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Drew Carey tried to help a 'Price is Right' contestant — but his sweet gesture cost her big money

"I'll take the blame for that. Ronnie, I'm so sorry," the host told the contestant.
UPDATED JAN 5, 2025
Cover image source: (Photo by Amy Graves/WireImage)
Cover image source: (Photo by Amy Graves/WireImage)

"The Price Is Right" host Drew Carey recently ended up costing a contestant a shot at winning the bigger prizes while trying to help. Then, he was brutally roasted by another contestant while teasing her about her education. While it took some time for the host to recover from it, Carey managed to keep the show rolling.

Host Drew Carey celebrates his 500th
Host Drew Carey celebrates his 500th "The Price Is Right" episode | Getty Images | Photo by Frederick M. Brown

In the July 2 episode, contestant Ronnie Gardner from San Diego, California, was the first one to step up and spin the Big Wheel on stage.

For the unversed, on "The Price Is Right", contestants have to spin the wheel and get the closest to 100 to land a spot in the Showcase where they get the chance to win big prizes. However, those who go over a 100 in their spins are eliminated. 

Representative image of host Drew Carey and a contestant during
Host Drew Carey and a contestant during "The Price Is Right" television show (Image source: Getty Images | Photo by Frederick M. Brown)

For a spin to count, the wheel has to go around at least once. This was the rule that bothered Gardner. On her first attempt, she landed on 90 which was pretty close to 100. However, Carey pointed out that the wheel did not go around all the way, so she had to spin again.

On her second attempt, the wheel barely turned half-way. Thus, Carey stepped in offering to help. "Can I help you out?" the host asked. "Yes, please," Ronnie told him.

He then helped the contestant spin, and the wheel got all the way around this time. It landed on 15 putting her far away from 100. Thus, Carey told her that she would have to spin again to try and get close or get an 85 for a perfect score. 

Carey helped her again and this time, the wheel landed on 95, making her go over and out of the game. Naturally, Carey was the one to blame. 

"I'll take the blame for that. Ronnie, I'm so sorry," the gracious host told Gardner.



 

Later, it was revealed that the showcase round had several big prizes that Gardner missed out on. In the first showcase round, she missed out on winning a living room furniture set, a subscription to Munch Addict, a 360-degree photo booth, and an SUV. On the second showcase round, she missed out on winning trips to Oregon, Maine, and a new car.



 

Later, in the episode, another contestant, Lillian Brown was on a roll. The third-year Ph.D. student flew past the initial rounds and racked up great money, as per the New York Post.  

However, Carey kept teasing her about her education, hinting that it was her secret to winning the games. “We might as well not even keep going but . . . OK, OK. You have a Ph.D.,” he said. 

He then told her that he was thrown out of college twice and asked what's the opposite of a Ph.D. To this, the contestant replied with a brutal jab. “A talk show host,” Brown said. 



 

Carey tried to make a comeback by saying he wasn't smart enough to be a talk show host either, as the audience burst into laughter.

This article originally appeared 2 months ago.

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