Alongside Janice Pennington and Dian Parkinson, Holly Hallstrom was one of Barker's Beauties
– a trio of models that assisted game show host Bob Barker on his popular daytime program
The Price Is Right.
Hallstrom appeared on the iconic series for almost 30 years from 1977 to 1995, but much
like her colleagues, her departure from the show was marred with controversy.
When it was finally time for her to leave The Price Is Right, she had nothing nice to
say about her boss or the workplace that which she had devoted so much of her life to.
Holy briefly tried to expand her horizons in the early 80s, but an acting career wasn't
something that appeared to be in the cards for her.
With her tail between her legs, she had to return to The Price is Right even though she
had fully expected to leave the show for good.
Likely, her relationship with Barker was put under a great deal of strain after that.
Bob Barker may seem like a cordial, kind-hearted man.
Many of us spent years glued to our television shops watching as he instructed overjoyed
contestants to 'come on down!'.
And of course, there was always his daily insistence that we have our pets spayed and
neutered to help 'control the pet population'.
How could a man like that have enemies?
Join FactsVerse as we take a closer look at the controversies and scandals that destroyed
Holly Hollstrom's career.
We'll also be covering some of the darker moments of Bob Barker's reign on daytime television.
Be warned; however, you might never look at The Price is Right in the same light again
after learning the dark truth about what was really going on behind the scenes.
Holly Hallstrom's Early Life
Holly Anne Hallstrom came into this world on August 25, 1952, in San Antonio, Texas.
As a starry-eyed teen, Hallstrom already knew that she wanted to pursue a career in show
business.
After finishing up high school and enrolling in college, she started modeling to help pay
for her tuition.
What started off as a part-time modeling gig just to make ends meet, however, eventually
evolved into a full-fledged career.
When visiting Los Angeles, California, she managed to land a job that would change her
life forever.
No longer would she need to worry about her college courses because the opportunity presented
to her was more than enough to launch the career she always wanted in show business.
After auditioning to become one of Barker's Beauties on the Price is Right, Barker and
the other program producers were so impressed by what they saw that they offered her a permanent
position modeling on the show.
After Anitra Ford had left the show the following year, a vacancy was open that needed to be
filled, but they weren't just about to give that gig to anyone.
To be one of Barker's beloved Beauties, a model had to be stunningly beautiful and likable.
Hallstrom, fortunately, fit that bill perfectly.
Not only was she gorgeous, but she also had that unmistakable 'it factor'.
Holly's first appearance on the show was on January 3, 1977.
That taping served as a model tryout.
Several other potential models had made appearances on the program, but it was Holly who proved
to be the producer's favorite.
After being chosen as the permanent replacement for Anitra, Hallstrom was officially made
a full-on Barker Beauty in February of that year.
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A Series Of Unfortunate Events
Things got off to a rough start for Hallstrom.
She became well known for making blunders and having embarrassing mishaps related to
various prices and set props.
While those bloopers probably made her feel pretty self-conscious, the audience loved
it – and she quickly became a fan favorite.
During the October 16, 1981 taping, Holly experienced a wardrobe malfunction while dancing
to the song Celebration by Kool and the Gang.
She had gotten so caught up in the music that her dress began to fall off her body.
After she realized what was happening, Hallstrom bolted behind announcer Johnny Olson and host
Bob Barker.
Fortunately, Bob saved the day by stepping in front of Holly and covering her up with
his jacket.
Another humorous set of bloopers involving Hallstrom involved the now-infamous brand
of consumer goods, Gibson Kitchen Appliances.
On one occasion, the refrigerator door kept swinging back open whenever she tried to shut
it.
A similar thing happened with a Gibson dishwasher on a later episode.
In February 1993, while modeling alongside a Jukebox and dancing around with a male mannequin,
the mannequin started falling apart piece by piece.
The audience roared in laughter, as Holly hadn't noticed that her dancing partner had
been disintegrating.
After Rod Ruddy finished reading the prize description and Holly realized what had happened,
she joined in on the laughter while Bob jokingly quipped that with Holly, you could never tell
if these kinds of things had been planned or not.
Holly's Mostly Unsuccessful Acting Career
In 1983, Hallstrom chose to leave the series to pursue an acting career.
In her absence, several models filled her position.
