For decades,The Price Is Rightlooked like the definition of wholesome TV — bright lights, a cheerful audience, and a host who genuinely seemed kind and likable. But people who worked on the show claim things were a lot messier behind the scenes.
On E!'s docuseriesDirty Rotten Scandals, formerThe Price Is Rightmodels and staff claim the workplace duringBob Barker's tenure was deeply uncomfortable and hostile. From allegations of discrimination, harassment, and retaliation, their accounts paint a very different picture of one of TVs most recognizable franchises.
Here's a breakdown of the biggest bombshells fromDirty Rotten Scandals: The Price Is Right.
Holly Hallstrom claimed she was pressured to undergo cosmetic surgery to keep her job
In part 1 of the documentary, formerThe Price Is RightmodelHolly Hallstromclaimed the pressure on the models wasn't subtle — it was constant. She said that producers wanted them in bathing suits "every opportunity they got," and made a point of reminding them how replaceable they were.
"The producers would call us every week and say, 'We would like to use you this week,' like, we were weekly contract players when actually, we were a huge part of the show," she said.
But the most disturbing claim came when Hallstrom alleged that producer Frank Wayne pulled her aside one day with a very specific message about her appearance. She recalled him telling her, "We really need a model who can fill out a bathing suit. I would advise you to use your hiatus wisely."
Hallstrom said the implication was clear: "I had to go get breast implants, and I had to pay for it myself."
"They could do that back then," she said, "and there was nothing you could say."
Bob Barker allegedly ruled thePrice Is Rightset with a strict and controlling style
Hallstrom alleged that in 1988, after Barker took over as executive producer, he "controlled with an absolutely ruthless iron fist." She noted that if anything went wrong, Barker would lash out.
"If something happened on set, like if he didn't have a prop that he was supposed to have, or if there was stop downs during taping — if it made him angry, he had to just shred someone," Hallstrom said. "A cameraman, a cable puller, anyone, venting his rage without ever considering how humiliating this was to whoever he was shredding. And he didn't care."
Things allegedly escalated in a way that stuck with the crew. Former stage manager Robert Cisneros recalled a frightening moment backstage when a camera operator suddenly swung his equipment while filming was underway. According to Cisneros, the camera hit model Janice Pennington.
"There's a ledge and about a three-foot drop to the concrete floor, and he hit Janice, and she went over," he remembered. "And then people started screaming."
What happened next, Cisneros said, summed up the environment on set: Barker allegedly insisted the show continue, and filming picked back up quickly.
As award-winning journalist David Kushner put it, "That episode revealed the attitude behind the scenes, which is, you're kind of on your own. You get hit by a camera, we don't have your back."
Katherine Bradley and Claudia Jordan claimed they experienced racism onThe Price Is Right
In response to growing criticism of CBS allegedly being labeled the "Caucasian Broadcast System," the network began making changes toThe Price Is Right, including casting its first Black "Barker's Beauty."
For Kathleen Bradley, it was a huge moment. As the first permanent Black model on the daytime game show, she called it "the modeling gig of all time" and said those early days on the show were some of "the happiest moments" of her life.
But according to Bradley, there was another side to the experience. Over time, she claimed she received racist backlash from fans about her presence on the show. She also remembered hearing troubling things behind the scenes.
"One of the members on the production team brought to my attention that inside a production meeting, when the models weren't in there, they would use the N word," Bradley revealed in the documentary.
Years later, Claudia Jordan joinedThe Price Is Rightand said she experienced similar discrimination. She remembered hearing comments that leaned into racial stereotypes, including producer Phil Wayne allegedly telling her, "Let's make a reverse Oreo, Claudia, you get in the middle of the two white models." Jordan also claimed that Wayne referred to her as the "ass model, because stereotypically, Black women have a larger behind."
Jordan said the racism went beyond comments and extended to how the show operated behind the scenes. She added producers screened audience members for contestants and often relied on stereotypes, including negative portrayals of Black people.
She also said there were limits placed on how many Black contestants could appear at one time. "They were only allowed to have two Black contestants on the show at a time, and that was a direct order from Bob Barker," she said, adding that production allegedly let Bob know the contestant's race in advance. "They would have a letter B written on the card... It was pretty sad. A Black contestant may try to hug Bob Barker and he'd kind of shrink away from them."
