The Price Is Right Prop That Hosts Always Keep Hidden On Stage
"The Price Is Right" is, essentially, a game show about props. The retail items that form the show's backbone could be categorized this way, as could the myriad minigames that players must conquer on their way to the "Showcase Showdown." What is the show's famous Big Wheel (with its special trick for spinning well) if not one of the most iconic props in TV history?
"The Price Is Right" depends on various props and gadgets thanks to its surplus of special minigames, and as it turns out, one of the most famous of those games has its own "secret prop" for the host to use if something goes wrong. This is a functional item for correcting a rare but occasional mishap on the show, and both longtime host Bob Barker and relative newcomer Drew Carey keep it hidden onstage if the need arises.
It's a special Plinko stick for if the chip ever gets stuck
The game in question is "Plinko," one of the most immediately identifiable "The Price Is Right" games. It first appeared on the show in 1983 (UPI) and likely ranks as one of the show's most famous games — Ranker currently has it slated as the number one "Price Is Right" game of all.
If you're familiar with "Plinko," you know that it is a game of chance that depends on the force of gravity. After the actual price-guessing portion of the game, players drop a chip into the top of the board, and it falls to the bottom, bouncing on various pegs on the way down, and wherever it lands determines the prize. That's the basic idea, but the chip can get stuck on a peg every once in a while. Instead of panicking and immediately going to commercial break, the host of the show has a special prop on hand specifically for this contingency.
Tucked away on the CBS website is a feature called "9 Secrets Of The Price Is Right's Plinko." One of those secrets is a hidden "Plinko stick" that Bob Barker used to keep hidden onstage for if and when a chip gets stuck. In that event, he would use the stick to retrieve the chip and the player would get a second chance to drop it. Today, according to the feature, host Drew Carey keeps that same stick for that same purpose — all to keep each "Plinko" game running as smoothly as possible.