for her mother to get called down and be a contestant. "It was nerve-wracking," Missa stated.
When asked if she would ever sell the Playstation 2, Sally said she doesn’t intend to ever sell it. "If I don’t like it I will just pass it on to a good home."
The Game Show Appreciation Society members Mike Boyle and Shane Tilton both commented on the success of the evening and the fact that it was very energetic.
"I think it went really well," Tilton said, referring to the crowd and sold out theater. "It was our biggest year with prizes."
"We started planning in the fall," Boyle said. "Planning early helped because last year we didn’t plan as early and didn’t get it together as well."
Both Tilton and Boyle attributed much of the success to the members of the Game Show Appreciation Society and to all of their efforts.
If you would like to become a member of the Game Show Appreciation Society send an e-mail to gameshow@ohio.edu, or simply attend one of the weekly meetings held every Thursday from 8 to 10 p.m. in the Baker Center.