Come on down —  you’re the next contestant on The Price Is Right!

When you think of the iconic Keller Auditorium, you may think of Broadway musicals, The Nutcracker and plays that draw in thousands of people each year.  However in November, the Keller brought in hundreds of people with hopes of winning big!  

Do you hear the yodeling of the mountain climber?  Why does the Plinko chip always go down the wrong way? And why does a normally $3 box of Oreos cost $1.99?  You’ll find the answer on The Price is Right!

Folks around the United States have the chance to become a contestant on the Price is Right Live, a traveling version of the game show that debuted 50 years ago and is still running to this day.  During the tour, the show is hosted by Mark L. Walburg. No, not the gun slinging badass that you know from the movies but the Mark that hosts Temptation Island and Antique Roadshow.  Mark captivated the audience with his quick wit and humor, always keeping you at the edge of your seat.

Prizes varied from a refrigerator along with a lifetime supply of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream to a weeklong trip to Hawaii! Even if you were not one of the lucky people who got called down to play, the anticipation of possibly getting chosen was enough to make the night exciting! 

Some contestants were called down to actually guess the price of items and while they made their way to the stage the show would give out smaller prizes to people in the audience. Prizes such as gift cards to Bed, Bath and Beyond or the item that the price was being guessed for from the main game.

Kelsey D. was a woman I sat next to and was one of the lucky winners. When asking her how she felt about winning she said “I didn’t think it was real life initially because I was told there were 1200 people, so the likelihood of you getting picked for anything was, you know, slimmer. So to see my name on the screen was really exciting.”

The night ended with the big showcase. This grand prize included a moped, a trip to Hollywood to see a taping of The Price is Right, a trip to Paris and a brand new Nissan Versa S! Unfortunately both people who guessed the price of the showcase overbid by more than $19,000. This meant that no one won the showcase per the rules of overbidding in The Price is Right. Mark still wanted to give out the trip to Hollywood so he opened a letter with a name that had been picked prior to the show and the woman who won was ecstatic. 

The Price is Right is a game show that is loved by many. Being able to experience it first hand was definitely a check off of my bucket list and one I was surprised I could fulfill at the Keller Auditorium. This event made everyone feel that they don’t need to buy a ticket to Hollywood to feel like a star.