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Former Marine to take ‘The Price Is Right’ helm

A former Marine is set to become the new host of the “The Price Is Right,” but don’t expect to see contestants dropping for push-ups when they guess wrong during the Showcase Showdown.

Drew Carey, who was tapped Monday to replace Bob Barker as the host of the long-running game show, spent six years as a Marine Corps reservist in the 1980s.

The deal was set Monday afternoon shortly before a taping of CBS’ “Late Show” with David Letterman, where he confirmed it.

“I realize what a big responsibility this is,” said Carey, 49. “It’s only a game show, but it’s the longest-running game show in American television and I plan to keep it that way.”

He doesn’t fit the Marine image these days (though there’s a great photo of Carey from his leatherneck years included in his Wikipedia entry), but he’s still a big supporter of the military.

After the 2003 death of legendary comedian Bob Hope, well known for his frequent visits to war zones to entertain U.S. troops, Carey headlined a five-day USO comedy tour in Iraq.

“Being a Marine taught me how to work hard and not bitch, and how to make the best out of every situation,” Carey said in December 2002, when he visited Marines and sailors in Kuwait as part of a USO tour of the Persian Gulf.