Carey puts 'Price' contestants at ease

Variety - Los Angeles, CA, USA - Drew Carey has no problem recognizing the star of "The Price Is Right."

"It's the contestant, not the game, not the host. It's that person up there on the stage who goes on a journey, and the audience is right there with them," Carey says. "The host is just the guide. All I have to do is just show up in a good mood and be nice to everybody."

Just being modest? Sure. Carey has stepped in quite nicely actually, having the pressure to fill the shoes for icon Bob Barker, who retired last year amid tremendous fanfare. Ratings for the daytime version are down about 15% -- certainly not unexpected considering the handoff from a gameshow legend to a comic, and it's a number CBS can live with -- plus the primetime version of "Price" is a big hit for the Eye with more specials on the way.

Both "Price" and Barker won Daytime Emmys in 2007, and it will be interesting to see if Carey, in his first year as "Price" host, is nominated this year as well.

Carey says he believes all great gameshows have a built-in mythology. The audience sees the contestant and wants that contestant to succeed. The host draws out the contestant's story, making the audience root for him or her.

"Whether it's 'American Idol' or 'The Price Is Right,' we invest in these people and want them to win," Carey says. "'The Price Is Right' is a genius show on so many levels. The people are so excited and the stakes aren't so high that it's going to change anybody's life. It's all about having a good time."

Carey is quick to look back at the transition of holding the skinny mic and can appreciate Barker's words of wisdom.

"His advice was to be myself and 'don't do the show like I did,'" Carey recalls. "That was either good advice or a warning. Maybe it was a threat."