Drew Carey noticed the audience’s judgmental reactions during a recent game on The Price Is Right . The incident took place during a round of the classic game Switcheroo, where contestant Brian had to choose the correct numbers for five prizes, including a car, with only 30 seconds to make his decisions.
As Brian took his time to think, the audience grew impatient. Carey, acknowledging the tension, reminded him how much time was left, stating, “25 seconds” and “20 seconds,” as the crowd urged Brian to hurry. While others usually rushed, Brian methodically worked through his choices, much to the dismay of the spectators.
Brian finished the puzzle with 10 seconds remaining. However, the audience wasn’t pleased with his decisions, reacting negatively when the buzzer sounded. Surprised by the response, Carey humorously addressed the crowd with, “Well good morning judgmental,” which got a laugh from the audience.
Despite the crowd’s lack of confidence, Carey checked Brian’s answers and revealed that two of them were correct. Carey then offered Brian a second chance to improve his answers. “Do you want another 30 seconds to try again?” he asked. Brian agreed, and the timer was reset for another round of Switcheroo.
Drew Carey (Image via Getty)
Brian, determined to get things right, returned to the board. He looked to the audience for guidance, swapping the numbers. As he adjusted the price of the car, the crowd loudly disagreed, prompting Brian to revert to his original choice. “The crowd is going bananas,” Carey commented, narrating the scene as Brian changed his answers for the ice scraper and pillow prizes.
Once the time expired, Carey checked the answers again. Despite making changes, Brian only had one correct answer. “Uh oh,” Brian said, worried. Carey reassured him, hoping that the correct answer was the car.
When the results were revealed, Brian’s one correct answer was the car, a Toyota Corolla. Overwhelmed with excitement, Brian shouted, “Oh my God!” and ran around the stage in celebration.
Carey, who has hosted The Price Is Right since 2007, has witnessed numerous memorable moments on the show, including wild answers and on-stage injuries. Despite these dramatic incidents, Carey doesn’t plan to retire soon. “I just show up and punch the clock and hope I have a job every day,” he said in a recent interview. With 18 seasons under his belt, Carey has his eyes on surpassing Bob Barker’s and Pat Sajak’s long-running careers, aiming to reach 35 and 41 seasons.
The violent and intense themes in Netflix’s Squid Game are deeply rooted in a real historical conflict from South Korea. While the show is fictional, it draws heavy inspiration from the violent events of the 2009 Ssangyong strike, which left a lasting impact on the workers involved.
The second season of Squid Game, released on December 26, 2024, explores themes of economic desperation and inequality, mirroring the real struggles faced by workers in South Korea during the strike.
A scene from Squid Game Season 2 (Credit: Netflix)
In May 2009, Ssangyong Motor, one of South Korea’s largest car manufacturers, laid off more than 2,600 workers due to financial difficulties. This decision led to a prolonged and violent 77-day strike.
Workers occupied the factory, demanding their jobs back, but the government and police responded with brutal force, using rubber bullets and tasers.
The violent confrontation left many workers severely beaten, while others faced long-lasting emotional and physical trauma.
The aftermath of the strike was devastating, with many workers facing legal challenges and severe financial hardships. Tragically, about 30 workers, overwhelmed by the ongoing struggles, took their own lives.
One of the strike’s leaders, Lee Chang-kun, recounted spending 100 days atop a factory chimney in protest, enduring mental distress and hallucinations, highlighting the emotional toll the strike took on all involved.
Hwang Dong-hyuk, the director and creator of Squid Game, was deeply influenced by these events when crafting the show’s narrative.
Squid Game Season 2 (Credit: YouTube)
The character of Gi-hun, a laid-off worker who enters a deadly competition for a life-changing prize, was inspired by the real-life workers who fell from middle-class stability to utter desperation.
Dong-hyuk emphasized that the show reflects how ordinary people can suddenly lose everything and be forced to fight for survival in extreme ways.
As Squid Game Season 2 continues to delve into the themes of economic struggle, desperation, and the human condition, it offers a chilling reflection on the real violence and hardships faced by workers in South Korea over a decade ago.
