As most of you know, Bob Barker has just officially retired as host of The Price is Right.  After 35 years, today was his last day of taping.

Having lived through the 80’s, I remember a time when I privately wanted to be on any game show.  From Scrabble to Password, I loved them all.  Unfortunately, game show appearances (like the ones on GSN today) don’t carry the same cachet they once did….but I still think of those dreams fondly. (And for the record, I would totally suck at Jeopardy...and Wheel of Fortune is just too blah for me).

While I didn’t get many chances to watch Price during recent years, I still know which games I wished I’d played.  For those of you who expecting me to mention Plinko—you’re wrong.  I never really liked those games of chance:

5) Range Game:  The board always reminded me of a thermometer with its dashes and red ‘screen’.  The concept was very easy but I always seemed to get a thrill when someone guessed a price just outside the guessed ‘range’.

4) Punch-A-Bunch:  Okay, so this would be a considered a game of chance.  But I like punching people…and things…especially when I could earn money for doing it.

3) Safe Crackers:  One of the fanciest sets to come off that show!  I so wanted to crack that combination so that I could roll in the fantasized dough waiting for me on the other side.

2) Cliff Hangers:  Weirdly enough, I was always a bit scared that the mountain climber would fall off the mountain.  I didn’t like to seeing him plunge to his death.  But the yodeling proved to be the best—and most nervewracking—supporting music ever.

1) Clock Game:  Why did I love this game?  Because it took smarts and more importantly…logic.  It always angered me when someone took too long to guess the right price.  When Bob said ‘higher’, you simply needed to guess higher.  When he said ‘lower’, you went lower.  And you did it fast.  Why some people could never grasp that concept—or give a good variety of guesses—I will never know.

To freshen up on your own memories—or to simply see which games I chose—click on the link below!  In the meantime, schedule a date for Bob’s farewell when his last show airs on June 15th.