Backstage at The Price Is Right: Memoirs of A Barker Beauty (25 page)

It is a little suspicious that he never made mention of our absence at the beginning of the new season when our presence was sorely missed by the studio audience and millions of home viewers. A few of my good friends that remained on the set told me that the studio audience was very inquisitive as to what
really
happened to Janice and Kathleen.

Barker’s remarks were, “Janice and Kathleen will be working on some other projects related to the television and entertainment industry.” But the audience was not easily taken by Barker’s response. By then, everybody was aware of the unexpected and hostile layoffs. It was all over the newspapers, tabloids, and television media.

As was the case when Dian had left the show, Barker ordered all of our photos to be taken down backstage. We were literally defamed and brushed under the rug as though we’d never existed, like we were in no way ever a part of
The Price Is Right
history.

Chapter 39

To Sue or Not to Sue

A
s I drifted off to sleep, visions of
The Price Is Right
danced in my head. My family, friends, and children were all in shock. Janice and I remained in close contact over the next few weeks, trying to decide whether to form an alliance or to pursue justice individually for our wrongful terminations. Janice’s twenty-nine years on the show definitely put her in a category all her own. I wasn’t surprised when Carlos suggested that she and I pursue our own attorneys to make our separate deals. She had far more at stake than I had with my ten years.

My first call was to the person who knew, first hand, what I would be going up against if I chose to take on Barker and his legal eagles. Nick Alden was the man for the job. By now, Alden was fully aware of what had happened to me, Janice, and the other employees. He was still working on Holly’s appeals and was ready to hear my case. He knew we would be stronger in numbers and was confident that we could be victorious going up against Barker and the producers for wrongful termination, bias, and discrimination. More than half of Alden’s job was already done, after many years of discovery on Holly’s cases against Barker, CBS, and Goodson Productions.

After our initial conversation with Alden, Terrence and I had a lot to contemplate. My head was still spinning and I couldn’t think straight at times. We talked about the offer that Syd Vinnedge and Pearson had presented me in Barker’s dressing room for the
Models, Inc
. project. I wanted to believe that they were sincere in their offer and that this could be an exciting time in my life to advance my career. But red flags were waving and suggesting the contrary; the agreement was just a bogus diversion from the true reason we were let go—better known as Barker’s retaliation.

I talked to Syd on a few occasions regarding the new offer and he seemed genuinely optimistic about the potential success for the
Models, Inc
. project. But there were too many flaws in the simple, generic contract that they were presenting to Janice and me, so I decided to take a pass and called Alden back to look further into my options for redress.

Aside from being a mechanical engineer, Terrence was also a general contractor and owned a construction company. Unfortunately, he was dealing with his own legal issues related to his business, and my adding any additional legal headaches—no matter how meritorious—would have just been too overwhelming for us. My termination was abrupt and unexpected, an event that I was not prepared for. There was no talk of severance pay or a retirement package upon my release. With Terrence’s income now cut, and with very little residual income on my end, and with what little we had in our savings, we had our family to consider. After we weighed our options, we decided that we were in no position and couldn’t afford to hold out for a long, dragged out court battle with Barker. I elected to settle out of court after I declined the
Models, Inc
. offer. Subsequent to numerous proposals and settlement offers from Pearson Television, Inc., we finally reached an amicable agreement. I was to receive a little less than a half million dollars, paid out over the next three years with a bonus if I adhered to the three-year hush clause.

Janice settled out of court as well, with a generous and well-deserved severance package, which also contained a hush clause, prohibiting her from speaking publicly against Barker.

Paul Alter briefly regained his position and employment on the show in 2000. He retired shortly after. In 2001, Sherrell filed suit against Barker for wrongful termination, along with production assistant/writer, Sharon Friem, who sued Barker for wrongful termination and sexual harassment and sex discrimination. After a year, they both received financial settlements to drop their lawsuits.

Linda Riegert was initially hesitant to file suit against Barker and the big dogs after being unjustifiably let go, but after a few discussions and a vote of confidence from Holly, Linda took her advice and retained Nick Alden to fight her case. Linda’s testimony in the
Hallstrom v. Barker
case was very damaging to Barker. Linda’s workspace was adjacent to Holly’s dressing room, and she had overheard two conversations between Holly and Barker, which pertained to her weight loss and dismissal. There was no justification for Linda being “laid off” other than Barker’s retaliation.

