By Mona Buehler

12 questions for television’s favorite game show host

At age 83, Bob Barker is the oldest man ever to host a weekday game show—and to beat up Adam Sandler. From flying fighter planes in World War II to mastering karate midlife to advocating animal rights, this beloved, white-haired, daytime TV dynamo has shown no signs of slowing down … until now.

For 35 years, Barker has hosted The Price Is Right, and it’s at this juncture that the television icon is ready to hang up his mic, skip the studio and spend more time making the world a better place for animals. After one of his last show tapings, Watch! caught up with Barker backstage for an exclusive one-on-one interview.

Watch! : What will you miss the most about The Price Is Right?
Bob Barker: The paycheck.

W: Did you ever think the words “come on down” would become part of pop culture history?
BB: Johnny Olson was our announcer then, and “come on down” was just three words on a printed page. It was Johnny who said “Come on down!” and created this thing that has swept the country. You can’t go anyplace without hearing it. And I hear it now in commercials, and if I go anyplace out in public: ”Hey, come on down, Bob!” They shout it to me from across the street.

W: What’s your favorite game on The Price Is Right?
BB: I like them all or they wouldn’t be on the show. I particularly like the games that give me an opportunity to interact with the contestants.



W: Has the Big Wheel ever broken down?
BB: Never. The Big Wheel is indestructible!

W: Do you do the buying in your household?
BB: My housekeeper shops, and sometimes when I do an interview, the interviewer will show up with a brown paper bag and start pulling things out and play the games with me. And I must confess that I fail miserably.

W: And are you going to take The Price Is Right mementos with you?
BB: Well, I already have many The Price Is Right mementos … Barker dollars that we’ve used in games. I have a little wheel, a replica of the Big Wheel—and Bob Barker bobblehead dolls!

W: You’ve done a lot to introduce yourself to a younger audience. Do you still find it easy to connect with younger generations?
BB: I enjoy the younger generations very much. Not only do they make splendid contestants, but they bring energy to the audience. It started about 15 years ago with my appearance in [the movie] Happy Gilmore … I know that I can never tape a show now without someone bringing up Happy Gilmore.



W: What was it like to work on Happy Gilmore?
BB: The thing I’ve enjoyed the most is the reaction to the fight scene. At every taping of The Price Is Right, someone in the audience wants me to repeat the line—“The price is wrong, bitch!”—which I rarely do, of course!

W: How does it feel to have generations of families watch you?
BB: We feel that we have been blessed in that our show, over the 35 years that I’ve been doing it, has had a complete cross section of viewers. We have had all ages participate, from 18 to a 95-yearold winner in the showcase who won everything.

7 Things You Didn’t Know About Bob Barker

1. Barker grew up on the Rosebud Indian Reservation in Rosebud, S.D.

2. He attended Drury College in Missouri on a basketball scholarship and graduated summa cum laude in economics.

3. He is a military history and Civil War buff and has more than 175 collectibles.

4. He is a member of Sigma Nu fraternity

5. He takes animal rights very seriously, quitting as popular host of the Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants because pageant owners wouldn’t honor his request to eliminate furs. The Price Is Right doesn’t offer furs or leather as prizes, and previous shows with them are banned.

6. He has made animated appearances on Futurama and The Family Guy and had a cameo on The Bold and the Beautiful

7. He trained and earned his karate black belt under Chuck Norris and actively practiced martial arts until age 75. He exercises daily, but now sticks with walking, stretching and lowimpact karate and workouts.

W: Was there a specific event that resulted in your support of animal rights?
BB: No. I began promoting spaying and neutering of pets when I learned that one of the most tragic problems in our country, so far as animals are concerned, is overpopulation. There are just too many cats and dogs born for all of them to have homes. There are people and organizations devoting time, energy and money to finding homes for these cats and dogs, but they are doomed to failure because the homes don’t exist. The only answer is to spay and neuter your animals. Without that, they are going to continue to proliferate, and there will just be more and more of them running loose on the streets.

W: What pets do you have?
BB: I have a dog, Jesse, that I got at a shelter. She’s part chow and part golden retriever. I also have two rabbits, Mr. Rabbit and his Honey Bunny. I did not set out to have rabbits. My housekeeper found a baby rabbit shivering in the cold near my home and brought it to me. I thought I would keep it long enough to find it a home. But we bonded. I love him. And I went to a rescue group and got his Honey Bunny, and they have lived happily ever after.