In another part of the documentary, Hallstrom claimed that Barker had "always said that Black men are the most diseased people on Earth."
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Several former models and employees alleged they experienced sexual harassment on set
Game show historian Christian Carrion stated that Barker was known to comment on contestants appearances, and former models claimed that that kind of attitude helped shape the atmosphere on the set ofThe Price Is Right.
In the documentary, Bradley said things felt normal at first when she joined the show, but that quickly changed. She said she began noticing that some men on set wouldopenly stare and act inappropriatelytoward the models.
"The guys were kind of talking, looking, gawking at the girls," she claimed, adding that she later found out it was more common than she thought.
Producer Barbara Hunter added, "It became common knowledge to stay away from this person or stay away from that person. There was stuff going on where you had to say, 'Hey, stop that.'"
Hunter also described an incident where a man allegedly groped her in an elevator, claiming he "just stuck their hands right on my boobs." She said she pushed him away but didn't report it at the time because "it became instinct to know how to handle it."
Bradley later claimed a stagehand repeatedly behaved inappropriately, including rubbing up against her and other models. She reported this, but alleges nothing was done. Eventually, she took matters into her own hands by intentionally hitting him in the groin with a golf club.
"We were so exhausted and tired of the treatment, and you just have to do what you have to do," she said in the documentary.
Hallstrom even claimed that bringing concerns to Barker wouldn't have helped, as he told anyone who complained to "get over it or look for a new job."
Carrion said that CBS eventually responded to complaints about sexual harassment by introducing what was called a "10-second rule," meant to limit how long people could stare at models. But Hallstrom alleged the rule wasn't really enforced, calling it a "joke" and a way to make it look like something was being done so complaints would go away.
Bob Barker had an affair withThe Price Is Rightmodel Dian Parkinson
Eventually, long-timePrice Is Rightmodel Dian Parkinson filed a sexual harassment lawsuit.
Barker and Parkinson reportedly had an affair during their time on the show. It started off quietly, but didn't stay that way for long, according to the documentary.
Hallstrom said she and Pennington picked up on it early, noticing what was going on before most of the crew did. "Janice and I first realized long before the rest of the set knew that Dian and Bob were having sex," she recalled.
Bradley claimed that Parkinson confided in her about the relationship, and she was "really kind of surprised because Bob also had a girlfriend." But over time, Bradley said it became harder to hide, as their behavior on set made it obvious something was going on. Bradley also remembered Parkinson going to Barker's dressing room during breaks, "and that's when some hanky panky was going on."
According to Hallstrom, the dynamic on set began to shift because "everyone was basically kissing her behind because she may potentially be the new Mrs. Barker."
Things didn't stay smooth, though. Hallstrom said she later got a call from Bob's girlfriend, who told her she knew he was involved with Parkinson. Hallstrom also recalled the two discussing Parkinson's dating history, which included relationships with "several Black men," which caused friction between Barker and Parkinson.
Tensions soon came to a head on set as the two got into a heated argument. "The whole set was dead silent, listening, and Dian comes out of Bob's dressing room and goes up the stairs and Bob's assistant goes running after her saying, 'Dian, you've got to apologize to Bob,'" but Parkinson refused.
Shortly after, Parkinson was approached byPlayboyto pose for the magazine. She agreed, which "did not go over well with Barker," according to Bradley.
"Pretty much, that was the end of Dian Parkinson being onThe Price Is Right," she noted, adding that "Dian was not happy. She was very bitter. She wanted to get back at him... She said, 'He was sexually harassing me and forcing me to do things to him in the dressing room, where I didn't want to do it. And I'm going to get my attorney, I'm going to file a sexual harassment lawsuit against them.'"
Parkinson eventually dropped her lawsuit, but her time on the show was effectively over.
Hallstrom said Parkinson's final appearance onThe Price Is Rightmarked the last time anyone on set saw her. According to a message in the documentary, "Multiple attempts were made to contact Dian Parkinson for comment, but her whereabouts remain a mystery."
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For decades,The Price Is Rightlooked like the definition of wholesome TV — bright lights, a cheerful audience, and a host...
