CBS’s hit game show “The Price is Right” has brought BYU students to its stage — and sent them home with thousands of dollars in prizes.
David Paravato, a freshman from Lancaster, Calif., recently appeared on “The Price is Right,” and walked away with winnings from the coveted “Showcase Showdown.” The Showdown is the highest round of competition on “The Price is Right,” with only two contestants facing off for high cash value prizes.
“In the moment, it was all a whirlwind,” Paravato said. “It was so emotional when I won.”
Paravato’s showcase winnings included a computer and its accessories, a trip to Yellowstone, and a brand new Dodge Ram, in addition to prizes earned earlier during the episode.
For Paravato, though, his experience on “The Price is Right” was about a lot more than winning. As someone who has watched the show his entire life, Paravato was excited just to be a part of the process.
“I’m from Southern California, and I always said I would go try and get on the show when I turned 18,” he said. “I went with some of my family members because we figured ‘Hey, why not? We have a better chance of getting on the show with more people.'”
After spending an entire morning and afternoon at CBS studios going through auditions and waiting to hear back from producers, Paravato was thrilled to be selected out of hundreds of prospective contestants to compete on the show.
“Once you finally get inside the studio, the employees seat you and and everyone just waits,” Paravato said. “On stage, they hold up a sign with your name if you’ve been selected. The whole time just felt surreal, and I was on an adrenaline high.”
Although “The Price is Right” episode aired Oct.2, the actual events were filmed in mid-July. Paravato intends to take the cash value of most prizes, and will sell his Dodge Ram. He is excited about the prize money paying for a mission and the rest of his time at BYU.
Currently in its 41st season, “The Price is Right” is television’s longest-running game show. Students still watch the show on a regular basis, despite having so many new game and reality shows to choose from.
Kellie McDougle, a sophomore from Irvine, Calif., studying special education, said she has been watching “The Price is Right” for years.
“I watch the show because it keeps you entertained and grabs your attention,” McDougle said. “It’s competitive and can change someone’s life in a moment.”
Natalie Teerlink, a sophomore at the BYU Salt Lake Center, also payed a visit to “The Price Is Right” stage this summer. Although her episode was filmed in June, it will air Friday, Oct. 12.
Teerlink, who hails from Sandy, was following in her mother’s footsteps when she appeared on the show.
“My mom was on the show 28 years ago and won her showcase,” Teerlink said. “Ever since I was really little, I’ve been watching this show with my family.”
Teerlink said her favorite parts of being on the show were seeing the poster with her name on stage and joking around with Drew Carey.
“He kept making jokes about when my mom was on the show, because her big prize was winning a brass bed,” Teerlink said. “We were laughing about it with the audience.”
