Coming on down to Texarkana

Famous game show stops through local town

Junior+Anna+Bius+stands+among+her+family+holding++her+ticket+from+The+Price+is+Right+Live+on+April+23%2C+2023.+The+game+show+went+live+at+Ross+Perot+Theatre%2C+giving+local+fans+a+chance+to+experience+it+in+real+time.+%0A

submitted photo

Junior Anna Bius stands among her family holding her ticket from The Price is Right Live on April 23, 2023. The game show went live at Ross Perot Theatre, giving local fans a chance to experience it in real time.

Story by Liberty Maldonado Cowan, News/Feature Editor

“Come on down,” a famous phrase that lets lucky audience members know they were just selected to be a contestant on “The Price is Right.” 

On Sun. April 23, the famous American game show stopped right through Texarkana at our very own Perot Theatre, where locals got to actively be a part of the show and watch how it all works right up close. 

“It was really fun to see how everyone got super excited for all the people winning,” junior Anna Bius said. “Everyone was just supporting each other, like no one was jealous of each other.” 

Having over 9000 episodes since its debut, it is the longest running game show in the United States and one of the longest-running network series in United States history. 

“I used to watch the show with my grandmother everyday while out of school, so getting to go with my sister was super fun,” TISD parent Anna Cowan said. “My sisters out of town were even jealous just because of how neat it was.”

“Everyone was just supporting each other, like no one was jealous of each other.”

— Anna Bius

The show works in four sections: Bidding, Pricing games, Showcase Showdown and Showcase. Contestants start out at “Bidders Row” and end in front of a showcase of prices where one out of two people have the chance of winning the biggest prizes, which consist of things like a Las Vegas vacation or a new car.

“My favorite part of the show was when my aunt went up and kissed the producer,” Bius said. “But also watching this one lady win a whole bunch of stuff. She won a trip to Italy, and also Paris.” 

Stopping in popular cities throughout the United States, it’s exciting that Texarkana of all places was picked for their performance. It’s just one perk of living on a state border. 

“I think it’s cool that the show stopped through Texarkana,” Cowan said. “Artists and shows used to stop here all the time and I hope with the new growth in downtown, we will start seeing more exciting events here since we have people from both Texas and Arkansas willing to come.” 

Although no one in Texarkana got to hear the always famous “YOU WON A NEW CAR” locals still walked away with big getaways and cash prizes, as well as the fact that they got to be on “The Price is Right Live!”