Purdue student appears on 'The Price is Right'

By Megan Finnerty
Features Editor

Bob Barker is caked in makeup.

Joe Harlow, a junior in the Schools of Engineering, and his roommate, John Rose, a junior in the School of Pharmacy, found out firsthand.

They saw him on the set of "The Price is Right" when Harlow was selected to compete on the game show while he and his friends were in California for the Rose Bowl.

Harlow appear on the show at 11 a.m. today on CBS.

"Everybody knows I’m on the show," Harlow said. "My roommate's been telling all his classes, drawing diagrams on the overheads in his classes of where we are in the audience.

"People are like, ‘Oh my God, you're on "The Price Is Right"’ and it's kind of flattering, but kind of not," he said with a laugh.

Rose, a huge fan of the show, secured tickets for his friends, but the studio is oversold, so wannabe contestants must arrive before dawn to get a seat.

The men arrived at 3 a.m.

"That’s how we got in the front row," Rose said. "Maybe we showed up too early. There was only one other couple there before us; they were from Alaska. We thought they were homeless; they were sleeping right by the gate in sleeping bags."

Harlow and his friends, all clad in Purdue shirts, were placed near contestant’s row on the left side of the 300-person studio audience and were shown on camera often.

When Harlow was selected, he said he couldn’t believe it and was stunned, but Rose said the audience was filled with Purdue students who "just freaked out" when Harlow’s name was held up on poster board behind the cameras.

So far, so good. But Harlow’s problems began once he got on stage.

"Joe hates the show," Rose said. "He never watches it, so he doesn’t know what the rules are. Bob asked him for his bid on this whole showcase during the ‘Showcase Showdown’, but Joe didn’t know what to do, so he said, ‘Bob, I’d like to bid on the car,’ and Bob said, ‘Joe, you have to bid on the whole thing.’ It was the best."

Harlow said he had mixed feeling about his unexpected fame, "I get to see myself on television, but I did a lot of stupid things. I blew two cars, a Cougar and a Mercury Sable. And I tried to talk to the Barker Babes, but since I didn't win, I didn't really get too much of a chance…"

Even though he missed out on the two cars, Harlow, who doesn’t have a car on campus, did come away with some choice prizes.

He won $800 worth of crystal stemware and a food processor — he sent both to his mother — and an air cleaner, which he sent to his brother.

"It might be our fault he lost the first car because we were shouting all these numbers and they were wrong," Rose said. "It’s so funny when he needs a ride; we’re like, ‘Hey, why don’t you drive your…, oh right, you lost both of them.’ It was hilarious."

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Features editor:
Megan Finnerty

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