Drew Carey: King of the TV Game Shows!

By David P. McGrath

His may not be the prettiest smile on TV---but---it certainly is the biggest one these days. Drew Carey is on a roll. The soon-to-be 50-year-old former stand-up- comedian-turned-actor-turned-game-show-host is currently hosting the hot primetime CBS-TV game show “Power of 10” and was recently picked as the new host of the evergreen daytime game show “The Price is Right.” He may be the new king of TV game shows.
So, how jazzed is he that he just picked up one of the plushest jobs in daytime TV? “It is the greatest thing that has ever happened in my career,” he said with unabashed glee. “I loved the stand-up; I absolutely cherish my years on the sitcom; ‘Whose Line Is It?’ was so-o-o much fun. But, this is the BIG ONE! This is the granddaddy of them all. ‘The Price is Right’ is to game shows what ‘The Tonight Show’ is to talk shows. It is simply THE ONE!
“That stage where the show is done is so happy,” he explained. “Every game, every stagehand, every writer every tile on the floor is just infused with happiness from 35 years of people jumping up and down, hugging, kissing and squeezing Bob Barker and winning great prizes.
“I get to give away prizes all day and I get to spend other people’s money and get credit for it. I feel like a congressman!”
Carey was on that stage when he did an audition for CBS-TV to replace the legendary Bob Barker. He said he was too busy to be nervous and he didn’t have any time at all to think about what was going on.
“I did the ‘Price Is Right’ audition the day AFTER I had taped the pilot show for ‘Power of 10’, he explained. “I was just moving at a hundred-miles-an-hour. I didn’t have time to think of the heritage of the show or the legacy of Bob Barker. But, I think everything fell right into place. You know, I’m from the Midwest. I like people. I like to see good things happen to people. I like to see people win. I think that’s what made CBS pick me. It surely wasn’t my looks.”
But, he used to have looks. It is hard to believe, but the now-rotund Carey was a burly, handsome US Marine for six years. “Yeah, I’ll show people a picture of me from back then---a picture of a lanky me with longer, wavy hair---and they can’t believe it. But, it was too much work to look that good! I’d rather eat In-and-Out hamburgers all day and sit around.”
Carey, a Midwesterner by birth and heart, also was excited to talk about his other show, “Power of 10.” “‘Power of 10’ is great,” he said. “It’s the biggest money game show on television. Every person who plays gets a chance to win $10 million dollars and we crank up the money fast. Every time you win the next jackpot goes up by 10, which is why it is called ‘Power of 10.’
“So, you go from $1,000 to $10,000 to $100,000 to $1 million to $10 million---BOOM---just like that in five questions. So, in a matter of minutes you could be a millionaire. And all you have to do is guess the answers to a bunch of poll questions that other Americans answered. We poll between 8-10,000 people for every question and it is an exact demographic representation of the United States. It is a real extensive poll.”
Carey said that some times they are surprised by some of the answers they get to the poll questions. “One time we asked (laughter), ‘Have you ever been decapitated? Five percent of Americans said YES! (laughter). So, some of the questions are silly, some are funny.”
Some writers and critics are calling Carey the “next Regis Philbin” because of all the shows he has done and the way his career is panning out. Carey dismisses it with his ever-present sense of humor and humility.
“I don’t sing and I can never get a beautiful woman to do anything with me much less co-host a TV show. Regis has that all locked up.”
The question that begs to be asked is, can he successfully segue into Bob Barker’s role and keep “The Price Is Right” rolling along? Michael Davies, the former producer of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire,” is the producer of “Power of 10.” In a recent interview with the Associated Press, he said that Carey would be a superstar.
“He is a superb game show host because he has empathy for people, “Davies told the AP. “He really relates to people and wants them to win. He gets visibly excited about people when they do well.”