Excitement was palpable as over 200 people sat on the edges of their seats, poised to jump up and run just in case their names were called followed by “Come on down!”

 

Of them, twenty-five people were not disappointed and played for cash and prizes at “The Price Is Right, Live!” on Sept. 21, at the Long Center for the Performing Arts.

Not to be confused with the actual game show that has been on air since 1972, “The Price is Right, Live!” is a mobile version of the show that is touring the nation with various celebrity hosts in celebration of the show’s 40th anniversary, offering contestants the chance to win over $25,000 in prizes playing the same popular games as on the show.

Sounds pretty amazing, but the chance to win came at a hefty price for some.

 

Tickets range from $30 to $70 per ticket, leaving only a lucky few with a profit from the night’s festivities.

“It was a little more than I would have liked to have paid, seeing as how I wasn’t picked,” audience member and University of Texas student Jake Alexander said. “Overall, the night was totally a blast and I don’t regret the money I paid.”

Some players had better winnings than others. A University of Texas student managed to leave with an extra $800 in his pocket after playing the fan favorite game of Plinko.

 

One Austin man came within $400 of the total cost of various products and services in the Showcase Showdown but, unfortunately, guessed too high and lost.

 

However, every contestant and some lucky audience members left with t-shirts to remember the night.

Unfortunately, Bob Barker and Drew Carey were not available to host the Austin event. Todd Newtown of Hollywood Showdown and E! fame kept the crowd entertained and invested in every player, while kindling every individual’s hope that their name would be the next to be called.

 

He succeeded in the difficult task of turning awkwardly excited, confused and probably intoxicated elderly people into charming and endearingly adorable players everyone could root for.

 

In fact, the most intense moment of the entire evening was the drawn-out result of one woman winning a trip to Las Vegas, as opposed to a robotic vacuum. Every audience member cheered with joy for her success.

Although contestants were chosen at random, rather than by enthusiasm, the majority of audience members dressed up in true Price Is Right fashion.

 

There were go-go boots, brightly-colored wigs, pregnant bellies decorated with “Momma needs a new car!” and t-shirts that said “All my pets are spayed and neutered,” that signified that this audience was a community of life-long fans of the classic game show which is a veteran supporter of controlling the pet population.

“Honestly, I wish I had known that people were still going to dress up,” senior Kollin Brandenburg said. “When I heard players were chosen randomly, I figured people wouldn’t try, so I didn’t dress up. I had so many ideas that would have put everyone else to shame.”

Texas was the first stop of many for “The Price Is Right, Live!” The tour will continue until Oct. 28, where it will have its grand finale in Westbury, N.Y.