Linda, Sherrell, and Sharon were virtually blindsided when they had signed two-page separation agreements and general releases given to them from Price Productions one week prior to “T-Day,” October 19
th
—when we were
all
terminated. On October 19, 2000,
TPIR’s
license to produce new episodes of the show was to expire, and essentially, all employees of
TPIR
would be “laid off.” In connection with the layoff,
TPIR
offered a severance package to each
Price
employee, excluding talent, which included Janice and me, in exchange for a release of claims. They were asked to sign a release in order to receive a bonus from
TPIR
, because, as was explained to all of us that day,
TPIR
would cease producing the show. No one explained the ramifications of the release to Linda, Sherrell, or Sharon. It was pretty much given on a take-it-or-leave-it basis, and they never sought legal advice before signing. The release had an arbitration clause, which was designed to be advantageous to the employer, not the employee. Generally, an arbitration clause reduces the risk of litigation for the employer. Also, it reduces the size of the award that an employee is likely to get. Everyone assumed they would keep their jobs but under the employment of the new producers. But oddly enough, not everyone was laid off, only those who told the truth at the now infamous
Hallstrom v. Barker
deposition. Evidently, the plot thickened as Barker and the old and new producers conspired to rid themselves of the chosen Barker parasites.

On January 3, 2001, Linda filed a lawsuit against Barker, the estate,
TPIR
, Pearson, and others asserting causes of action for wrongful termination under the Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) for retaliation, age and sex discrimination, and other employment related claims. Linda claimed that the contract was illegal, unconscionable, and was fraudulently obtained. She also claimed that she had never intended to release anyone or agree to arbitrate any disputes.

Linda and I spoke on numerous occasions during the course of this extremely emotional time in her life, while she tried to maintain her rightful claim for justice throughout her long and tedious court proceedings. Linda had every right to fight back.

Linda and Nick Alden asked me to testify on Linda’s behalf at a deposition in 2004, and I agreed wholeheartedly. Among a few other witnesses were Debbie Curling and Sherrell Paris. This would be the first time since my dismissal in October 2000 that I would come in direct contact with Mr. Barker. We spoke politely to one another as I took my seat at the long table across from him, surrounded by his legal team. I didn’t have to hold back this time or tell half-truths. It felt good to let it all out and have no fear.

Her battle proved to be a long, dragged-out, costly process. After more than five years after filing her original claim and numerous appeals, regrettably, she lost her case.

Barker’s immense ego had led to the dismissal of more than at least a dozen
Price
employees, who were unjustly let go over the ten years alone that I was there. He had made it his mission to stomp out and destroy anyone who disagreed with him or did not comply with his demands, whether it was legal or not. He crushed the lives of so many unsuspecting, hard-working employees by firing them or dragging them through endless litigation. The sad part about it is that CBS, Fremantle, and Goodson Productions did absolutely nothing to stop Barker while he used the money from the production entities for legal fees and payouts.

Chapter 40

Explosive

H
ow quickly the tables can turn. Nikki Ziering had barely been a Barker Beauty for a year and a half, and now, she held the top seniority position. Janice was replaced by model
Heather Kozar
and my replacement was the lovely
Claudia Jordan.

Nikki commented during an interview with freelance entertainment journalist and Retroality.TV founder, Chris Mann, “Bob was very professional with me. Never even once did I feel there was anything [sexually] inappropriate from him. We were never allowed to wear bikinis on the show because of the Dian Parkinson lawsuit. I think it was him trying to protect his image.” Nikki was reportedly canned in 2002 after three years on the show. She later heard that it was because Bob didn’t like all the attention she was getting. Though Nikki got along well with Barker, she went on to report in an interview, “I was warned many times by producers not to upstage Bob.” Nikki was one of few models at the time who didn’t sue and hadn’t been paid off.

Heather Kozart was
Playboy’s
Play
mate of the Month for January 1998 and appeared on the cover of the June 1999 issue. She was voted Playmate of the Year in 1999. At some point, the good, wholesome girl next door Barker Beauty image went out the window as the “no
Playboy
posing” Goodson memo held no weight. Heather reportedly said in her Chris Mann interview, “Barker was often cranky and kept a strategic distance from the models. He was standoffish and would turn it on for the camera and then turn it off behind the scenes—he was a true showman.” Heather left the show in 2002.

With Nikki and Heather gone, Claudia became the only permanent model and was joined by a rotating cast of additional models. Barker elected to have rotating models, so he didn’t have to put up with any one model on a regular basis. Also, his enormous ego wouldn’t allow anyone to become too popular and take the focus off of him. Furthermore, he wanted to make sure that if he wanted to give one of the models the ax, they’d simply be omitted from the rotating roster.

Claudia was fired in 2003, when she filed a formal complaint with Fremantle’s human resources department against producer Phil Wayne Rossi for wrongful termination and racial discrimination, claiming that she became “the butt model” on the show for one lusty producer, who couldn’t keep his hands off her. She alleged that Phil had sexually harassed her and made her time on the show a living hell.

Claudia stated, “I was in the mirror one day doing my makeup, and my supervisor, Phil Rossi, came behind me. And he put his hand on my butt, and he whispered in my ear, ‘Nice butt.’ Over a period of time, he also made the following remarks to me: ‘You are very sexy,’ ‘You are the butt model,’ and the kicker
—
‘repeat after me; I can fire your ass.’”

