In a saddening but not-so-shocking announcement two weeks ago, television icon Bob Barker announced he will be retiring from "The Price is Right." After hosting the show for the first time on Sept. 4, 1972, Barker has become one of the most recognizable people in America.
College students, bored housewives and senior citizens alike have always been able to look forward to 11 a.m. every weekday to Barker walking out those doors and Wilford Brimley telling us where to get our diabetes testing supplies.
The 82-year old Barker hasn't lost a step, even after he was transformed into a cyborg following a severe injury while filming Happy Gilmore. Dick Clark underwent the same procedure in 1987.
The obvious question now presents itself: Who will be chosen to fill Barker's shoes? Replacing someone with 35 years experience is no small task, especially someone whose knowledge of Showcase Showdowns is unmatched.
Candidates for the job must be able to appeal to viewers of all ages, particularly women, as they are the dominant target audience for daytime television. Before I start suggesting candidates, I'm going to take Ryan Seacrest out of the running right now. That would be a disgrace to the Barker name.
Freemantle Media, the owner of the show, must leave no stone unturned in their search for the next host. A good place to start looking would be to interview former game show hosts. In the name of decency, let's hope they can do a better job of finding a host than "Family Feud."
Nickelodeon was a source of great game shows during the '80s and '90s. "Price" could go after Indiana native Marc Summers from "Double Dare." Better yet, they could check the closest interstate overpass to Nickelodeon Studios for a guy dressed in a denim shirt, khaki shorts and hiking boots talking to a rock he calls Olmec. Does the name of the former host of "Legends of the Hidden Temple," Kirk Fogg, come to mind? "Price" should also track down Phil Gordon from "Nick Arcade."
A riskier proposition would be to search for people outside of the television industry. Barker raised the celebrity of hosting "The Price is Right" so high that it may be a big enough draw for someone to be drawn to it.
Someone who will be looking for work after this winter who has interest in television is New York Giants running back Tiki Barber. In addition to hosting his own radio show on Sirius, Barber has studio experience and the fun-loving personality needed for the job.
Speaking of guys looking for work, and who would be the most appealing to conservative seniors, how about Don Rumsfeld?
While I understand those guys may be long shots, I present two strong, serious candidates to replace Barker: Wayne Brady and Tony Danza. Each is popular in one of the target demographics, middle-aged women, because of their alleged good looks and smooth personalities.
College students should be in favor of both. Brady would be a good choice for students because they will able to look forward to more bad sketches from Dave Chapelle. Danza would be favorable because students grew up with "Who's the Boss?" and it would be entertaining watching some of the elderly contestants try to figure out what he's saying. Instead of Barker reminding us to have our pets neutered, Danza could remind everyone to "help support your local closed captioning foundation."Danny Davis is a junior journalism major and writes 'You Know What Really Grinds My Gears?' for the Daily News. His views do not necessarily agree with those of the newspaper.
Write to Danny at dsdavis@bsu.edu.
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