The Price is Right game show is unquestionably iconic.  Of course the biggest problem with such icons is keeping them alive after their host is dead.  After all, the network of parasitic dependents is large and with the death of this sacred cow comes the loss to the many.  I have no dog in this race but I am an observer of pop-culture and often my deductive senses beat the promoted kings and queens of pop-culture prognostication (though this article is not about predicting but recommending).  And in the case of The Price is Right which is now without its mega-successful host of multiple decades, Bob Barker, a replacement is needed and without even trying fate has brought us the gift of Joey Fatone to consider.

Joey Fatone you say?  You mean the former “N*Syncer”?  You mean the current host of the new nighttime game show The Singing Bee, that Joey Fatone?  Yes that Joey Fatone and none other (apologies to the entire state of New Jersey and parts of Palm Beach ).  So why in the world would I pick Joey Fatone as the likely successor to the throne of Bob Barker? Listen and learn.

When Johnny Carson retired from The Tonight Show Jay Leno (wow how close to Leon does one get with Leno?) was ushered in as his replacement.  Johnny Carson was The Tonight Show.  Instead of a bad imitation NBC went with a contrast and a notch down in age to bring in “Late Baby Boomers” and Gen X’ers.  Without commenting on Leno’s lowbrow style the formula worked.  Leno, albeit a far less talented man than Carson, was enough of a contrast and sufficiently amenable that his sin of not being Johnny was quickly forgiven and The Tonight Show survived.

Before you make a decision regarding Fatone as the heir to Barker you have to watch The Singing Bee.  Not because the program is so fascinating, it is entertaining, but because Fatone is as natural a host as there comes.  He is easy to listen to, easy to watch and incredibly likeable.  I can’t tell if Joey dislikes anyone and in fact he seems to simply be having the time of his life.  All the while Fatone executes as host flawlessly.

The Fatone appeal is wide and broad and undeniable only to those who enjoy a life of misery being jealous of the successes of others.  However for the sake of easy reading I will enumerate my reasons for Joey Fatone to be Barker’s replacement.

Before anyone thinks I am an N*Sync groupie, an employee of The Price is Right or Joey Fatone himself, I am none of them.  Like I said, I, like many people, observe pop-culture and in this case one night watching The Singing Bee, it hit me….this man, Joey Fatone, needs to be Bob Barker’s replacement.  It is as simple as that.  He is the right man at the right time.  All CBS need do now is buy out his NBC contract and Joey…we’ll be seeing you on The Price is Right, if the price is right that is and if I have any say (and those of you thinking Donny Osmond is the right choice, no...as young as Fatone is he has a mature and gentlemanly presence beyond his years).