she says. “There’s just something special about the way he’s made the position his

she says. “There’s just something special about the way he’s made the position his own in such a short time and has endeared himself to everyone — both in front of and behind the cameras.”

Other than its new host, nearly everything else on “The Price Is Right” is the same as it was during Barker’s reign.

The games are unchanged. The new, portable set looks almost exactly like the one it replaced.

Contestants still “come on down” wearing customized T-shirts, only now they honor the new host instead of the former. (One group wore matching tops that read “Drew’s Crew.”

Another had shirts bearing the blue eye-shadowed image of Mimi from “The Drew Carey Show” and the phrase “Carey’s Beauties.”)

While Barker typically took questions from the crowd during commercials, Carey switches it up, interviewing the audience to learn where they’ve come from and what they do for work.

“It’s fascinating to me,” says the self-described “people-watcher.”

But Carey closes the show each day the same way Barker did: “Have your pets spayed or neutered.”

“It’s a tradition,” he explains. “It’s been here all this time. I don’t want to get rid of that.”

The new host has added his own end-of-show touch, though. Once the cameras have stopped rolling, Carey urges the crowd to “keep hoping for the best for others” as they do when they cheer for their fellow audience members who end up as contestants on the show.

“It’s like my Zen of ‘Price Is Right,”’ he says.

The 83-year-old Barker, who hosted “The Price Is Right” for 35 years and “Truth or Consequences” for 19 years before that, says he plans to tune in to see Carey’s take on “Price.”

“Of course I’m going to watch. I’m curious just like everybody else,” Barker says, adding, “I hope he gets a huge rating.”

Contestant LaShawn Warner, who won an assortment of sleds during a recent taping of the show, predicts Carey will be just as popular as Barker was.

“Once people start watching it, they’ll get into Drew like they were with Bob,” she says. “He’s just so silly. He keeps it interesting and he keeps it fun.”

Fans can’t help but compare the only two hosts the venerable show has had, but Carey won’t.

“You can’t replace Bob Barker,” he says. “I don’t compare myself to anybody. ... It’s only about what you’re doing and supposed to do, and I feel like I’m supposed to be doing this.”