Garrett Rogers of Clayton, Okla., may have had some good birthdays in his life, but he鈥檚 never had won quite like this one.
The University of Arkansas 鈥� Fort Smith student appeared on 鈥淭he Price is Right鈥� March 8, netting $52,000 in winnings including a car, a pontoon boat, and a trip to a Californian beach.
鈥淚 was so excited, I pretty much blacked out,鈥� Rogers said. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 remember much after winning the car. I was also the only winner from that day鈥檚 show, which made it even more surreal.鈥�
The media communications major attended the show with a friend after finding cheap airfare to Hollywood. He went through the interview process along with 300 others attending the show and was one of the lucky nine chosen to participate.
鈥淚 didn't realize my name was called until a good 5 seconds after. I couldn't hear a thing,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hey had my name on a poster board, waving it around.鈥�
Rogers guessed closest on a vacation getaway during Contestant鈥檚 Row, allowing him to go up and play the game 鈥淭hat鈥檚 Too Much,鈥� in which dollar amounts are revealed and the contestant must guess which is slightly higher than the cost of a car. Rogers guessed correctly, winning a Mazda 3 Hatchback Sport Edition.
He landed on 90 cents when he spun the wheel, earning him a trip to the Showcase Showdown, which he also won. Those rewards included a trip to Pismo Beach, Calif., a pontoon boat, some patio furniture, and a home stereo system.
鈥淚t was hectic,鈥� Rogers said of the experience. 鈥淚t was loud and so hard to concentrate. I finally had to stop listening to the audience and start listening to my gut. When I did that, I started winning.鈥�
He expects to net about $28,000 in profits after taxes and plans on selling some of the items and putting the proceeds into savings.
鈥淣ot too bad for a day鈥檚 work,鈥� he joked, adding that while the total winnings were $52,474, the memories were 鈥減riceless.鈥