Boy, I see why Roger felt he came off like a college student who knows what he has to do but not really *how* to do it. He isn't bad, nor is he good, he's... there. The win on It's In The Bag is especially weak and lacking in the appropriate energy.
@@skipps93 Yeah, there might have been something there that could have been molded into a better host, but... it's just so empty here that it isn't very watchable. There's no "Mike Richards hosting Price is Right" in this, it's "Mike Richards reads the Price is Right hosting guide," if that makes sense. It's nothing but a by-the-numbers progression of each thing that has to be said, Mike doesn't do anything to put his own spin on it.
Makes perfect sense. It was empty and awkward, like when someone try’s to be something they aren’t. He has a couple of good deliveries in there but overall the performance was a misfit.
After watching this audition video, I’m pretty convinced he pulled a “Lori Laughlin/Aunt Becky” to get the Jeopardy gig. I think somebody forgot to tell him that Lori’s scheme backfired. Well, it’s too late now!
Didn’t need too. He was the executive producer. That means he could have appointed himself any time he wanted because he was in charge. The whole “search” for a new host was nothing but publicity until he can take over. So happy it backfired
I'm glad that I'm not the only one who noticed that. I consider that a major sin not to know the difference between the Showcase and the Showcase Showdown. After all, it's a showdown at the wheel to determine who advances to the Showcase.
@@adamsteinhart1504 Drew Carey had no audition. CBS hired him based solely on the fact that he was already hosting a game show called "Power of 10" in prime time. They were trying to negotiate a "package deal"...two shows for one contract. His hiring took Roger Dobkowitz, Bob Barker, and the rest of the staff by surprise!
I saw him do the stage show in 2004 and came away feeling like I had seen Bob's heir. Roger has said Todd was fantastic in his auditions aside from needing to diversify the way he explains each game (attributing this to his doing the stage show to a different audience every night.)
See I remember him from Beauty And The Geek and I would have bought a FIAT from him in college. I’m a game show geek and the news of Mike Richards putting garbage out in the world is just horrible.
Mike Richards is a no-talent host! Luckily, I didn't see him hosting Jeopardy! He must have been terrible there too! Mike Richards is a slimy jackalope. I've never met him, and I don't want to ever meet him. And to think, Drew Carey is friends with him. Drew should get better friends. Mike Richards is a racist, a bigot, and a sexual harasser.
Not bad, but he's so overenergetic and I can feel some lack of interaction with contestants and audience. His "are you ready"-s makes me cringe even when he guest-hosted in Jeopardy. The high-fives aren't enough and it's very typical thing to do. Bob did it very balanced and he makes everyone comfortable with it. He talks with everyone, even with the staff in rare occasions. Kinda weird to see him in Bob's classic set.
All I will say is just because you may positively influence changes behind the camera doesn’t mean you should be in front of the camera. I think Drew was a smart choice because he was a proven talent who could carry a show but it still took Drew a few years to find his rhythm. Todays TPIR is a positive evolution from its origin and is totally Drew’s show.
He shows little connection to the game or the contestants. He;s going through the motions but seems to be watching himself instead of being in the moment.
It's because Bob chose to keep using a wired microphone since that was what he had used his entire career and was comfortable with. He could've switched to a wireless one if he wanted to.
The show changed when Drew began his run, newer theme new set. It really does feel odd to see someone else on Bob's turf, with his theme and his set. Hopefully more of the auditions surface someday
I would really like to see Todd Newton, Dave Price, and even George Hamilton's audition tapes myself. If Mark L. Walberg was recorded doing his, then him too.
I think the plan was to have a new set anyway. I recall rather vividly not too long after Bob's last show aired, parts of the set (specifically the Big Doors and the signs at the back of the audience) were auctioned off for charity.
I'd love to see the practice run throughs...if they taped them (the monitors were on as were the cameras the day I was rehearsing with them). I was there for them with Mario/Mike/George/Todd one weekend before they did their test show. What about their test shows? I was there for all that.
