The Price is Right LIVE! takes place at 7 p.m. Friday Nov. 4. To participate, sign up at 4 p.m. at Jesse Auditorium.
You’ve probably seen Mark Walberg somewhere. No, not posing in Calvin Klein underwear ads, rapping with the Funky Bunch or acting in films such as The Italian Job and The Departed. That’s Mark Wahlberg.
But Walberg has many TV hosting gigs under his belt, including “The Moment of Truth,” “Temptation Island,” “Antiques Roadshow” and “Russian Roulette” — to name just a very few.
And on Friday, this familiar face will appear in Jesse Auditorium, where he will host “The Price is Right LIVE!”
Walberg has been involved with “The Price is Right Live!” since the stage show was first introduced 14 years ago. Walberg said the show seeks to recreate the energy of the TV classic, which rose to prominence in the 1970s with host Bob Barker.
“It’s a stage show that is a tribute to something that has been part of everybody’s life. ‘The Price is Right’ is like comfort food. My role is to give everyone that experience, and it’s a blast,” Walberg says.
Of course, there’s a big difference between switching on the television and seeing the show live — namely the opportunity to “come on down” to play such beloved games as Plinko, Cliffhangers and The Big Wheel.
Would-be contestants 18 and older must pre-register to be on the show. Registration opens at 4 p.m. at Jesse Auditorium and runs until show time. The drawing takes place backstage in Jesse Auditorium, and all eligible contestants must be present when their names are called.
Walberg said all contestants are randomly selected.
“There’s no screening. It doesn’t matter if you’re peppy or not. Anybody is going to get called up. My job is to take whoever gets called up and make them feel comfortable. You improvise because you never know what’s going to happen,” Walberg said.
As on the show, prizes have included home appliances, new cars, vacation packages and cash prizes.
Although he wasn’t able to say what prizes will be given away Friday night, Walberg did say the prize giveaway is one of the best things about his job.
“I love it when they win big. I love hearing their stories about who they are. You’re never sure who’s coming up on stage and so you never know where you’re going with things,” Walberg says.