Claudia also claimed that Phil used to call the person at the gate and instruct him or her to inform him of when she showed up for work so he could advance the Green Room clock a few minutes ahead and would then yell and scream profanities at her for being late. Claudia said that she’d reported Phil to producer Roger Dobkowitz, and he, in turn, told Barker. But when Barker called Claudia into his dressing room, he warned her that if she continued to be late, she would be fired.

She made it clear that Barker himself never sexually harassed her, but she included him in her suit because she felt that he had some responsibility to her, as he was the executive producer of the show. Claudia received an out-of-court settlement and was awarded an undisclosed amount.

Another former
TPIR
employee, Sylvia Clement Henry, an African-American, who was Phil Rossi’s assistant, was also allegedly harassed by Rossi after she told the production company that she witnessed him advancing the clock to make it look as if Claudia was late. Sylvia also stated that, while Mr. Rossi selected the contestants standing in line, she was instructed to take down their names and mark a “B” beside every African-American selected as a contestant. The “B” next to the names was to insure that—per Mr. Barker’s request—no more than two African-Americans were selected as contestants for one show. The African-Americans were consistently placed in lower positions on the list, which limited their opportunities to be called to come on down to compete. They were at the end of the list, so only one had a chance to appear on the show as a contestant, and they were selected in a way to perpetuate stereotypes. Eventually, Silvia was repulsed by what she was forced to do and filed a lawsuit against Fremantle and Barker for, among other things, racial discrimination. Fremantle agreed to settle the lawsuit only after Silvia agreed to leave the show.

Prior to my dismissal in October 2000, Rod Roddy had missed a few weeks of work due to ill health. It was rare for him to be absent for such a long period of time. After he returned, he reassured us that he was doing fine. Rod had been the announcer for
Price
since 1986. He had such a great, bubbly personality and was so full of life. He was the kind of man you could honestly say was loved and respected by all who knew him. On September 11, 2001, Rod was diagnosed with
colon cancer
.
H
e took a temporary leave of absence to undergo and recover from surgery, but despite
chemotherapy
a year later, the colon cancer had returned. Rod took another leave for surgery in September 2002. Again, he recovered
within a month. In March 2003, he was diagnosed with breast cancer. He
underwent surgery, and afterwards, experienced major complications. The diagnoses led to Rod becoming a spokesperson for early detection of cancer in his last years. In an interview with CBS, Rod commented to the general public, “I could have prevented all of this with a colonoscopy, and of course, that’s the campaign I’ve been on since I had the first surgery. To everybody out there, get a mammogram! It can happen to men too.”

Rod’s suggestion for men to get mammograms really hit home for me. My play sister Terrie’s beloved husband, Willard “Bubba” Scott, was diagnosed with breast cancer and died in 2000, at the early age of fifty-three. Also, my very dear friend, Shaft himself, Richard Roundtree, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1993 and is now an awareness advocate for male breast cancer and living a healthy lifestyle.

Despite Rod’s illness for over two years, he continued to announce for
Price
for as long as he was able to, up until his last hospitalization, two months before his death on October 27, 2003, less than a month after his sixty-sixth birthday. His final announced episode aired on October 20, 2003, just one week before his death.

After Rod’s passing in 2003, Barker told an interviewer, “We all admired Rod’s courage. He was always upbeat and hopeful. I went to the hospital and we sat on the edge of his bed and we laughed the whole time we were talking. He was still having fun.”

The real truth surfaced about Rod’s off-camera treatment during an
in-depth interview
Holly had in 2009 with Chris Mann. She revealed how Barker had really disrespected Rod in his last days. Holly and Rod were extremely close friends over the years, on and off the set. She spent many days by Rod’s bedside before he died. Chris Mann began his report by stating, “In
2002, Roddy was suddenly taken off camera. Fremantle Media, the show’s production company, claimed Roddy’s disembodied voice was the product of their new ‘international policy’ to keep all announcers off camera on all of their shows. Despite his still robust appearance, Roddy was seldom seen on camera during his final year or so on the show. During his absence for cancer treatment in late 2002, however, fill-in announcers Paul Boland and Burton Richardson were featured on screen when introduced by Barker. And Roddy made a brief appearance on camera during the Season 32 premiere in 2003 when introduced by Fremantle executive, Syd Vinnedge.”

Holly
broke her silence
about her precious co-star’s reaction to his on-screen vanishing act while he fought for survival during the final year of his life.
“
This ‘policy’ was a façade. Barker yanked Rod off the screen in 2002, following a backstage dispute over money. Rod demanded higher pay for a series of successful
Price
primetime specials. Barker—not Fremantle—retaliated by taking away the very thing that kept the ailing announcer going: his coveted, if minimal, camera time.”

