'Karolee Myers, come on down'
By Renee Carey
Published in News on August 18, 2005 1:52 PM
When Don Myers asked Karolee Jones to marry him, he got an enthusastic yes.
And then she started planning the honeymoon.
"I wanted to go to Hawaii, so I could make a stop in Los Angeles," Karolee said.
Why?
Well, Karolee has a not-so-secret crush.
It's not Brad Pitt.
It's Bob Barker.
News-Argus/Bobby Williams
Karolee Myers shows off her autographed Bob Barker photo and T-shirt that helped her earn a spot on the national television show.
The Goldsboro resident, 25, has been a fan of the show "The Price is Right" since she was 5 years old.
"I always watched it with my Daddy, Skeet Jones," she said. "Every summer and anytime I was out of school, I was watching 'The Price is Right.'"
When the chance to plan her wedding trip popped up, Karolee started trying to match flights, but couldn't get the timing to work to allow her to visit the show.
Don wasn't surprised, although he admitted that his fiancee's obsession seemed a little unusual.
"When I met her, she started talking about 'The Price is Right,'" he said. "She had been talking about it forever."
So, for their first anniversary June 19, Don told Karolee he would take her to Los Angeles.
They made their travel plans and their T-shirts and headed for California.
Karolee made sure this time she would not miss her chance to live her dream.
"We had tickets for the 20th and the 21st, just in case I did not make it on the 20th," she said.
After extensive internet research, Karolee determined she needed to be at the studio by 4 a.m. to make sure she and Don got places in the audience.
"We went at 2 a.m. just to be sure," she said.
When they arrived, there were 75 people already in line.
They spent their time making new friends and planning how they would earn their spots on the show.
At 6 a.m., a CBS employee came out and gave out the first of two passes. At about 9:30 a.m., they were allowed onto the studio lot. At 10:30, the interview process began.
Don cautioned his wife not to pay any attention to how he behaved. He was trying to get attention, but not get picked for the show.
The CBS representative interviewed the couple.
"I said I wanted to kiss Bob," Karolee said. "I saw him write down something when he talked to Don, and he winked at me. My friends told me that probably meant they would be picking Don. I said that would be OK."
"It really wasn't," Don said.
By 1 p.m., the couple were face to face with the "Price is Right" set.
"It is a tiny studio," Karolee said. "I saw some chairs with tape across them, so I thought they had already determined who would be picked. I thought it was rigged."
Sure she wasn't headed for the stage, Karolee concentrated on listening to instructions and getting herself on television. The staff told the audience members to watch in the corner of the studio for the cards with the names of the first four contestants because the noise would be too loud for them to hear the announcement.
The first three names went across the back of the studio. Karolee kept cheering.
Then, she saw the final name.
"It was me," she said. "I just started crying and shaking."
She made her way down to the stage.
"Bob was right there and he looked at me," she said.
She missed the first item, but was the closest bidder on an $850 digital camera.
Then, she was on-stage, and more than a little enthusiastic.
"I hugged him, and I was jumping around," she said. "I thought to myself, I'd better stop, I am going to break Bob.'"
And then she saw her game -- another of her favorite parts of the show.
"I got to play Plinko," she said.
But before she could drop her chips, Karolee had to earn them. She had to pick the right prices for several products.
In the audience, Don was excited for his wife, but he wasn't about to tell her what to bid.
"He told me not to look at him because he wasn't going to help me," she said.
"I did not want to be responsible if she lost," Don said.
She earned three chips, but no big prize. Karolee thought her dream had come to an end.
But then it was time for the Showcase Showdown spin. Out came the wheel and Karolee spun 35 cents and then 50. She thought she was finished.
"Then the other two people spun and one went over and one was under," she said.
And Karolee was in the Showcase Showdown.
She did not win. The other contestant guessed within $87 of his showcase's price. But it didn't matter. Karolee had lived her dream.
And Don was pretty excited, too.
"I was pretty pumped," he said. "I was just excited that we did not have to come back the next day."
Karolee said she was pretty happy with her first anniversary gift. She and her co-workers and family plan to watch the show Sept. 20 -- her air date. Don was pleased, too.
"Mission accomplished," he said.
How will he top this year? Don said he isn't even going to try.