The Canadian version of an iconic game show premieres on Citytv on Tuesday night.
“The Price is Right Tonight,” a one-hour primetime edition of the brand, will be hosted by Canadian comedian Howie Mandel, with prize presenter Ashley Callingbull and Sportsnet’s Ben Shulman as the show’s announcer.
Mandel tells Rogers’ music station CHFI that the job is a dream come true.
“I always wanted to be a contestant, and now, with the opportunity to be a host, I said to them, ‘When we do this, I just want to talk to them a little bit more.’ I don’t want them to just to come up and play the game, I want to know who they are, what they’re hoping for,” he said.
The show has got all the games from the original version, like Plinko, Cliffhangers, Punch-a-Bunch and the Big Wheel spin.
Mandel said the show is more “amped up and there’s more attention, more excitement, more people-friendly than it’s ever been. He also said the prizes are all Canadian and include money, cars and trips.
“We give away hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and prizes and cars and trips, but everything is Canadian-made, and that even makes it more exciting,” Mandel said.
The show’s cast also includes Callingbull, who became the first Indigenous woman to win Miss Universe Canada back in 2024.
“I’m so excited, the emotions are running high because the prizes are so big, the contestants are so excited, but the difference between this and the American version is that we get to meet the contestants, to know more of their story,” Callingbull told Breakfast Television on Tuesday morning.
She also said unlike the prize presenters in the U.S. version, she feels more involved with the show.
“I get to speak and share a bit of myself. I even get to speak Cree on the show, so I feel more involved.”
Later on in the day, in an interview with 24/7, when Callingbull was asked what kind of prize presenter she is, she replied, “I am taking it all in. I’m cheering with them. I’m crying, laughing, everything with them … you feel like it’s a family thing.”
“Not only are we sharing more stories about why the contestants want to win, how important it is to them, but also the prizes are much bigger than the U.S. version,” Callingbull said. “Like $70,000 cash, you can win trailers, cars, household items, trips around the world. Literally around the world. But most importantly, like, we get to hear their stories. Real Canadian stories.”
The show airs at 8 p.m. ET on Citytv, or you can stream it on Citytv+.
Rogers is the parent company of Citytv, CityNews and its affiliates.
