The Price Is Right (Australian game show)

The Price Is Right was a television game show that has been produced in a number of different formats in Australia.

Original format

Two regional versions based on the original 1950s US format aired nearly concurrently: one on ATN-7 in Sydney, hosted by Bruce Beeby and Keith Walshe from 1957-1959; and one on GTV-9 in Melbourne, hosted by Geoff Manion in 1958. In 1963, Seven Network aired a nationwide version based of the 1950s US version; it was hosted by Horrie Dargie.

Modern format

TPIR then aired in Australia on what is now Network Ten from 1973-1974; this version was hosted by Garry Meadows. At this time, Reg Grundy Organisation was licensing many shows from Mark Goodson Productions in the U.S.; they had a flair for making detailed copies of sets, and Price's was no exception. The show started in primetime and was later given a daytime slot on the network. This was the only Australian version of the show to use the U.S.'s version of the Showcase.

The New Price Is Right aired on Seven Network from 1981-1986 with host Ian Turpie and announcer John Deeks. This version featured a completely different Showcase round: the day's two top winners first bid on the price of one showcase, in the style of the retired pricing game Double Bullseye; the winning contestant then attempted to place the prizes in order from least to most expensive on a pricing board.

The Price Is Right was revived in 1989 for an hour-long version, again hosted by Ian Turpie, airing Saturday nights on Network Ten. This was part of Network Ten's attempted revamp that year; however, it only lasted 12 episodes.

Larry Emdur era

The Price Is Right was revived again in 1993-1998 on Nine Network, hosted by the charismatic Larry Emdur with announcer Shawn Cosgrove. The show had the same format as the 1981-86 edition.

The show returned on June 23, 2003 on the Nine Network, again with Emdur (earlier news reports had speculated that former A*mazing host James Sherry would be the star, but it never happened). This show carried on the same format until 2004, when it was made a one-hour show to combat the Seven Network's hit Deal or No Deal, in the hopes that people would stay tuned to the channel for the news after watching the first half hour. This format involved four pricing games; after the second and fourth games, a Showcase Showdown was played at the Big Wheel, with the two winners advancing to the "Double Bullseye" round of the Showcase.

The show was replaced for a period of one week with a daily version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire?.

The Showcase at this time also added a prize of a condominium on the Sunshine Coast, making the showcase worth between $500K and $600K, and making it known as the "Super Showcase". Before the last prize was revealed (or if the producers knew the contestant was going to lose by misplacing a prize) they were tempted with a "cash buyout" of between $1,000 and $50,000.

After a few months, the show returned to a half-hour, albeit with a new format. Only two pricing games were played each day, followed by a single Showcase Showdown whose winner advanced immediately to the prize-ordering part of the Showcase. The Showcase dropped the condominium as the top prize, but a cash jackpot was added to the boot of the car to entice the bidder.

The show ended on November 24, 2005 and Larry Emdur then signed with the Seven Network to revive the ailing Wheel of Fortune, which was then cancelled after only a few months. Larry Emdur then hosted Celebrity Dog School on Network Ten, and is now rumoured to be signed back to Channel 7 to host a new morning show to battle 9am with Kim and David, and Mornings with Kerri-Anne.

Pricing game lineup

The following pricing games were played during Larry Emdur's tenures:

(All links below will direct to US description of games)

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