The Price Is Right’s Perfect Storm

Esquire takes a look into The Price Is Right’s only perfect bidder on a Showcase, and finds a perfect—if murky—storm of events leading up the bid. Lucky contestant Terry Kniess bid exactly $23,743 for the collection of prizes because, he said, he was able to estimate the $23,000 portion through studying the show, and the $734 amount was inspired by his PIN number. But the show’s producers have charged that Kniess had more than dumb luck on his side. They suspect an audience member named Ted Slauson, who had long been known to help contestants guess the prices due to his devotion to the show and his knack for remembering numbers, helped Kniess—and other contestants that day—make the right bids. In the end, the producers couldn't prove their case for cheating, and Kniess walked away with a handful of prizes and cash. Both Kniess and Slauson claim they just know how to play to the show's imperfections—but now no longer watch.