‘The Price Is Right’ Is Hitting The Road For Its 50th Anniversary And Might Be Coming (On Down) To Your City

Game shows are arguably more popular now than they’ve ever been, for reasons good (Amy Schneider and Matt Amodio’s historic Jeopardy! runs) and not-so-good (Jeopardy!’s hosting drama; all the Wheel of Fortune contestants who can’t solve simple puzzles). The Price is Right has largely avoided such drama, though host Drew Carey did emerge from quarantine with some rockin’ long locks. But now it’s looking to do something neither Jeopardy! nor Wheel of Fortune has tried.

As per AP, the longtime late morning game show in which people guess the prices of consumer products may be coming (on down) to your city. This year the program is celebrating its 50th anniversary, and to celebrate, it will hit the road for what’s been dubbed the “Come On Down Tour.” It finds a traveling version of the tour hitting 50 stops, among them Denver, Dallas, New Orleans, Nashville, and St. Louis. (A full list of stops will be made public on Friday at this address.)

Mind you, it’s not the regular version of the show. That means, host Drew Carey, who’s been with the show the last 15 of those 50 years, will be staying put in Santa Monica, California, where the show is recorded. Instead, while the TV episodes are recorded as usual, a trailer will cruise the nation, offering locals the chance to play Plinko, compete in Showcase Showdown, and whatever other games are easily transportable. What’s more, the traveling Price is Right will customize for each stop, having contestants weigh in on local, not national goods.

The Price is Right celebrating half a century is somewhat misleading. The original version debuted in 1956. It was revamped in 1972, with host Bob Barker, now 98, who remained on the show for another decade after besting Adam Sandler in Happy Gilmore.

Again, the full list of stops on the “Come On Down Tour” will be unveiled on Friday, March 25.