If you grew up watching daytime TV, you know the routine. The bright lights. The chaotic screaming of the audience. The legendary Bob Barker stepping through the doors. And right there, for nearly three decades, was the woman who basically defined what it meant to be a "Barker’s Beauty." Janice from the Price is Right wasn’t just a model; she was a fixture of the American living room from 1972 until 2000.
But behind that permanent smile and those glittering prizes, her life was anything but a game. Honestly, the stuff she went through makes a soap opera look boring. We’re talking about a career-altering accident on stage, a high-stakes dismissal that ended in a gag order, and a real-life international spy mystery involving her missing husband.
It’s kind of wild when you think about it. Most people just saw a lady pointing at a new car. In reality, Janice Pennington was living a life that was half Hollywood glitz and half Cold War thriller.
The Accident That Changed Everything
In June 1988, the unthinkable happened during a taping. You’ve probably seen the clip if you’re a deep-dive fan of the show. Janice was hit by a motorized camera and knocked right off the stage. She fell into the contestants' row—hard. It knocked her unconscious instantly.
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Now, here is the part that’s actually kinda dark: the show didn’t stop for long. While Janice was being rushed to the hospital, Barker and the crew got back to work after about 45 minutes. Business as usual, right?
The injuries weren't just "bumps and bruises." Janice had to undergo two major surgeries. When the dust settled, she was left with one shoulder an inch shorter than the other. She also had significant scarring on her back. For a woman whose entire livelihood depended on wearing swimsuits and evening gowns, this was a massive blow. In fact, she never wore a swimsuit on the show again. She had to pivot to longer dresses to hide the physical reminders of that day.
Why Janice from the Price is Right Was Suddenly Gone
You don’t work somewhere for 29 years and then just vanish without a reason. Or, at least, you shouldn’t. But in October 2000, that’s exactly what happened. Janice from the Price is Right was suddenly let go, along with Kathleen Bradley.
The official story? The show had been bought by Pearson Television, and they wanted a "fresh look." But if you ask the people who were there, the "fresh look" excuse felt like a cover for something way more personal.
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At the time, another model named Holly Hallstrom was suing Bob Barker for wrongful termination. Janice and Kathleen had been called to testify. They didn't lie for Bob. They told their truth, and shortly after, they were shown the door. Janice claimed that after 29 years of working side-by-side with Barker, he didn't even say goodbye.
She eventually signed a confidential settlement. That’s why she was quiet for so long. She basically had to take the money and walk away, leaving behind the only job she’d held for most of her adult life. It was an unceremonious end to a legendary run.
The Secret Life: Husband, Lover, Spy
If the drama on set wasn't enough, Janice’s personal life was straight out of a Tom Clancy novel. In 1974, she married Friedrich "Fritz" Stammberger, a German mountain climber. A year later, Fritz went to the border of Afghanistan and Russia for a climbing trip.
He never came back.
Janice didn't just sit around and wait. She spent nearly two decades and huge chunks of her own money trying to find out what happened. She eventually wrote a book about it called Husband, Lover, Spy.
She claimed the CIA basically told her to back off because her search was a "national security risk." Eventually, her investigation led her all the way to the Kremlin. The conclusion? Fritz wasn't just a climber; he was likely involved in intelligence work. He reportedly died in a firefight in Afghanistan, though the details remain shrouded in that "deniable" government haze.
A Quick Reality Check on the Stats:
- Total Years on Show: 29 (1972–2000)
- Episodes Filmed: Over 5,000
- Husband’s Disappearance: 1975
- Book Release: 1994
Life After the Bright Lights
After the lawsuits and the "Price is Right" era ended, Janice didn't just fade into the background. She co-founded the Hollywood Film Festival with her second husband, Carlos de Abreu. She’s been a producer, an author, and a businesswoman.
She seems to have found a peace that wasn't possible during the Barker years. When Bob Barker passed away in 2023, Janice was surprisingly gracious. She told interviewers that she enjoyed the work and the energy of the audience. She chose to remember the "party" atmosphere of the early days rather than the legal bitterness of the end.
What We Can Learn from Her Career
Janice Pennington’s story is a reminder that the entertainment industry is exactly that—an industry. You can be the face of a brand for three decades and still be a "contractor" at the end of the day.
If you’re looking for a takeaway from her journey, it’s about resilience. Janice survived a physical trauma that could have ended her career in 1988, and she survived a professional betrayal in 2000. She took control of her own narrative by writing her story and building her own festivals.
To really understand the legacy of Janice from the Price is Right, you have to look past the Barker's Beauty title. She was a survivor of a very specific, very tough era of television.
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If you want to dig deeper into this era of TV history, your best bet is to find a copy of her book, Husband, Lover, Spy. It gives a much more intimate look at the woman behind the microphone than any game show rerun ever could. You can also look into the 2020 documentary Hopper/Welles, where she makes a brief appearance, showing that her connection to Hollywood’s elite went far deeper than just daytime television.