The Top 8 Reasons Drew Carey is better than Bob Barker

That is no typo, kiddies.  I have always liked Drew Carey and the way he has grown into a terrific host of The Price is Right in such a short time is astonishing.  It hit me a few months ago that not only am I impressed with his progress but he is in fact much better than Bob Barker.  And here are the top 8 reasons why:


8:  Drew Carey provides a breath of fresh air

•  This is a point that any one replacing Bob Barker would receive, hence it's placement at #8.  While he had a good run as host of The Price is Right he also did it for 35 YEARS!  At 5 episodes per week, 52 weeks a year for 35 years gives us 9100 episodes of Barker.  This doesn't include prime time specials.  Nothing has a shelf life that long.  

7:  Drew makes me want to eat popcorn

• Drew Carey's recent weight loss has brought this comparison to the forefront, especially when someone had the audacity to dress him in a white suit (which was hilarious).  Drew Carey looks like the long lost grandson of popcorn magnate Orville Redenbacher.  The glasses, the bow tie, the smile.  It is all there.  I'm hoping ancestry.com can get to the bottom of this unsolved mystery and prove that Redenbacher nailed Drew Carey's grandmother.  Don't believe me, here is some proof:

 

6:  Drew Carey is a WWE Hall of Famer

• Drew Carey has made several appearances for WWE(F) over the years, mostly in comedy segments.  However he did join Pete Rose as a celebrity guest to enter the annual Royal Rumble match.  A lot of fans pissed and moaned over this induction but I really don't see where the hate is coming from.  If Pete Rose and Bob Uecker can get in, why not Drew?  Now I know a lot of you are going to bring up Bob Barker's guest host bits on Raw from 2009.  The difference is Carey was having fun while interacting with the wrestlers while Barker had one great segment carried by Jericho and played it off as if he was in TPIR studio.  Not to mention Carey was a good sport regarding being booed.  I wondered what Barker's reaction would be to such treatment.

5:  Drew allows the contestants their full 15 minutes of fame

• Unfortunately I was unable to find a lot of video footage to back up this point as most youtube clips are relatively short.  In fact the only way to see the difference is to watch their shows back to back.  I was out of work for over a year so I had plenty of time to observe this (between bouts of crying and salting the barrel of a .45).  Drew doesn't talk over the contestants.  He doesn't try to rush them and he always seems genuinely happy when people win big.  Barker seemed annoyed towards the end of his run and was only happy when he could show the contestants how easy it was to make the putt in "Hole in One (or Two)."  Of course Bob Barker should be able to make that putt.  He was doing it for 1,697 years.  I'd much rather have a host who is pulling for his contestants as opposed to some smug dick looking for excuses to usher dopes off stage as soon as possible.  Which reminds me:  fuck Alex Trebek too!

4:  Drew Carey is a Libertarian

• Libertarians are awesome.  They are open to all types of freedom with as little government interference as possible.  In short, they are Republicans who could care less about what gay people do.  In Hollywood, a world full of filthy, ultra-left wing hippies it is good to see that there are some who aren't going to bend over backwards for the entertainment establishment.  I have no idea what Bob Barker's political views are and frankly I don't care.  The point is that Drew Carey and I think alike.  And I still want some popcorn.

3:  Drew Carey doesn't sexually harass women (allegedly)

• It is impossible for a show like The Price is Right to go on for 35 years without some form of controversy:  in fighting amongst producers, Bob Barker wanting a bigger paycheck, 'random' selections from the crowd, etc.  One wouldn't think that sweet, old Bob Barker would be accused of sexual harassment.  But yet in 1994 former 'Barker Beauty' filed suit after an alleged three year long affair.  Two other beauties were fired and given out of court settlements, while producer Deborah Curling filed a discrimination/hostile work environment lawsuit.  I don't claim to know any facts about these cases but I would classify this as a classic 'Michael Jackson Deja Vu.'  Allow me to explain.  The first time MJ was accused of inappropriate contact with a minor the vast majority of people wrote it off as a broke family looking for a quick buck.  There was an out of court settlement which was not good for Jackson's PR but with time people were more willing to forgive and forget.  Then it happened again and everyone thought "AGAIN!"  How could that happen a second time.  Even if Jackson never touched any of these kids the fact that he allowed himself to possibly be put in that situation again speaks even lower of his judgment.  The same thing goes for Barker.  If something like that happens once it is a pretty easy thing to get a chuckle at and let go.  But when it starts happening again and again it will eventually catch up to you and/or the show.

2:  Drew Carey's experience with improvisation makes him a more adept game show host

•  Game shows are unpredictable, that is their very nature.  So many variables can change the outcome of any game on The Price is Right.  A customer might not know how much ketchup costs, or they spin the wheel so hard it breaks off of it's track and rolls into the crowd (seriously, how cool would that be?).  Even the personalities of the participants and of the audience can change at the drop of a hat.  Drew Carey's experience with improvisational comedy leads to him to be able to adapt to the changes on the fly and expect the unexpected.  His work on Whose Line is it Anyway? is a prime example of being able to think and react quickly while maintaining pace and humor.  Again, not to slam Barker but you could tell at times that Barker was annoyed or taken aback.  Drew has never been held speechless.  Well, except that one time.........

1:  Drew Carey was a temporary savior of the city of Cleveland

• New York.  Los Angeles.  Chicago.  Washington, D.C.  These are huge cities with world famous tourist destinations.  These towns have glitz, glamour, movie stars, government.  Smaller cities like Cleveland have to take other avenues in order to get their name out there.  While the state of Ohio does have the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame (the NFL's is in Canton while MLB's is in Cooperstown) there isn't a whole lot about the city of Cleveland that makes it stand out from say, Des Moines.  That was until 1989 when a little feature film called Major League hit the theaters.  The film was essentially The Bad News Bears with the Cleveland Indians.  Better yet the movie was actually pretty funny.  In order to show that Hollywood has always made terrible, unnecessary sequels Major League II was released in 1994.  Upon seeing this Drew Carey took it upon himself to defend the honor of the city of Cleveland and save it's economy by launching The Drew Carey Show from 1995-2004.  The show ran 234 episodes and even had the balls to have a theme song titled "Cleveland Rocks!"  Drew Carey even managed to keep up his appearances on Whose Line while filming The Drew Carey Show.  Nine years of running a city is enough to make anyone scream, or want to smoke crack.  Just ask Marion Berry he'll tell you.  But Drew Carey was considerate enough to wait for someone to take up the mantle and carry the city of Cleveland when his work was done.  For you see, 2004 was the second year in the NBA career of one Lebron James.