There's a lot of "what-if" there. The podcast came well after this, so if he had gotten Price, who knows whether or not he would have been involved in the podcast where he put his foot in his mouth.
Probably, the fact is he's a much better EP (the baggage we know of notwithstanding) than a host. Jeopardy will be just fine, as long whomever the new permanent host turns out to be is more than capable.
The only thing this Audition made me miss was how damn good Rich Fields was as announcer. George Grey is fine and works really well off of Drew, but Rich had that 'Straight Guy of the Punchline' energy to him. Whatever did happen to Rich? I heard he went back to being a Meteorologist, but IDK.
Rich Fields was good, but had a tendency to overdo it and needed to reign it in at times. I think George Gray is a bit more even keel and more consistent in delivery. Neither is on the same level as the great Johnny Olsen though.
@@ljthefro They struck gold with Rod Roddy so soon after Johnny Olson, but Johnny was the best for this kind of show. No one today has that boisterous but natural energy anymore. George has a nice smooth voice though and does well for his style of announcing.
@@ljthefro Only time I thought Rich overdid it was on the intro to the show. Other than that I thought he was fantastic and much prefer him to George. I don’t think George is bad but he Sounds more of a fit for a nickelodeon show to me
Rich did return to his job as a meteorologist, working for CBS Los Angeles. Then he eventually moved down to Tampa to host the afternoon drive on Q105, WRBQ-FM before he and almost the rest of the on-air staff were let go due to COVID. He's now the spokesman for the Moving Families Foundation and its Moving Families Initiative. UPDATE: As of the date I originally wrote this comment, Rich is also now a meteorologist on WTSP-TV, CBS 10 Tampa Bay. ANOTHER UPDATE (08/31/23): Rich left WTSP some months ago and is now a motivational speaker.
Not gonna lie, Mike Richards would have made a decent Price host. I know he said "Alright" a lot in this audition tape, but the guy was nervous and did his best in spite of his nerves. He played it down the middle like any decent show host would, but Drew Carey was just a bit better than him and managed to host a short-lived quiz show called Power of 10 just before getting the gig fifteen years ago. Poor Mike just couldn't get over it good and well enough in all these years and those texts resurfacing of him being not so public in the public eye cost him.
Well, I'm sure other candidates who auditioned were nervous themselves. The difference between them and Mike was that Mike lacked major on-camera hosting experience outside of his college talk show. He couldn't get the beats down all that well and he lacked-besides charisma, a natural quality in game show hosts-enthusiasm in areas where it was badly needed (watch the It's in the Bag win again).
He wasn’t memorable when I did practice rehearsals with him. Mario Lopez was best and so was George Hamilton, and Todd was also very presentable. I knew nothing of Mike anyways when I met him unlike the other 3…Mario from SBTB, George Hamilton from Dynasty and Todd Newton from Whammy…
@@RetroWinnipeg No, in an interview with the old executive producer, contestants got like $100 if they made it on stage, $500 if they won their game, etc. He didn't remember exact amounts, but basically nothing life changing, but still enough to take the game seriously.
I don't think it's really fair to compare him to Bob Barker or Drew Carey but you need a kind of genuine charisma to do this kind of thing and he just doesn't have it. You can tell he knows what he needs to do but just executes it so poorly. At times it's almost like an actor parodying a game show host on TV like it feels fake and staged with him just reading off a script rather than adapting to each contestant's personality and energy.
When was this? Before Drew was named host? It appears he has aspirations to be a host of a major show. I have yet to see levar burton's episodes, but I've seen the hosts before him. And it's not that Richards was 'the perfect fit', but I felt him being the host would have been fine. BUT, I did have some pause since he was the EP and now all these uncovered comments. They aren't god awful, but they're not great. And the thing is he'll struggle to get any hosting job after this.
Yes, these were the auditions for the show when Bob Barker announced he retired. Among others who got them: Todd Newton and George Hamilton. Apparently Hamilton got very close to getting the gig before they saw Carey on Power of 10 and gave Carey the job instead.
