-Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, children of all ages! The tightly locked zipper on my mouth can finally come off, because today marked the airing of my episode! Yes, I am the one they called Matthew who played Money Game for a brand new 2007 Ford Focus S, and I must say, what a fantastic experience! To read the first part of my trip,
CLICK HERE.
-This was an absolute fabulous show to be at, not just for its stellar second half, not just for the amount of energy that carried through the entire hour, not just for my getting on stage and winning a car, but for Bob Barker himself. Just being on the same stage with him was a complete honor and a dream come true. All of the staff was terrific, from the pages, including Chuck, who greeted us at 6:00 A.M. on that cold morning in January, to the production cast and crew who make the show possible each and every weekday! On to the behind the scenes stuff!
SWITCH??: I'd say a good 3/4ths of the audience strained their vocal cords by yelling switch on this one. During the break, Bob again welcomed us to the show and started to hunt out groups that had come.
ONE-BID #2: Here's the big one, my national TV debut! I had felt like my brain had left my body completely once I heard my name. $1600 for pictures? I'm sure anyone who has been in my position can understand why I bid what I did.
PUNCH-A-BUNCH: Christa was very nice and completely ecstatic after her big win on the Punchboard! She was almost in tears when Roger took her to "Winners Row" to start filling out paperwork.
TEN CHANCES: There are very few things that are more frustrating than watching a contestant who doesn't really know how to play Ten Chances in person. From my green chair I kept yelling and yelling $920, but to no avail. This was one time when the contestant COULD actually hear me! During the break, Bob made us all say "Sorry, Mark" on the count of three.
COMING OR GOING: By this point I was getting just a tad nervous in my seat, but this was an easy win as everyone agreed with Donna. Again, another very nice lady with her Minnesota group. Bob found more groups during the break, including a group of girls from Fresno who sat just a few rows away from us.
MY BIG MOMENT!!!: Hey Edward, if you are reading this, sorry about the one-up bud, but hey, we each got one! This entire experience, bidding correctly, going up on stage, winning a car, almost surreal. I absolutely KNEW that 27 was going to be the last two numbers, but I was unsure about the first two because I haven't seen a Focus on in a while. Roger was very, very cool after I had won and in the midst of my jumping told me to hang on while they shoot some extra footage. One of the girls led me to my seat and people I had met in line came down the aisle to give me a big hug and congratulate me. My sloppy handwriting on the paperwork can just about account for the excitement I felt. I just kept saying to myself over and over again, "I just won a car on The Price is Right!!!"
SCSD #2: I remembered that I had gone into a Spin-Off, but I plumb forgot how close I was to getting in the showcase! The wheel was extremely MASSIVE! Even though it looked like I spun it well, it was extremely heavy. I can see why so many people have trouble with the wheel after spinning it first hand!
All in all, what an absolutely amazing experience. I want to thank everyone once again for the best time I've ever had in my life, thanks to my dad for taking me to LA, and if you have any other questions for me about the show, feel free to ask. Oh, and Marc or John, isn't there a little decoration change in order for my avatar??!!