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The Six Degrees Of Plinko: Coming This Fall on CBS
Originally posted: July 20th, 2013
By
Jim Williams
Three decades ago, Bob Barker introduced us to
a brand new pricing game.
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Since it's debut over 30 years ago, Plinko has become the most
well-known pricing game on "The Price is Right". If you were to ask a
random person on the street to name the first thing they associate with
"Price", outside of Bob or the Big Wheel, you'll probably get many
mentions of Plinko. The game has become a part of pop culture lure.
Heck, the game was even given the "Family Guy" treatment.
In late June, it was announced that in commemoration of the 30th
anniversary of the game's debut, the September 27th episode of "Price"
will feature Plinko as the only pricing game played during the entire
show. Executive producer Mike Richards told various media outlets, "Drew
and I have always wanted to do an all-Plinko show. This seemed like the
perfect opportunity to keep trotting it out."
Naturally, this news provided a gamut of reactions. Those that should
not live in glass houses (a small, but sadly too vocal minority) object
to the concept for various reasons. Others feel it's a fun way to pay
tribute to the venerable game of chips and plinks. And, of course, there
are many others who fall in between those two categories.
So, how can they play Plinko six times without boring people out of
Studio 33? Well, the catch to this episode is that certain playings of
the game will not be for the potential top prize of $50,000. For the
sake of variety and time constraints, contestants will also have the
opportunity to win prizes including international vacations and new cars
simply by dropping a chip from high above the mighty Plinko board. Based
on that news, it is safe to assume that not all playings will involve
the game's standard method of earning Plinko chips.
To be honest, I'm a little torn on how to react to the concept of "The
Plinko is Right". I have all the faith in the world that the cast and
crew will pull this off without any problems, but will the viewing
public stay tuned in to see minor changes to the same game being played
over and over and over and over and over and over? As any loyal friend
and true to the show will rightly tell you, one of the biggest reasons
why "Price" has lasted as long as it has is the daily variety of pricing
games that can be played. Yes, certain games (like Plinko) get played
more than others, but there's usually enough variety and variance to
keep the show interesting day in and day out. Can an all-Plinko "Price"
keep a similar level of interest? Maybe. Maybe not. I don't know.
Rest assured that this one-off all-Plinko episode is going to be just
that, a one-off thing. People who fear this might turn into a more
routine occurrence where a certain day of the week will be "Plinko Day"
are sounding the panic alarm for no reason.
Ultimately, I'll watch and you probably will as well to see how it all
unfolds. And, seeing as how "Price" recently won a daytime Emmy and
ratings are actually on the upswing for a show that many thought would
meets its demise when Bob retired, Mike Richards pretty much has carte
blanche to try whatever stunts or ideas he wants whether certain extreme
fans like it or not.
Again, be sure to tune in to "Plinko!: The All-New Drop Your
Chip"...err, I mean "The Price is Right" all-Plinko episode on Friday,
September 27th on CBS.