Before Bob Barker invited audiences to “come on down” on “The Price is Right,” he first subjected game show contestants to face the “consequences” for failing to answer questions with speed by making them perform wacky stunts. In case you didn’t know, Barker hosted the game show “Truth or Consequences” for nearly two decades, making it the program that initially catapulted him into fame.
He achieved great strides while hosting the program from 1956 to 1975, including popularizing videotaping episodes and scoring a Guinness World Record. In his tribute to the Television Academy Hall of Fame, Barker recalled how desperately he wanted to land the gig before it was given to him. “I lost about five to ten pounds [waiting for that decision],” he shared. “I really wanted that show… I had done some local television, but not much, and I had done radio on a regional network. But I had never done a national show. All the wonderful things that have happened to me, it all began with that telephone call.”
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And while he is associated more with his work on “Price,” he looks back at his time on “Truth or Consequences” fondly. “I had thirty-five great years on ‘The Price Is Right,’ but ‘Truth or Consequences’ will always hold a special place in my heart for many reasons,” he wrote in his memoir, “Priceless Memories” (via Today). “It was my first national television job; I had the opportunity to work with one of my heroes, Ralph Edwards; and Dorothy Jo and I began to enjoy more financial security.”