The three most notable were only known by their first names, Chanel, a blonde who first
appeared on November 14, Pat, who was the first African-American model to appear on
the show, and Andie, a brunette who is believed to be the Hollywood actress Andie MacDowell.
Also filling in for Holly for a stint was Janice Baker, best known for her work on Jim
Perry's Card Sharks, Kristin Bjorklund, who also appeared on Card Sharks, and Kyle Aletter,
who originally was a contestant on the show and was initially selected to be Holly's permanent
replacement but was instead signed on as a sub.
Holly's acting career never really took off as she had hoped that it would, and she would
return to The Price is Right in 1984.
She would however later enjoy a brief acting career shortly before and after departing
The Price is Right for the second and final time in the mid-90s.
A few of her most notable credits include roles in the 1996 television film The Tomorrow
Man and an unaccredited appearance in 1993s Loaded Weapon 1.
She would also appear briefly in a bit part in the 1989 television series The Nutt House.
After returning to The Price Is Right in the spring of 1984, Hallstrom would remain at
her post until her abrupt dismissal from the show in October 1995.
Hallstrom Was Seriously Injured on More Than One Occasion
While you would think being on a game show would be all fun and games, that's not always
the case.
On December 10, 1992, Kathleen Bradley and Hallstrom were both seriously injured during
a showcase that involved a 500 lb industrial stove on a rotating display platform.
When the stagehands wheeled out another prize on the showcase, a one and a half-ton boat,
the vessel's hull bumped into the stove, tipping it over onto Hallstrom and Bradley.
Holly managed to jump out of the way while Kathleen was struck by it and immobilized
by its weight.
When the stage crew realized what was happening, they rushed in to come to Kathleen's rescue.
When they pushed the appliance off her, it came crashing to the ground bursting into
thousands of pieces as both models were struck by its sharp and heavy pieces resulting in
bodily harm.
Both ladies had to be rushed to a nearby hospital.
Hallstrom and Bradley were left with severe bruising and several lacerations.
As a result, they were unable to return to work the following day.
The accident prompted a lawsuit against CBS.
The network ended up settling things with the two models, however, by offering them
monetary compensation.
Holly's Departure And Subsequent Legal Battle
In September 1995, Bob Barker abruptly dismissed Hallstrom from The Price Is Right.
She first asserted that Bob had dismissed her after gaining 14 pounds due to a prescription
medication that she was taking.
Hallstrom would later claim that the real reason why she was given the ax was because
of her refusal to back Barker when fellow-Beauty Dian Parkinson sued him for sexual harassment.
Allegedly, Barker had ordered her to do interviews and talk shows to say that Parkinson was lying.
She claims that he also coached her to recall specific events differently than she had remembered
them.
Holly refused to lie for Barker, and thus she wound up on the receiving end of his notorious
wrath.
After the public initiated a spirited letter-writing campaign complaining about her dismissal,
Barker sued Hallstrom for slander and libel.
48 hours before the trial, Barker backed down and dropped his suit.
The court then ordered Bob to pay Hallstrom's legal fees, declaring her the prevailing party.
Hallstrom then counter-sued Barker for discrimination, wrongful termination, and malicious prosecution.
In 2005, Hallstrom won her case and was awarded a multi-million dollar settlement.
After the settlement was awarded to her, Barker refused to sign an agreement that would have
forbid him from talking to the media about Hallstrom.
To avoid having her name run through the mud, Hallstrom then agreed to a less significant
settlement that would prevent Barker from talking about the case.
Holly has never married, nor has she had any children.
This is likely why she was the only one of Barker's Beauties who, as she puts it could
'stand up to the miserable tyranny at the hands of a mad dictator'.
Which, of course, by 'mad dictator', she means Barker.
During her lengthy decade long legal battle with Bob, Holly spent all of her savings,
had to sell her house, and ended up homeless living out of her car.
Nowadays, Hallstrom is doing a lot better than she was back then.
At 69, she's semi-retired in living in one of several houses that she owns in San Antonio.
She occasionally does appearances and interviews but for the most part, tries to stay out of
the spotlight.
Yet again, it's kind of crazy to think of Bob Barker as this vindictive and litigious
kind of person.
But according to the former Beauties, he's not the sweet, kindly old man that he seems
to be.
Which one of Barker's Beauties was your favorite?
And do you think Holly Hallstrom did the right thing by standing up to Bob as she did?
Let us know in the comments.
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