'Price Is Right' April Fools' Day Exclusive: Bob Barker Is Back (and Possibly Pulling Pranks)!

They’re not foolin’ around on The Price Is Right. The iconic CBS daytime game show is welcoming back its longtime host, Bob Barker, for a special April Fools’ Day episode set to air this week. Nearly eight years after he passed the hosting torch to Drew Carey, Barker stunned the Price audience with a surprise cameo on this year’s edition of the annual prank-filled program.

In this exclusive behind-the-scenes sneak peek, executive producer Mike Richards says that while April Fools’ Day is always a “massive, big thing,” on TPIR, this year the producers outdid themselves by convincing Barker to come on down. Even Carey seems starstruck over teaming up with his mentor, and the smitten game show host later had some advice for anyone who’s in show business: “Anytime you get a chance to work with a TV legend, do it.”

We’ll have to wait until the show airs to see exactly how the whole thing plays out, but it’s pretty clear the audience reaction to Barker’s return was epic. Just ask Richards, who watched the camera that wasn’t on Bob.

Over its decades-long history, The Price Is Right has featured a variety of April Fools’ Day Showcase gags, which usually include phony trips and broken prizes. In 2013, the show’s famous models even staged a takeover as hosts of the April Fools’ episode, leaving Carey and announcer George Gray to show off the merchandise in their place.

Here’s a phony (and funny) April Fools’ Showcase from 1975:

Barker hosted TPIR from 1972 to 2007, earning 19 Emmy Awards from his 35 years as host of the show and 50 years on daytime TV. Ahead of this year’s April Fools’ Day surprise, the legendary host returned to The Price Is Right for a special Showcase round in 2009, and two years ago he made a guest appearance on the show as part of his 90th birthday celebration.

The special episode of The Price Is Right featuring Bob Barker airs Wednesday, April 1 on CBS.