My Day As A “Price is Right” Contestant – Part 19 (Okay, Let’s Talk About Losing – Pt 2)

April 11, 2013

Aurora De Lucia smiling while spinning the big wheel on The Price is RightPicking up from yesterday, laying out all the reasons that it’s okay I didn’t get in the showcase –

5) Sometimes, when I watch The Price is Right, I do adore the car winners, and I want them to have the whole world. And I get very excited when they’re in the showcase.

But sometimes, it’s nice to see someone who maybe flubbed up in their game, or didn’t win a lot, get another chance.

(Granted, if the person had really horrible strategy/game play and didn’t get their prize, I don’t feel totally as bad for them. Sure, I have some sympathy ’cause I know they’re in a stressed head-space and people are human and all… But sometimes it seems as though some people have never even seen the show before.)

6) If it makes you feel any better, you can do the math. It wasn’t a super expensive car in the showcase. So, after paying sales tax on the car, and having the depreciation from a brand-new-car-price to what I could sell it for – adding in the extra income and state taxes I’d have to pay on the value of the showcase – in the end, I would’ve come out with a trip to Greece and maybe about $3,000 extra dollars.

Now, obviously, that’s nothing to sneeze at! I could always use an extra 3 grand. And who doesn’t love vacations?! I LOVE vacations! And I’ve never been out of North America.

And I’ve never owned expensive jewelry. So, it might’ve been sort of fun to have that diamond ring. (Though, you know, the whole blood diamonds thing – do we really know where this jewelry is coming from? So, I don’t believe I would’ve kept it…). Nonetheless…

It certainly would’ve been incredibly fun to go to Greece. (But before we get too bummed about it, let’s try to remember – I can still go someday, even if it’s not on The Price is Right’s dime! It’s not like Greece is now closed to me forever.)

The point is, please don’t think about it as missing another possible $25,000. ‘Cause it wouldn’t have really been that (even though it would’ve been admittedly awesome).

And if I’m only going to have luck on one wheel in my life – let’s save it for the Wheel of Fortune wheel, which I totally vow to spin someday.

Aurora stressed as she's about to go over a dollar on The Price is Right wheel

7) Basically, I have always had everything that I needed. Even in very short periods when I didn’t have a home, I always ended up with some place to sleep where I never got harmed, and I never froze to death. Even when I had no money, I got to have something to eat every single day.

I have had practically nothing before. So, to be in my life situation now where I have a room (with a sweet, big, comfy bed!), and a job, and a healthy heart…. I have way more than what I really need to live. I’m very, very lucky. And winning the car basically put me back to the start, ’cause I got out of debt(!). So, The Price is Right was so helpful in my life. It was perfect. I didn’t need anything more.

And for anyone who is even still slightly upset about missing out on the showcase – get this.

I said in my earlier post that my first spin was weak, I tripped a little, and lost my momentum. Well, my second spin was the kind of spin I’d imagined doing. I did 3 clicks, felt my hands were in a good place, and spun it the way I wanted to spin it.

So, take where my wheel started and landed from the 2nd spin. Go back to where I started my first spin and do the math to where I’d be. Had I done the spin I wanted to as the first spin – I would’ve been on the 5 cent square – just barely not on the dollar!

It was going to be a painful, just barely – but not quite, either way. That just reinforces to me that my Price is Right day was meant to be the car only, and that’s plenty.

I will cherish the video (and the license plate holder and my name tag) for the rest of my life.

(And I’ll pick up with what happened after the show tomorrow.)

I'd love to hear from you! So whaddya say?