I’ve only seen the new Price is Right a few times, but from what I can tell Drew Carey is a gentler, kinder host than Bob Barker. Barker did a decent job, but he kind of gave off this creeper vibe, like he was about to mack on the more attractive contestants and had already had his way with all the vapid prize presenters. (Maybe my opinion of him is influenced by the all the lawsuits filed against him from former employees.) With Drew Carey hosting, the Price is Right is like a party at your laid back cousin’s house. Drew is fun, mellow and likable and you get the impression that he’s genuinely happy for the ecstatic winners.

Barker doesn’t see it that way, and the animal-loving former PIR host (arguably) thinks he did it better than Carey. TMZ has him on tape saying “He does the show differently than I did. I tried to make the show really exciting, and [Drew] doesn’t do that. He just plays the games.” Only now Barker is denying saying anything negative despite the evidence, and has issued a follow up statement which says, in part, “To think that I would say anything derogatory about him is idiocy.” Way to backtrack, Barker.

Bob Barker hasn’t been heaping praise upon “The Price Is Right” host Drew Carey lately, but the 86-year-old game show legend says that he’s not trying to be critical.

Barker, who hosted the series from 1972 to 2009, recently told TMZ that Carey “does the show differently than I did…I tried to make the show really exciting, and he doesn’t do that. He just plays the games.”

But perhaps fearing he took too much of a gamble with his controversial comment, Barker has since had a change of heart.

“I would not criticize Drew Carey. I would not criticize this show. I would not criticize CBS. I would not criticize FremantleMedia [which produces the show for the network] because I have a sizable royalty that I am paid every year this show is on, and it’s going on for years. I would be an absolute fool. I hope this show stays on for years,” he told Entertainment Weekly.

“As for Drew, he’s been charming and complimentary, and he had me on the show to plug my book ‘Priceless Memories.’ He devoted half of the show to me! He’s a charming man, and kind and gracious. To think that I would say anything derogatory about him is idiocy.”

[From CNN]

In no less than 10 lawsuits filed against him, The Price is Right, and CBS, Barker is accused of sexually harassing several employees and of deliberately limiting the number of black and minority contestants on the show. At least the show is kinder and gentler under Carey. The non-harassing non-racially biased work environment under Carey might not be as “exciting” though.

In related and happier news, Drew Carey has lost a lot of weight and is looking like a completely new man! I thought he was really cute before, but he’s handsome now. (He should stop trying to work the comb-over though.) I probably wouldn’t recognize him if I passed him on the street. Go Drew! You excite us, heavy or not.

Update US Weekly has more on Carey’s weight loss. He’s lost 70 pounds, no longer has diabetes, and explained that he lost the weight through cardio and diet. His motivation was to live a long life in order to be around for his girlfriend’s son. “My fiancee has a 5-year old, and wow, I’d love to see him graduate. I’d love to be able play with him without getting tired, enjoy my life and watch him grow.” Aw!

Drew Carey is shown on 7/28/10. He’s shown before on 1/19/10 and 11/20/08. Bob Barker is shown on 4/5/08. Credit: Fame Pictures. Drew Carey weight loss story via Radar

The National Enquirer is reporting that before Bob Barker made his name as the host of The Price is Right, he was offered a job doing pornographic films. At the time, he was a model in Palm Beach, and did some shoots that ended up in ads in road maps. Another photographer saw the pictures and decided to offer Bob the porn job when he traveled to California to become an actor. The story comes from his soon-to-be published memoirs called Priceless Memories, a play off the name of the show that made him famous.

“Bob says at the time he was a ‘buff’ photography model in Palm Beach,” a publishing source familiar with the book told The ENQUIRER.

“Pictures of him ended up in ads on road maps, with Bob posing as a ‘smiling gas station attendant.’

“The hunky photos caught the attention of another photographer, who met with Bob when he went west to California to seek his fame and fortune.

“But this man had other plans for Bob – the man asked him to appear in porn movies!”

Bob turned down the offer and went on to find fame as the host of the popular CBS game show The Price Is Right.

[from the National Enquirer]

This is the National Enquirer, so take it with a grain of salt, but the story is so outlandish that I’m guessing it’s true. His charm on The Price is Right came from his approachability and wholesomeness – can you imagine sweet old Bob Barker gettin’ it on in front of a camera?

Still, his time on the show was fraught with sex scandals. The Price is Right women were often called “Bob’s Beauties” because he managed to seduce so many of them. He was also sued by one of the female presenters, Dian Parkinson, for coercing her into sex. Bob eventually admitted that they had slept together, but claimed that it was consensual. The case was dropped when Dian realized her resources couldn’t compete with the kind of lawyers Bob would be able to afford. Despite these sex scandals, Bob’s wholesome reputation remained intact.

Hopefully his memoirs will have even more of these scandalous stories – I’m sure there are a lot of people out there who would be interested to hear what went on behind the cameras.