My Day As A “Price is Right” Contestant – Part 18 (Okay, Let’s Talk About Losing – Pt 1)

April 10, 2013

Aurora De Lucia, stressed, head in hands, on The Price is Right after narrowly missing a dollarPicking up from yesterday

A number of people have been bummed that I didn’t get in the showcase.

That’s so sweet. And I really appreciate the lovely intentions.

As far as I’m concerned, the best part about going to the showcase would’ve just been getting to spend more time onstage with Drew and the models (and George and everybody).

I was having the time of my life! If it were up to me, I’d never be anywhere but the Price is Right stage. A trip to Greece would’ve been nice and all – but how can that compare to being on a game show?

It’s hard for me to have any negative feelings whatsoever about that day. It really was an absolute childhood dream come true.

I won the most expensive car on the show that day. (Since both people in the showcase went over, I actually was the biggest winner of the day.)

I mean, the chances of me being called down, then getting up there for a car game, then playing a car game that’s actually one of the more doable ones (and the one I always dreamed of playing(!), and then actually winning the car – I imagine the probability of all that happening is pretty slim.

Aurora De Lucia laughing it up with Drew Carey at the wheel on The Price is Right
Look at how much fun we’re having!

I’m sure we could sort of figure out the probability, but there would be so many factors if you wanted to get it exactly right. First, you don’t really have a 1 in 300(ish – or whatever the exact amount of seats in there are) chance of being called from 300 (or so) audience members.

TPiR practically never chooses 2 people from the same group. (I’ve never once seen it happen.)  So, you’re probably down to at least a 1 in 150 shot – though I think the odds are much better than that (taking into account larger groups, audiences that aren’t always at maximum capacity, and people who go who are ineligible to actually play (even if they do want to watch or support)).

Also, in contestants’ row, you have a much better shot as the 4th person to bid than the 1st, so bidding order would need to be taken into account. There’s plenty more of that kind of stuff (how many car games are in rotation, etc.). Anyway, enough nerdy math talk…

The point is, I actually won the car!

For anyone who is still sad I didn’t make it to the showcase – consider these things –

1) We have no idea if I would’ve won the showcase. I would’ve been first up to bid since I’d won the most during the show. I almost certainly would’ve bid on the 1st showcase, because who passes a showcase with a car and a trip to Greece? I mean, I guess you might pass, hoping for a showcase with more trips. But that’s super risky, because you very well may end up with water stuff (and in this case, I would’ve).

Wah wah Aurora De Lucia sad as she goes over The Price is Right wheelSo, would the woman have overbid on the boat showcase? Sure, we can guess that by her overbid on the car showcase, maybe she would’ve. Or maybe my underbid would’ve put her in a different mindset. Or maybe she thought different things about boats. Who knows? We can’t know I would’ve won.

2) I left at the best case scenario. If you lose in a pricing game, or never make it up there from contestants’ row, or you lose your showcase – forever you can have nightmares about what you should’ve said. There is a definite correct and incorrect answer. With the wheel, I possibly could’ve spun all day and never hit a dollar.

3) Remember that Seinfeld episode where George Costanza had his whole thing about always going out on the high note? It’s a good philosophy. And I feel like that’s basically what happened. Win the car, hope everybody still likes you, then get out of there.

4) Many of the people who wanted me in the showcase are my friends, or people somehow involved in my life story. But, the world does not revolve around me (even though it might seem like it in my own blog, since that does revolve around me). In Anna’s life story, she wanted to go to the showcase.

And this is where I’ll pick up tomorrow.

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