Clovis resident appears as contestant on ‘The Price is Right’

Clovis resident Carol Smith soaks in the moment with host Drew Carey after being called to “come on down” as a participant on “The Price is Right.” (Photo courtesy of FremantleMedia North America)

Clovis resident Carol Smith couldn’t believe her luck when she was called to “come on down” two months ago during her visit to “The Price is Right” game show.

With over 200 energetic and outgoing people in the audience, Smith said she was surprised she was selected.

“My daughter purchased four tickets to go to “The Price is Right” so I took a personal day off work and we went with some friends from church,” Smith, a sixth-grade teacher at Maple Creek Elementary in Clovis Unified, said. “It was my first time there so I didn’t know what to expect and I don’t know how they choose people. I read before going that they look for outgoing personalities and I felt like every person there was outgoing, most more than me, so I was surprised.”

While waiting for the show, Smith said you get pretty chummy with those around you because you have a couple hours to get to know one another, and she was certain they would call a gentleman sitting a few seats down from her to be a contestant. “He just had the best personality,” she said.

Being selected came as such a shock to Smith that she didn’t even realize when her name was first called.

“I was looking around, not expecting to hear my name because someone else near where we were sitting had already been selected,” Smith said. “I was so surprised.”

Once it came time to bid on an iPhone 10, Smith said she couldn’t hear with all the commotion what she was bidding on, but she recognized the familiar Apple logo and knowing the hefty price tag of Apple products took a shot and ended up getting the closest bid and was called on stage. Then, already having secured the iPhone 10 prize, Smith went on to play and win a set of Stella McCartney designer handbags and a KitchenAid range.

“It was so exciting,” she said. “I’ve been a fan of the show since Bob Barker was on it, but I only get to watch it in the summertime. They have so many different games I was nervous that I wouldn’t recognize the game they were playing, but it wasn’t too bad. What I had to do was guess whether the designer purses and the kitchen range values were greater than or equal to the cost of other items. I knew having just a few designer items at home that designer brands are always expensive, so I had a good feeling. I looked to my daughter in the audience and she was steering me the other direction, but the majority of the audience was saying the purses were greater so I listened to them. Always listen to the audience.”

The time she spent playing, Smith said, was surreal.

“It was just an amazing experience,” she said. “I got to meet Drew Carey, which was exciting since I watched his show and other shows he’s been on … it was just so much fun. I would recommend going to anyone because it was such a positive experience. Everyone was friendly and you really get to bond with the people around you since you’re waiting for a couple hours with them. I think everyone secretly hopes that they or someone in their group will get to go on down, but it’s something I never expected. Even without that it was a great experience and I hope to go again with a few couples from church.”

To see Smith compete on “The Price is Right” tune into CBS this Friday, June 1, at 10 a.m.