The Price Is Right features exciting moments, and sometimes unexpected events end up in the final cut of episodes.
Who can forget the classic highlights from when a model crashed a new car into part of the set?
Or when a contestant caused host Drew Carey to go down on the stage after an aggressive hug that seemed more like a fight takedown or tackle?
Generally, many significant moments catching viewers’ attention are due to contestants getting excited, having lucky moments, or suffering mishaps during the games.
In a recent episode, one contestant disappeared from the show after appearing on stage, despite being scheduled to participate in a game.
While Drew shared some insight into what happened, producers and a fan may have provided an additional update on the contestant.
Drew Carey revealed a contestant exited TPIR mid-episode
During Season 53’s second-to-last episode on June 26, viewers saw Kathy Young win her way on stage from Contestants Row.
Kathy then played the pricing game Gridlock for a chance to win a brand-new car. She was excited for the prize, but didn’t win the game when she missed some of the numbers.
Even when contestants lose on The Price Is Right, they still get to return for the Showcase Showdown. That’s where they spin the big wheel and attempt to get the highest total spin(s) without going over one dollar.
As fans know, the contestants who win the two Showcase Showdown rounds on TPIR go head to head at the end of the show in the Showcase, with a chance to win some fantastic prize packages.
However, Kathy had to leave the game show abruptly. After a commercial break, Drew informed the audience and viewers at home that there would only be two contestants in Showcase Showdown. The TPIR host indicated that Kathy had an emergency.
He didn’t elaborate on what the situation was, but also said, “Sending our best to Kathy. We hope she’s ok!”
An on-screen message also appeared during the episode’s end credits regarding the situation.
“A contestant on this episode could not continue, but will be receiving their prizes,” the note said.
Interestingly, a photo of Drew and Kathy at Gridlock appears as the thumbnail for Paramount+’s on-demand episode for June 26.
What happened to Kathy on The Price Is Right?
As one might expect, Kathy’s disappearance during the game show due to an emergency caused considerable concern among fans. That included those on a TPIR Reddit forum, as many speculated on what happened to her.
Since the surprising circumstances aired in June’s episode, The Price Is Right producers shared a statement with TV Insider.
“Due to unforeseen circumstances, one of our contestants was unfortunately unable to complete her time on a recent episode of The Price Is Right. We are pleased to share that Kathy has been invited to return as our special member of our audience for a future show taping. We look forward to the opportunity to welcome her back and extend our sincere thanks to Kathy —and to all of our loyal viewers—for being such an incredible part of our television family,” the statement said.
It’s worth noting that there’s a TV Insider comment from an individual who claims to have attended the episode. That commenter claims Kathy injured her arm while attempting to spin the wheel and went to the hospital for medical attention. The commenter indicated that the show paused filming for a while, then resumed with just two contestants in Showcase Showdown.
It’s unknown if the comment details are accurate. However, they may have come from someone at the show who witnessed these events in person. Due to legal and insurance issues, TPIR may have only provided limited details about why Kathy exited during the episode.
Kathy previously won over $700 of workout equipment from Contestants Row before missing out on a new Toyota Corolla LE and potential Showcase prize packages due to her emergency. It’s encouraging to see that she’ll be back on the show, and hopefully, she’s doing better after whatever circumstances occurred during her episode.
