Showdown

Season 2, Episode 20, Aired
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Episode Summary

Thinking that Bob Barker may be his father, Barney is overjoyed to be a contestant on The Price is Right. Marshall and Lily try sleeping apart prior to the wedding.
9.1
out of 10
EPISODE RATING: Superb
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Fan Episode Reviews (11)

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  • Marshall and Lily attempt to live apart from each other so their wedding night will be special.

    9.0
    "Superb"
    By Jon_MW_14, Aug 17, 2011 Report Abuse
    "Showdown" is a cute How I Met Your Mother episode. It was so cute how Marshall and Lily want to spend the next two weeks apart, so their wedding night is special. I love how Marshall and Lily have been sneaking out to meet each other at a hotel every night. I love how Lily is living with Robin and she finds out she's lost so much weight that she can't fit in her wedding dress. I love how Robin puts her on a diet where she needs to gain weight. I love how Ted was having so much difficulty trying to write his best man speech as he didn't want to make it sound dirty. It was so cute how Barney was preparing himself to be on The Price is Right because he thinks Bob Barker is his dad. I give this episode a 9/10.moreless

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    1 0

  • Lilly & Marshall's wedding, part one.

    9.5
    "Superb"
    By Canogaparkcindy, Apr 26, 2010 Report Abuse
    Definitely an outstanding hilarious episode, the laughs just kept on coming. After all the buildup from the past 2 seasons, Lilly & Marshall's wedding is only a week away, and we get to see Ted's toast at the wedding, so we sort of get a sneak peak on future episodes. In this episode, Lilly & Marshall have to be apart for their wedding so they can prove they're not co-dependent of each other. Meanwhile Lilly's dress is too small, and now Robin is training her to fill it in, Robin's training is hysterical! Meanwhile Ted practices a toast for Lilly & Marshall's wedding, that's when we see a look back on some Lilly & Marshall moments, which were again: Hilarious. Barney thinks that Bob Barker: The Host of Price is Right is his father so he goes on the game show to make him proud. I wasn't too sure about his plot until the end when everyone is watching, waiting to see if Barney won, the suspense was killing me too. Barney ends up winning everything and he passes them off as wedding presents, which makes the bride to be & Marshall very happy, I didn't think it was going to tie in to the wedding plot, but once again HIMYM has surprised me. An amazing episode, and I can't wait to see how Lilly & Marshall's wedding unfolds.moreless

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  • The Price is Right

    9.5
    "Superb"
    By sh811a, Aug 22, 2007 Report Abuse
    This I thought was a really fun episode for both the plot and subplot. The plot of course is as usual Marchall and Lily, their friends felt like they do everything together a bit too much, from the way they move to one small location in sync. So, they make a wager on staying apart for two weeks. In a way that's like trying to seperate a magnet from a metal it's attracted to. It's funny at times just seeing both of them crack a bit without each other, they just can't seem to last a minute. But it's even funnier what happens when their seperated from Lily's pursuit of trying to fit into her wedding dress but most of all Ted who is trying to think up a speach for the wedding but keeps failing miserably but bring up inappoprate memories like for example discovering the time when Marchall says he loves Lily only that comment wasn't to her it was to Ted who was bringing snacks while all three were stoned, comic silver. But it all leads down to both of them getting together at a hotel. And I'm glad they got together in the end because those two have been seperated a very long time, and they did themselves a favore because sometimes distance can bring two people closer, just like a magnet.

    But what really gets the gold is the subplot with Barney who is going on the game show The Price is Right. I'll admit crossovers for me are always not a great bet because they don't always pan out right unless it really plasable and possible. This subplot is both those things and it that's why it works. In a way it provided a little more depth in Barney's character because we see that he's never had a father before, and we see was mistaken to believe that Bob is his father. It's funny and a little touching, because we see a little of Barney's soft side, he has that common need of a father figure in his life that he never had. I really liked moments when Barney mistaked certain things that Bob says as fatherly compassion. Of course Barney doesn't tell Bob, which makes dramatic sense because he would rather live with the myth thinking all the good things about his supposed dad than know the truth, that was a little sad but comically touching I even like that part when Barney hugged Bob. In a way I almost would like to believe Bob Barker could be his father.

