“There was a guy here that was tripping on mushrooms…He didn’t think he was going to get picked, and he totally tripped,” Carey recalled.
Drew Carey reveals The Price Is Right players sometimes take a bit of liquid courage before coming on down! Though the contestants — who are picked from the live studio audience — are the host’s “favorite part of the show,” Carey, 66, revealed that he can tell that some drink alcohol or use other recreational substances before taking the stage.
“They’ll have a [marijuana] gummy or I’ll smell alcohol on their breath. Not unusual,” he told TV Insider. “There was a guy here that was tripping on mushrooms. He came with a bunch of friends.” Carey revealed that he didn’t realize that the contestant was under the influence until later. The player was a “sketch [comedy] guy” he later ran into at the United Citizens Brigade comedy theater.
“They were like, ‘Did you see that guy who claimed to be a skateboarding rabbi?’” he recalled. “I asked him what he did for a living. And he goes, ‘I’m a skateboarding rabbi.’ He didn’t think he was going to get picked, and he totally tripped.” While Carey may experience his fair share of zany characters, he said that he has the most fun with the contestants on the show.
“They’re normal people that live normal lives,” he explained. “There are no CEOs, ultra-rich upper management. They don’t come to The Price Is Right. These are middle class, working class. Every religion. It’s a cross-section of America.” He continued: “Regular people are more interesting than celebrities. Honestly. They’ve all had their own problems to overcome and their own demons, to get their own special lives. I learn more from them than I do from anybody.”
In 2007, Carey took over hosting the beloved show from Bob Barker. Since then, he’s made the show his own with a new set, logo and theme music while cementing his place in game show history.
While speaking out at CBS’ fall schedule celebration on May 2, the longstanding game show host revealed he had no plans of retiring from his post — in fact, Carey said he’s planning on performing his role to his grave.
“Thoughts of dying on stage with a microphone in my hand have gone through my mind,” he said with a laugh. “I never want to leave. I’m having such a good time there. Everybody treats me great and the cast is great and the production office is great.” “I really feel supported and loved there and wanted,” Carey continues. “When you’re 65 and in the entertainment business, you don’t really get that that often. I’m in a pretty rare situation so I wanna keep that going as long as I can.”
The Price Is Right airs weekdays at 11 a.m. ET on CBS.