Holly never backed down from Barker and his high-powered attorneys, even though she was forced to sell her beautiful Hollywood Hills home, had spent all of her resources and savings, had to file bankruptcy, and was temporarily living out of her car. In September 2004, Holly countersued Barker for age, weight, medical discrimination, wrongful termination, and malicious prosecution. This suit was getting closer to a public trial date and neither The Price Is Right Productions nor CBS wanted the case to go any further. So after nearly ten years of lawsuits, counter suits, appeals, and an insurmountable amount of money going into the pockets of Barker’s and Holly’s attorneys, in October 2005, Holly received a multi-million-dollar settlement. The settlement would have possibly been more, but early settlement agreements all contained hush clauses that forbade Holly from saying anything disparaging about Barker to any form of the media. In order to retain her right to freedom of speech, and to protect herself against what she called “Bob Barker’s shameless manipulation of the media,” Holly accepted a lesser amount, but with a settlement that did not contain a hush clause. Holly commented in an interview with Chris Mann, “I wanted America to know I was the one telling the truth, but Barker refused to go to trial, and they kept throwing so much money at me that I finally settled.”

Holly was inspired to form a foundation for individuals who have suffered wrongful or malicious conditions in the workplace and don’t have the power or resources—financially or otherwise—to go up against powerful individuals or large corporations, despite having a valid, non-frivolous claim.

Holly and I remained close friends and stayed in touch briefly after she was fired from the show. We had sent messages by way of our mutual attorney, Alden, over the years and played phone tag. At one point, she was residing in Utah, and then later moved to San Antonio, Texas. She is presently residing in the San Diego area and caring for her elderly parents. She has given me encouragement to complete this book and has shared some vital information and facts that I had forgotten. She is still the same loving, lending, and caring Holly that I had come to know over the years, except she is ten million times better, thanks to her settlement.

Dian and I, unfortunately, have never spoken to or seen each other since she filed charges against Barker in 1994, for no reason other than we just lost touch with each other. Or perhaps, it was something I said! She was last spotted living in Palm Springs. I wish her happiness always and good health.

Janice and I kept in touch via phone for many years after we left the show and would meet for an occasional lunch in Beverly Hills to play catch up. She has always taken an interest in my family. I have made sure that she stays updated as we continue to progress and grow by mailing photos and information on all pertinent family occasions. She is still happily married to Carlos and living in Beverly Hills. They’re both still actively involved with their very successful Hollywood Film Festival.

Thanks to modern technology, Gena and I have kept in touch through Facebook and occasional phone calls. Gena remarried in 2004 to former
Canadian
ice
hockey player
Cale Hulse, who retired from the
National Hockey League
in 2006. Gena and Cale share two children while Gena is stepmom to
Cale’s daughter from a previous relationship. Cale is stepfather to Gena’s son Spencer from her former marriage.

After being diagnosed with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis in 2009, Gena became an advocate for thyroid disease awareness, campaigning for regular thyroid gland checkups and blood tests. My dear friend suffered for almost ten years before she was properly diagnosed with this horrid yet treatable disease and is now sharing her story with the world on her website and new book entitled,
Beautiful Inside and Out: Conquering Thyroid Disease with a Healthy, Happy, “Thyroid Sexy” Life
.

In October 2007, Deborah “Debbie” Curling filed a lawsuit against CBS Broadcasting, Fremantle Media North, and Bob Barker, claiming that she was forced to quit her job after testifying against Barker in a wrongful termination lawsuit against Linda Riegert. Debbie claimed that she was demoted from the Green Room to an “intolerable work environment” backstage, which caused her to resign from her position as prize administrator for
TPIR
after twenty-four years. She also alleged that the show’s producers (including Barker) had created a hostile work environment in which black employees and contestants were discriminated against. A few months later, it was announced that Barker was removed from the lawsuit for the time being.

Naturally, Debbie hired attorney Nick Alden for her case. Nick Alden had received his fair share of attention over the years, as he bared the somewhat dubious distinction of having represented almost every female complainant who’s gone up against
The Price is Right
. But Alden claims the women came to him because he knows the territory. And, though Barker’s camp accused Alden of being an opportunist, his history with
Price
offered him a unique vantage point on Barker’s pattern of behavior.

A great deal of truth was revealed about the wrongdoings behind the scenes on
TPIR
when Debbie’s original complaint was filed at the Los Angeles Superior Court in 2007. I can personally attest to most of the testimonies within the complaint after having experienced much of it firsthand and personally interviewing my friend Claudia Jordan about her allegations. However, a lot of what was being reported was taken directly from Debbie’s original complaint and is based on the information and beliefs of Ms. Curling and/or was allegedly stated by other former CBS or
Price
employees.