Sometimes, it really pays to listen to the host during high-stakes moments on game shows.
On The Price Is Right, host Drew Carey entertains viewers and wants to see contestants win.
The game show host even makes mistakes to help them win prizes.
More importantly, he also regularly offers valuable suggestions that contestants can use to increase their chances of winning.
However, not all contestants take his words of wisdom to heart, and some play the games with personal strategies.
Fans expressed frustration after another contestant did not listen to Drew during a game with significant money available.
A contestant could’ve won more money on TPIR
One of the longtime popular games on The Price Is Right is Plinko, where contestants win Plinko chips that they can drop down the gameboard.
It’s mostly luck with how the chips land at the bottom of the gameboard, as money spots range from $0 to $10,000.
A contestant could win as much as $50,000 on regular daytime episodes. Sometimes, up to $100,000 is available on special episodes.
A recent highlight clip featured a contestant with five chips to drop from the top of the gameboard, with Drew and model Manuela Arbelaez standing below.
“$10,000 right in the middle. Good luck,” Drew told the contestant before she dropped her first chip.
However, she started with a drop between the “K” and “O” in the word “PLINKO” atop the gameboard.
After her first chip got stuck, Drew told her, “Just give it a tap.” After doing so, it went down to the $100 spot.
“Hundred bucks. You hit a scratcher,” he told the contestant, seeming disappointed.
Her second drop resulted in $500, with Drew announcing “climbing up the scale” regarding prize amounts.
“There you go, right in the middle,” he told her as she dropped the third chip, which also hit $500.
The fourth Plinko chip brought her the most, landing in the $1,000 spot.
“Come on, baby, $10,000,” Drew said on her final drop, but it dropped to the $500 spot again.
The contestant won $2,600, which is still good money, but far from the $50,000 she could’ve won on Plinko. After returning to the stage, Drew shook her hands to congratulate her on the win.
Fans expressed their frustration over contestants not listening to Drew’s advice
In the Instagram comment section, many fans vented about contestants never seeming to use Drew’s strategic advice on Plinko.
“EVERY time this game is played, drew says ‘10,000 in the MIDDLE’ He’s helping them every time and they still put it every where else,” a commenter wrote.
Another wrote, “Drew always tells them to drop it in the middle and they NEVER listen. Physics probability dictates a drop in the middle has the highest chance of hitting the middle.”
A fan called Plinko “fun to watch but statistically, one of the worst games to play for cash on the Price Is Right.”
“Down the middle. But as a former contestant, what you do at home and what you do when you’re there can be miles apart,” another individual wrote.
While contestants likely experience stage fright and anxiety, Drew and his co-stars keep things upbeat to create a winning environment.
During a 2024 interview, the host explained that the vibe on The Price Is Right is so happy because “Everybody wants to see people win.”
“Everybody plays along with everything they see and every story they hear,” he told TV Insider, adding, “That’s human nature. They’re thinking, ‘What would I do? How would I be in their shoes?’ People eventually started cheering for each other. It’s not my money — it’s CBS’s money, and we’re all trying to take it together.”