    And of course there is a big clue in this episode on Ted and Robin's relationship when you see the spagetti stains on their clothing, trust me it's acts as a plot device for a lot latter.moreless

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  • One of the best game show tie-in episodes ever!

    9.6
    "Superb"
    By TriviaDude, Jun 19, 2007 Report Abuse
    Game show fans likt it when a sitcom meets game show (Odd Couple; Password, 227; Wheel of Fortune, Mama's Family; Jeopardy!, etc.). This marks the first time The Price Is Right did a sitcom episode & just in time before Barker's retirement.

    Looks like the writers made some errors on Barney's appearance. 1). Where was the $500 bonus for a perfect bid on those watches?

    2). Or why didn't he get his bonus spin for $5K or $10K?

    Though his final total was $37.000 +. it should've been $49,000 (including $12,500 in cash).

    And if I had it my way, Barney should've played Grand Game!moreless

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  • Barney goes on The Price is Right and Lily and Marshell try spending a week apart.

    9.8
    "Superb"
    By amfarley84, May 13, 2007 Report Abuse
    I thought that this episode had great storylines I thought that it was really funny too. I can not believe that Barney thinks that he is Bob Barker's son and I can not believe that his mother told him that he was. It was funny to see the flashbacks of Barney when a kid and showing the tv his school work. It was funny to see Lily and Marshell try to spend the week apart before the wedding. How funny was it that Lily could not gain weight to fit in her wedding dress because she was not with Marshell every night. I thought that it was funny that Ted was trying to work on his best man speech but Marshell was not liking his ideas.moreless

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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  • Trivia

    ADD TRIVIA
    • Goof: After Lily and Marshall decide to spend the last two weeks before their wedding apart he gets up to go get a beer but a couple of frames before he took a drink from his beer and you can see that the bottle is almost full. Edit
    • When Barney hits 100 on the Big Wheel, he wins $1,000 and a Bonus Spin (as per the rules), however the bonus spin is not depicted in the episode. Edit
    • Marshall says that his mother wouldn't like him eating junk food; however, in "Belly Full of Turkey" Marshall's mom gives Lily a recipe for a salad that contains, among other things, gummy bears, Funyuns, and potato chips. Edit

  • Notes

    ADD NOTES
    • The German episode title is "Showdown". The French title is "Le juste discours", meaning "The Correct Speech". The Italian title is "L'ora della verità", meaning "Moment of Truth". Edit
    • International Airdates: Czech Republic: February 8, 2010 on Prima COOL Edit
    • The scenes in Robin's apartment were refilmed to remove the blue French horn from her mantle after the writers broke the story for the season finale. Edit

  • Quotes

    ADD QUOTES
    • Lily: I lost a pound! Robin: That's impossible! You ate McDonald's every meal for 3 days. Lily: I knew that Super Size Me guy was full of it! Robin: Well, it must be the wedding stress! We just got to up the intake. Lily Aldrin, drop and give me 20 bites of fudge! Lily: Okay Robin: Don't nibble at it. Attack it! Come on, Lily. You can do better than that! Lily: I can't! Robin: Well, eat faster, before your body figures out it's full. Lily: I'm trying Robin: Oh, are you gonna cry? You gonna cry? Skinny little baby's gonna cry? Well, eat, damn it, eat! Lily: Okay! Edit
    • [Ted comes out of his bedroom for a late-night bathroom trip when he notices Marshall entering the apartment.] Ted: Marshall? What're you doing? Marshall: (hesitantly) ...Going to the bathroom? Ted: In the hall? Marshall: ...Sleepwalking? Ted: (accusingly) You're wide awake. Marshall: ...Robbing us? Edit
    • Barney: I gaze upon the glory of The Price is Right and I see the face of America, and it is divine. Plus, you know, hot chicks on sport cars. Edit

  • Allusions

    ADD ALLUSIONS
    • This episode is very much like the episode of Golden Girls, "You Gotta Have Hope" (Episode 17 of Season 4, Episode 93 overall). Bob Hope guest starred. In this episode Rose believed that Bob Hope was her father and she ended up meeting him and he said some jokes for a charity benefit that she, Blanche, and Dorothy were hosting. Edit
    • The episode title is a reference to the finalé to every episode of The Price is Right—the Showcase Showdown. Edit

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