Emmy Award winner Bob Barker, longtime host of The

Dennis Rosen has stood in Bob Barker’s shoes – sort of.

Last March, some of Rosen’s students at Kansas University convinced him to play the role of host of “The Price is Right” in a late-night re-creation of the game show. It drew 500 screaming students to the Kansas Union Ballroom.

So as comedian Drew Carey prepares to take over for the retiring legend Barker, Rosen has some pointers.

“I guess the secret is to relax – you can’t really flub up,” says Rosen, an associate professor of business. “If you flub up, you just make fun of it. The people are the stars – let them steal the show. You’re the straight man.”

Barker taped the final episode of “The Price is Right” in June. The 83-year-old’s career with the show spanned 35 years and more than 6,500 episodes, all the while guiding contestants through games such as Hole in One, Plinko, Shell Game and Switcheroo.

Last week, CBS announced it had hired Carey, best known for “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” and “The Drew Carey Show,” to host the iconic program.

Starting this fall, a younger host will be showing off the “lovely” prizes, giving away new cars and helping contestants spin the big wheel.

While Barker has said he thinks Carey was a good choice, the decision didn’t go over as well with the folks at Brandon Woods Retirement Community, 1501 Inverness Drive.

“They did really like Bob Barker, but they remembered him more for his time on ‘Truth or Consequences,'” says Kim Blocher, social programs manger. “A lot of these seniors don’t even know who Drew Carey is.”

But Rosen, who has watched the show on and off for decades, says he thought Carey would be a good fit.

“When I heard that, I said, ‘Of course – Drew Carey. Why not?'” Rosen says. “He’s a comedian. He’s known for improvisation. He’s a funny guy, and a popular person.

“The interesting thing is he’s not a Bob Barker type. He’s not a tall, sophisticated, gray-haired guy. He’s short, stocky and has glasses and a crewcut. He doesn’t have to worry about being Bob Barker. He can immediately come out and set his own tone.”

Glee-ful experience

Nathan Dame is withholding judgment about the new host.

Dame, a KU senior from Denton, Texas, was among the members of the Men’s Glee Club who performed on “The Price is Right” in 2005. He’s also a lifelong fan.

“That show was also a unique one for Bob Barker,” Dame says. “Instead of coming out of the big doors, he walked down the aisles. I was actually sitting near the back and on the aisle, so I got to give him a high-five as he walked by. I kid around with my friends, saying I still haven’t washed that hand yet.”

He was impressed with Barker.

“Bob was an incredible guy,” Dame says. “He was so nice on television that I felt like I knew him before I actually met him. In person, he was just as genuine. He talked to the crowds during the break and he even signed a picture of himself for us to take back to KU.”

Dame’s adoration for Barker is why he’s not sure how Carey will do.

“Replacing a legend is never easy,” Dame says. “He has a lot to live up to. I may be old-school for saying this, but it will never be the same without Barker.”

Pet project

Rosen, the marketing professor, says he thinks “The Price is Right” has become the longest-running game show in television history, in part, because of what makes many game shows popular: the element of wanting to beat out the contestants from the comfort of a viewer’s home. But he thinks “Price” has another element.

“The big selling point is people-watching,” Rosen says. “From the moment it starts, from the moment they call a name, you’re thinking, ‘How are they going to respond?'”

No matter how people end up responding to Carey as a host, animal-lovers will be happy. Published reports have said he will continue with Barker’s signature tagline: “Help control the pet population; have your pet spayed or neutered.”

Midge Grinstead, director of the Lawrence Humane Society, says that tagline has done a lot to spread the word about pet overpopulation through the years, adding that space issues in shelters in other communities often lead to euthanizations.

“It helped change that whole mindset,” Grinstead says. “When you have people saying you don’t have to spay or neuter them, and then this great guy says you should, that made a difference every single day. He had such a huge following.”

– Staff writer Terry Rombeck can be reached at 832-7145.