GOSHtastic - Game shows, Options, Software, & Hardware!

The "G" in "GOSHtastic" stands for Game shows, so why I've had this blog for about two years and haven't posted this yet is beyond me.  It crossed my mind when the folks at work started seriously grasping my level of fandom, and I recalled an amazing recount written in an email to someone (in January '14, well after starting this blog, so D'Oh :-P) about my trip to see The Price is Right in 2007, in the final months before Bob Barker's retirement.  It was a sad day for fans everywhere when they found out it wasn't just a Halloween hoax that he was leaving the show, so we all scrambled to buy plane tickers and accommodations for a trip to Los Angeles.  At the time, I was a sophomore at Northwestern University. So, back in 2007... It was our spring break, and myself plus 21 others from Northwestern (mostly from the marching band or friends of members) were leaving cold, snowy Chicago to head to LA which wasn't exactly all that warm th...

Everyone has their favorite pricing game on The Price Is Right, whether it be Plinko, Lucky $even, Hole In One, Clock Game, or whatever the case may be.  Some may fancy retired games such as Hurdles (1976-83) or Super Ball!!! (1981-98).  Long-time producer Roger Dobkowitz once said "every pricing game is somebody's favorite," and with over 100 pricing games played over the show's long history, it's been sufficient to keep millions of viewers still watching loyally every morning. For as many memorable games as the show has, they have certainly had some, shall we say, "experiments" that did not go so well.  Some games were dull; others simply did not mesh well with the spirit of Price is Right (like Professor Price or Double Bullseye).  Still others have grown old (like Barker's Bargain Bar), were killed off due to inflation (like Walk of Fame), were plagued with mechanical issues (like Hurdles), or became too confusing for today's contestants to...