@@fullervisiondotnet I believe two others who were given auditions were John O'Hurley and David Price (who I believe was doing weather for the CBS Morning show at the time).
@@TPIR_Fan_1972 In addition to Dave Price and John O'Hurley, other auditions included Mario Lopez and Mark Steines. After this group, they started moving to less formal auditions and Mark L. Walberg apparently did so well in his that Roger wanted to name him host, but CBS rejected him... due to his looks, of all things.
I think he did a very good job. Great demeanor, he kept the audience attention and he connected well with the audience. He absolutely should have gotten the job. This guy hands down should have been chosen over Drew Carey. Carey sucks and he and his crew have run the show into the ground.
There was no part two. Everyone who auditioned only did the first half of an episode. If they did a full episode, that would've delayed their schedule to tape actual episodes for air.
On watching this again, Mike did good only rewatched first iufb item up for bids. Name recognition would have been key here for any new host. Drew has had st this point, lots of name recognition from The Drew Carey Show. Doug Davidson would have been a good new host choice too. Drew is good, but many capable choices
Roger Dobkowitz said in past interviews that no these prizes we're not awarded. They got $100 if they got on stage and a larger award for winning their game, showcase, etc. So similar to the touring stage show, they were still playing for something, just not the big enchilada.
@@SapinskiMath That makes enough sense. This show was never intended to air, and is designed to simulate the actual show in order to test out a potential new host. The contestants are essentially performers helping out with the production.
@@SchuminWeb well, they weren't winning the advertised prizes, yeah. But it wasn't like a pilot with a scripted set of players and outcomes. They were still playing for something, so they still had to take it seriously.
No offense to Mike, but he did not know how to be the star of the Price Is Right. He rushed through that It's In The Bag win all the way to the point, where there was no drama. If it was still Trina winning and Bob Barker hosting, Bob would have slowed down to build the drama with that win. Mike had told the audience to quiet down for the Clock Game, then three seconds later, he was telling them to wish the lady good luck. Also: "You are going to the showcase showdown." Mike, she already won the showcase showdown and she was going to the showcase, later on at the end of the show. Bob Barker always seemed to have natural talent at being the star of the show even without any Price Is Right experience, let alone thirty-five years. Mike Richards should just stick with producing game shows because being the star of a game show just isn't his strength.
What are you? Kid me? No car pricing game this half? Usually there are two; but there has to be at least one. The car's the most popular prize, bar none.
Trying to put bias aside, it wasn’t horrible but he wasn’t great. Someone else nailed it when they said It’s like he knows what to do but doesn’t execute well. It felt forced and just not like a natural fit.
From the recent news about him, we can conclude he's a horrible person. That's not the reason why I thought this audition was bad, however. Roger Dobkowitz gave the perfect description of his performance, basically a college student doing his best impression of a game show host. He knows what he's doing but he's not doing it well. I could tell just from the way he entered on stage that this wasn't going to be very good.
Being a successful game show host requires that most ineffable quality: charisma. It’s something you either have or you don’t. No matter how much “Toastmasters”-style training a guy like Richards likely availed himself of, it can’t be learned or acquired. The good hosts naturally had it and honed it, but Richards honestly and unbiasedly lacks it.
He lacks the stage presence to carry the show and it feels limp and empty as a result. I don't want to use the word "robotic" but look at the way he breezes through the win on It's In The Bag in this tape. There's no life to it at all.
Because this was only an audition tape. This was solely for the purposes of choosing a new host for Price. These were never intended for public release.
@@MatthewHendrixrockinman1 Exactly the point. I really like Drew Carey as host because he's not trying to be like anyone else, especially Bob Barker. He's just being himself and made it his own show.
I'm glad Richards didn't get the TPIR hosting gig and, like they say, what goes around comes around. Seems like he was a bit of an a-hole and threw people under the bus to get ahead. It caught up to him and now his TV days are in the rear view mirror.
Rod Roddy died in 2003, Rich Fields auditioned (and was ultimately hired) in 2004, and George Gray auditioned in 2010 before getting the gig midway through season 39.
