'Price is Right' crowd cheers for World War II veteran as he takes on a challenge in inspiring TV moment
Iconic TV game shows have been around for decades, which means that even elderly contestants who get a shot at winning big have been fans since they were young viewers. Games on “The Price is Right” could get challenging, but that doesn't seem like a big deal for someone who has fought in World War II. One such veteran made it to the show as a contestant and announcer George Gray said that it was an honor to ask such a man to ‘come on down.’
The studio erupted with chants of ‘USA’ as the veteran named Arthur Waddell made his way from his seat to Contestants’ Row. Arthur took in all the adulation and even brought out the showman inside him. He turned to the audience and waved his crutch around making the crowd go wild with applause. Not a single person was sitting down when his name was called, showing the immense respect they had for someone who had risked his life for the country.
“United States Marine Corps,” Arthur announced as the audience cheered him on, and Carey welcomed him. It was an incredible moment on the show and fans also expressed admiration in the comments under the clip on YouTube.
“That put a big smile on my face,” user @JeffreyGraham33 wrote. “At least he got the come on down thing! Better than nothing right?” added @nathanhon1784. Then there were those who weren’t happy with others competing against him. “Too bad he didn't get up on stage. Those other contestants oughta be ashamed of themselves, especially the lady that one dollared him, IMO,” @TheBattyviewer penned.
But “The Price is Right” has a historical association with World War II beyond this one veteran who made it. The show's former host, the late great Bob Barker, was also a US Navy veteran who served during that period. That is one of the reasons why generations of fans love him to his day and go back to see clips of the era when he was the host of the show. Barker passed away in 2023 at the age of 99 and remains one of the greatest game show hosts ever in America.
“I was a fighter pilot in the navy during the war. Actually it was World War II. Every man in the country wanted to be in the service and I was a freshman in college at the time that Pearl Harbour was attacked. One day I was looking at a magazine and here was a full-colored page and it was a young naval aviator wearing his whites and I thought ‘if I’m going to war, I want to got to war looking like that guy,'” he said in a CNN interview.
He went to the post office to send an application for the post of naval aviation cadet that very day and was recruited. He was one of the many who played a big role in keeping Nazis at bay.
