Published: August 01, 2007 06:01 pm      

Can Drew Carey handle Bob Barker's microphone?

Drew Carey is no Bob Barker.



The first word Carey said to the audience during the taping for the first episode of his new prime-time CBS game show ''The Power of 10,'' the pilot of which led CBS to pick him to replace Barker, was the f-word.



Yes, that f-word.



Of course, the comedian-turned-host was just joking off-camera. He had received a syrupy sweet introduction from executive producer Michael Davies before stepping out onto the glowing game show set. Carey was sarcastically dismissing the lovefest.



But was that the right time for such language?



He later apologized once he realized there was a child, the brother of one of the contestants, in the front row. Then, a little later during three-hour-long ''Power of 10'' shoot at the Kaufman Astoria Studios, Carey made an off-camera joke about his, um, anatomy.



Was that the right place for such humor?



Barker probably never made such references during 35 years of ''Price is Right'' filming.



There was something jarring about watching Carey hosting ''Power of 10,'' knowing the game show legacy he had been selected to inherit. If Carey truly wants to keep the Big Wheel spinning for another 35 years, his bad language and crass humor will need to be neutered.



Still, the audience seemed to warm up to him -- or at least want to.



At the $1 million point in the ''Millionaire''-style game, which debuts on CBS on Aug. 7, Carey, who doesn't know the answers to the questions, attempted to dissuade a confused contestant from taking his go-for-it advice by saying, ''Don't listen to me. I already have a million dollars.''



Hey, nobody likes a bragger.



What will happen once Carey begins hosting a show with far less significant prizes? Is he going to shrug off ''Price is Right'' contestants by telling them that he's already got a refrigerator, grandfather clock, trip to Mexico and a brand-new car?



During the shoot, Carey acted more like a late-night talk show host than a game show host. His joviality was peppered with bite. And, with his Cheshire cat grin and googly glasses, he looked more like over-the-top ''Price is Right'' announcer Rod Roddy than a traditional master of ceremonies.



Perhaps the biggest red flag was Carey's reaction to an older woman in the audience who revealed that she taped ''The Price is Right'' every day. Carey was shocked. How could he be so astonished at such ''Price is Right'' fandom?



If he doesn't realize how devoted viewers are to the show's pricing games and prizes, the biggest fear about Carey as the new ''Price'' host may have already come true: He has no idea what he's gotten himself into.



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Derrik J. Lang is an asap reporter in New York and blogger for The Slug (http://asapblogs.typepad.com/theslug) until Oct. 31.



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