A Ball State student won $10,500 on his Spring Break in Los Angeles.
Senior Dusty Miller, a four-year member of the Ball State University Singers, said he couldn't believe it when he was called to the Contestants' Row on "The Price is Right."
"It was pretty wild," Miller said. "I ran down there like a madman."
Miller said even the show's producer told him he was one of the most enthusiastic contestants the show had ever had. After winning that much money, however, he said it was justifiable.
"That's the quickest $10,000 I'll ever make," he said.
As he rushed to the Contestants' Row, Miller said 20 of his fellow Ball State University Singers, all dressed in yellow T-shirts, stood on the far right side of the auditorium and cheered for him from the back. They were going even crazier than he was, he said.
Miller, a bass guitar player for the group and the fifth person to be called up during the show, said he became even more ecstatic when he won the second item up for bid -- a $3,000 diamond watch.
After taking his spot on stage with host Bob Barker, Miller was told he would be playing the Plinko game for a chance at $50,000. Miller said he was glad because he had always watched "The Price is Right" with his grandparents as a young child and knew Plinko the best.
"I was happy I had a chance to play it," Miller said. "That was the one I wanted to play."
After guessing the correct prices for a vintage radio, a beard and mustache trimmer and a cordless cheese shredder, Miller said he won four Plinko chips, the first of which fell into the $0 slot on one side of the $10,000 jackpot. While his second chip won him $500, his third chip fell into the $0 on the other side of the jackpot. His final chip, however, scored him the $10,000.
"When that happened, that's when I really went crazy," Miller said.
Even though he didn't have the opportunity to participate in the "Showcase Showdown" at the end of the show, Miller said he came close to getting the winning dollar on the wheel.
Having a chance to talk to Bob Barker on stage was also an enjoyable experience, he said.
"He was kind of a smart aleck, but in general he was a pretty nice guy," he said. "He was pretty funny."
Almost a week after the show, Miller said he is still taken aback by the experience.
"The whole time I was on there, it seemed like a blur until I replayed it in my mind," he said.
He said he is thinking about buying a motorcycle when the reward money arrives between now and June.
Senior Jay Ryan, who has known Miller for the past three years, said he still can't believe his friend won on "The Price is Right." The event was so surreal, he said.
"It's still kind of hard to believe," Ryan said. "I don't think I'll believe it till I see it on TV."
The Ball State University Singers' Spring Break trip, during which the group also performed at two high schools and at Disneyland, was an overall success, Miller said.
"It was cool for (Ball State) to get recognized like that," he said.
"The Price is Right" show on which Miller appeared will air at 11 a.m. March 31 on CBS-TV.
,,2or journalism major
Aaron Olson, freshman journalism major
Column name: Butch and the Sundance Kid
Email: twobsuguys@yahoo.com
Run date: 03/22/04
Headline suggestion: The Best Week Ever... Kinda -- has anyone seen my ATM card?
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