Aurora's Blog

Picking up from yesterday –

We’re in the sad/happy room.

So, we sat around, filled out our forms basically just saying I’m over 18. I want my prizes. I haven’t been on a game show in the last year or 3 in the last 10 years.

We also signed forms saying we were absolutely sworn to secrecy about the day until the show aired. If we leaked what we won ahead of time, we’d forfeit our prize.

We put down our address so they knew where to send the prizes – they wouldn’t send anything anywhere else but your home. And they wouldn’t put anything in anyone else’s name.

If you didn’t live in California, you still had to pay California state tax on your prizes. (That didn’t affect me any differently since I do live here.)

They did give us forms offering us the option of forfeiting any of prizes if we so chose. (I didn’t see anybody take the option, and I didn’t take the option. But it was there in case you wanted to.)

They also gave us forms that detailed everything we’d won that day and the total value of it all.

My form had the words camcorders and cash printed out on it, and the word car was handwritten. (They knew whomever won the camcorders to get on stage would win some cash in the Money Game – although, if you think about it and the person was really lucky (or well-studied), they could’ve picked both ends of the car without picking any cash. But, the point is, The Price is Right was pretty positive I was going to win money, but not at all positive I was going to win the car. So, they wrote that in after the game.)

I ended up being the last person to be processed. The woman checked my forms, took a copy of my license and social security card, and we called it a day.

We were told that we’d receive all prizes within 90 days of the show’s airing (except for furniture which had 180 days to get to us). As far as cars, we’d get a call from a dealership within I think 150 miles of our home. Once we got the call (again, within 90 days of the show airing), we had 10 days to get the car. If we didn’t get it during that time, we’d forfeit it.

Once all the paperwork was processed, I left the building, still reeling from the experience.

I went to pick my cell phone back up from the cell phone check. I had to walk past a line of people for the 12:30 show. I had my license plate holder and poster board in hand.

The people in line started going nuts! One guy even asked if he could have a hug for luck. (Of course I gave him a hug. (I wonder what happened to him at his taping.)) I had already felt so special during the show, and that feeling was super amplified by all these new stranger friends.

(There was one couple who seemed totally unimpressed. While everyone else was clapping, they just say there. Well, I don’t need you, stoic couple! I have a brand new car.)

And that was that. I had planned things for the rest of my day, not realizing I’d be practically unable to control my giddiness. I had an interview for a magazine article (out next month). I certainly didn’t tell her anything about The Price is Right. (As I mentioned earlier, I was sworn to secrecy!) But I could feel my excitement coming out in my answers being spouted so fast you’d think I’d had 3 venti white mochas.

I also had already planned to meet up with another friend for a movie at the Grove (right by The Price is Right studios). We went to eat afterward, and as much as I was trying to really zone in on her life, my brain just kept shouting – “What happened to you today, Aurora?!” I could not process it all. (And I’m so glad Megan’s still friends with me, even though I was undoubtedly obnoxious that day with my crazy energy radiating off of me.)

Then I went home, continued to freak out practically until the episode aired. I just wanted to see it! And I wanted my car. (And I wanted to tell everyone I ever knew about it!) Now you all do know about it, and I got my car, and I looked way more fun on television than I remembered being at the time.

So, everything worked out perfectly. The end.