VENTURA, California –
Ted Bosworth was a dedicated husband, father, and self-described ‘ultimate superfan’ of The Price Is Right, the iconic daytime game show known for its legion of enthusiastic fans.
Bosworth attended so many tapings of the show, that audience coordinators knew him by name. He was at Bob Barker’s final show in 2007, and just last year, the ultimate superfan’s dream came true – he was selected to “come on down!” and become one of 4 lucky audience members to join ‘Contestant’s Row.’
Bosworth had dreamed of this moment for years. “He loved the show ever since we were kids,” said Bosworth’s younger brother, Al. “It’s like he was always preparing for it. Life’s just not fair sometimes,” said Al, “I mean what happened to him. Life’s just not fair.”
Ted bid on the first prize of the day, a state-of-the-art hot tub, and was indeed, the contestant who came closest to the ‘actual retail price without going over.’ “That was no surprise,” said Al. “We watched the show so many times, he always came closest when we watched at home. He bid, and he won.”
“After he won,” continued Al, “it was like watching a kid waiting for Christmas. It took a few weeks for the tub to be delivered, so he got the space all ready in the backyard, fixing it up and getting the plumbing done. When they came to install it, we almost had to tie him down. Deb [Ted’s wife] told me he didn’t sleep the whole night before.”
“We were planning a big party for the ‘Christening.’ That’s what we called it – people were coming over for the first hot tub party that night,” said Al. We were all out getting food and drinks and Ted stayed home testing it out, and that’s when the accident happened.”
The “accident” Al refers to was an all-too-common household mishap – slipping and falling in the tub. “We got back home and I knew something was wrong. The house was too quiet. I went back out to the patio and that’s when I found him. He must have slipped and hit his head and went under. We called 911, but I knew it was too late even when I was pulling him out of the tub.”
Paramedics were unable to revive Bosworth and he was pronounced dead at the scene.
“We drained the tub and took it out the next week. It was too painful to keep it around but we planted a tree out back to remember.”
“I couldn’t watch the show anymore for about 6 months, but one day I thought about it and decided that Ted would want me to move on and watch it again, since we both had so much fun enjoying it over the years. It’s like he’s here when the show’s on,” he added.