America’s #1 game show is back! Once again, gracing the stage at the Theatre at MGM National Harbor for more Washingtonians, Marylanders and Virginians ready to experience spectacular game show magic right in their own backyard. While making its latest return to National Harbor, this time is a little different for it’s the first time the show is performing back here since we lost the World’s Greatest Master of Ceremonies of TPIR, Bob Barker.

Ever since I first started my long journey to see this stage show back in 2005, The Price is Right Live continues to be the gold standard of live gameshow productions performing in towns across America. Where else can you live out your dreams of hoping the announcer will call your name and tell you to “Come on Down”! For the people in attendance tonight and tomorrow, they are ready & they’re hungry for cold hard cash and prizes. Some of the contestants wore custom made T-shirt and show their love for the 52-year institution that has brighten up our sick days or provided some good clean fun in the morning.

TPIRL has the great combination needed for a live traveling gameshow to be successful – a bombastic announcer, an amazing model and a spectacular host who keeps the show flowing at every turn. With his pipes of steel, announcer/producer Jim Gruessing sets the audience for the experience of their lives. From reading of the prizes during the pricing games to warming up the audience before the showtime, Jim does an amazing job entertaining the audience of over 1600 people. This is my third time seeing him in action on tour and he’s one of the best in the biz, future announcers take note. Markie Newton models the prizes and is among the favorites that we see on tour since she started her journey eight years ago. She radiates positive energy and cheers on the contestants to win every night. It was wonderful to see grace our stage again!

And now, the two-time Emmy-award winner Todd Newton comes back to give away cash and prizes to my game show fans. Todd was there from beginning when the live show came in fruition and continues be the best host ever! To see him on television doesn’t compare to his aura live. Todd is always quick with a wit, has the Kodak smile and the voice that will lead you to your destiny. The one thing I always loved about Todd over the years is him being a class act to the players. He always finds a unique tidbit about a player on stage or on contestants’ row and roll with it. One example tonight was a contestant named Lumarion who when she won her way to spin the Big Wheel and needed some assistance, without skipping a beat Todd offered her a chair to sit down but even helped her spin the Big Wheel and she won the Showcase Showdown! Todd is the host with the most!

After the second pricing game, Todd took time to pay tribute to the legendary Bob Barker who passed away on August 26th. Todd told the story of how Bob hired him for the live show over twenty years ago and wanted the bring a piece of Hollywood closer to the fans who couldn’t make the trip. He also shared an anecdote of an interview Bob was featured back in January this year when the reporter asked him “How does it feel to be 99 and still be loved by millions?” and in his true style he said it feels to be close to 100 and not go over. Bob would have turned 100 this coming December and he is still missed by Todd, the crew and the fans who still watch the show.

The Price is Right Live would not be the epic stage show it is without the sight of the stage, the familiar bells and buzz to create the tension and the prizes it gives away. One contestant, Naima from Fort Washington, MD played her favorite her pricing game “Cliffhangers” and won a trip for two to Dublin during the night perfect’s game. When asked how did to be at the show and win, she said “Great, great. I was very surprised and watched it all the time.” Another highlight of the first show was seeing Florian spun the Big Wheel and hitting the $1.00 space on her first spin and won $100. Not only the contestants on stage have a chance to win, randomly selected audience members won prizes throughout the show including TPIR Live merchandise packs and tickets for upcoming shows at the Theatre at MGM National Harbor.

If you’re in the DC Metro Area, TPIR Live has one more show today, September 30th at 6:00pm. Click HERE to purchase tickets!

The Price is Right Live will continue touring across America through the rest of the year with its next stops in Westbury NY, Erie PA, Syracuse NY & Atlantic City NJ in the near future. If you like Plinko, Clock Game, money and a chance to Come on Down, then you have to join the fun, excitement and the great thrills of The Price is Right Live, you’ll love it!

FINAL GRADE: A++

To see if The Price is Right Live is coming to a city near you, go to priceisrightlive.com or

Follow them on social media

• @priceisrightlive on Facebook 
• @priceisrightlive on Instagram
• @TPIRLive on Twitter

About The Author

Dean Rogers

Editor-in-Chief/Entertainment Reporter

I knew early on that I wanted to take my place among the stars. One day, my mother saw me reading The Washington Post at a very young age. Who would have known that it would be the building blocks of my journey? Since that day, I dedicated my life to learn all that is learnable. I read everything from encyclopedias, to books, to dictionaries, to magazines. I’m also an avid consumer of television, with my favorite genre being game shows. If you’ve seen me on Who Wants to be a Millionaire or Wheel of Fortune, then you know that this interest has served me well!

My unique style of reporting began back in junior high school, when I started to chronicle the events that shaped my life. Whether it was the annual family vacation or the local science fiction convention, I shot numerous pictures and recorded my thoughts so I could truly appreciate the history. During my senior year at Friendly High, I wrote what was to be my first masterpiece, “Advanced Space Academy – A One Week Journey.” I sent the eleven-page article back to the U.S. Space Camp staff. The article was highly praised for being “one of the best written articles in the history of U.S. Space Camp.” From then on, I knew what I wanted to do for rest of my life — to be a reporter.

Since then, I have trained in Broadcast Journalism at Bowie State University (2008) in Bowie, MD earning a B.S. in Communications. I gained experience in news production and editing through field experiences with Bowie Community Media Corporation, Prince George’s Community Television, and Bowie State University Television. I also wrote scripts for a variety of quiz shows for over five years.

As a lifelong movie buff, I now see close to 100 films every year. I took this love of movies to the next step when I became a co-host for Eclipse Magazine TV in the fall of 2005. While at EMTV, I interviewed celebrities, worked red carpets, and attended a wide variety of movie screenings. In January 2009, I took a leap of faith and started my own entertainment news magazine, The Rogers Revue. Shortly afterward, my life-long journey of studying the silver screen and writing about what I learned finally earned me a place in the Washington Area Film Critics Association.

All of this has led me here, giving you the latest entertainment news for the DMV and the entire nation, and I am truly excited for whatever will come next.

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