Crowd at ‘The Price is Right’ Live in Portland, Maine, is Shocked When Both Contestants Overbid in the Showcase

The Price is Right Live returned to the Cross Insurance Arena in Portland on September 29 for a sold-out show that ended in a big loss that left the crowd in disbelief.

The Price is Right Live is a traveling version of the game show that has been running on CBS for 50 years. It was hosted by Bob Barker for 35 years from 1972 until 2007 when Drew Carey took over the reins, now in his sixteenth year as the host.

The host of The Price is Right Live is the very talented Todd Newton who tried out to replace Bob Barker, and in my opinion, should have gotten the job. He is energetic, friendly, and funny, and he knows how to bring out the best in the contestants, something I feel is lacking with the current host. Again, that's just my opinion as an uber fan of the show ever since I could talk and say "Come On Down!"

The set is scaled down a bit from the television version, but this truly is The Price is Right you know and love. I wish I could share more pictures with you, but we were only allowed to take them when the game was not in progress.

During the approximately two-hour show, four pricing games are played, two showcase showdowns, also known as The Big Wheel, and a showcase. Contestants were randomly chosen from the audience to "Come on Down" and would bid on a prize hoping to be the one who is closest to the actual retail price without going over. Then they would get to go up on stage to play a pricing game.

The games played that night were Any Number, the first game ever played on The Price is Right.

Cliff Hangers, also known as the mountain climber game which Drew has named "The Yodely Guy."

Plinko, the most popular game on the show.

And the Clock Game, which like Any Number, is one of the oldest games on the show.

There weren't a lot of big wins here other than during Clock Game and a marginal win on Plinko with $750. The showcase however was a disaster and the audience was shocked.

Unlike the television version, The Price is Right Live shows one showcase for both contestants to bid on rather than two because of their budget.

The Showcase included a motor scooter, a trip from Portland to Paris, France, a trip to Las Vegas and a 2022 Nissan Versa.

Each contestant secretly made their bids and revealed them. One contestant bid approximately $21,500 and the other about $28,000. When Todd Newton revealed the actual price of the showcase they had both overbid, with the contest who bid $21,500 going over by just a few hundred dollars. They both got a consolation prize of $250.

Some in the crowd couldn't believe it, with a new car and two trips, they thought it had to be much more than $21,000. I looked up the items and the math is pretty close.

The Nissan Versa has an MSRP of $15,580, the scooter goes for about $2000, we found a trip to Paris from Boston with airfare and four-star hotel for $650 and our trip to Vegas that Michele and I took in August for a week was $940. That totals $19,170. The variables here are what kind of trim packages the car has and the price of flights and hotels.

It was a bit of a disappointment to the show with a double overbid, but the show itself is so well done and so much fun. The next time The Price is Right Live comes to town, make sure you get tickets early to "Come on Down!"