Drew Carey, come on down! You’re the next host of The Price is Right!

After weeks of searching for Bob Barker’s replacement, the show has finally found one in Drew Carey. The 49-year-old comedian, who had his own show on ABC and also hosted Whose Line is it Anyway on the same network, confirmed his selection during an interview with David Letterman on the Late Show. Barker was roughly the same age when he hosted The New Price is Right back in 1972.

It’ll be interesting to see how Carey does with his latest gig. But first, he will host a primetime game show on CBS, called The Power of 10. As the story goes, a network executive called him after he had finished shooting the pilot episode, and told him that he would succeed Barker. And the fact that Barker is fine with the network’s decision should provide a smooth transition for the show. Barker did offer Carey one tidbit of advice, and that’s to do the show as only Drew Carey would, meaning that he shouldn’t try to copy off Barker or anyone else. Another interesting fact: The show will now have a Cleveland feel to it, as Rich Fields, the current announcer, is also from there.

I think Drew Carey will be a welcome addition to The Price is Right, and hopefully, the show will continue for a few more years, with the same fun, fast-paced atmosphere that it’s always had. It’s highly unlikely that Carey will host the show for 35 years as Barker did, but it should be a fun show to watch. As for the one-time replacement candidates, John O’Hurley’s job on Family Feud is safe, as is Mark Steines’ own on Entertainment Tonight. I don’t know what Mario Lopez is up to now, and everybody hates Rosie O’Donnell.

But Drew Carey will be the one to usher in the show’s post-Barker era in a month or two. It’ll be interesting to see how that turns out, and I, for one, will definitely be watching this coming season.