Spring break turned out to be a big break for 21-year-old Alyssa Mazurek. The Naperville native and senior at St. Mary’s College in Notre Dame, Ind., was called to “come on down” as a contestant on “The Price Is Right” while vacationing in California.
“I was totally in utter shock,” said Mazurek, who expects to graduate next month. “I just really couldn’t believe it when they called my name.”
Mazurek was in California with her boyfriend, James Koci, whose family lives there, and friend Aaron Crawfis. Koci and Crawfis are students at the University of Notre Dame and had the same school break as Mazurek.
“We decided it would be a fun to stay with James’ parents for spring break and try to see the show,” Mazurek said. “Aaron was the big ‘The Price Is Right’ fan and went online and got us tickets.”
Mazurek said the trio talked strategy prior to attending the March 15 taping, and even watched a few episodes the day before. No costumes are allowed, so they wore tie-dyed shirts in hopes of standing out in the audience.
They left Koci’s house in South Orange County at 4:30 a.m. to ensure they’d have time to line up at the studio gates by 7:30 a.m. Two hours later, they were among nearly 300 audience members hoping to snag a spot in contestant’s row and meet show host Drew Carey.
Mazurek’s name was called in the first few minutes of the show, and her winning bid of $551 for a pair of digital video cameras earned her a spot on stage. While she didn’t win the next contest, she returned to face off against two other contestants by spinning the “wheel.”
Her spin of 85 cents proved to be good enough to win, and she advanced to the “showcase” round, which is the final contest of the show.
“At that point, I was just trying to calm down before the showcase because I was still a little in shock,” Mazurek said. “The crew talked to us backstage about what was going to happen and then after a commercial, we were out there again.”
Mazurek had the chance to bid on the second showcase, which included a trip to Germany and a 2017 Ford Fiesta. Although she had practiced a similar scenario before the show, she looked to James and Aaron in the audience for direction.
“I really have to give James and Aaron a lot of the credit,” she said. “I could see them, and they were signaling to me. One was saying $26,000 and one was saying $27,000, so I split the difference and went with $26,500.”
The actual showcase was valued at $26,767, so between her friends’ suggestions and her instincts, she came up a big winner.
“I just expected to go to the show and have a good time,” Mazurek said. “To get a brand new car and a trip overseas, those are things I would never be able to have at this time.”
The show was taped March 15, which meant Mazurek had to keep quiet until it aired April 5. The shows’ rules are stringent — she signed a contract agreeing to them — and clearly state a contestant will forfeit their prizes if they disclose the details of the show before it airs.
“It was really hard to not say anything, but I was lucky to have James and Aaron to talk about it,” she said.
When it aired, she hosted a viewing party at her apartment in Indiana, and her friends and family in Naperville watched as well.
“It was funny to watch my reaction because I really didn’t remember it all,” Mazurek said. “I didn’t know whether to hug Drew Carey or shake his hand. James and Aaron joined me on stage, and we were all hugging, and then we got in the car. It was funny.”
Mazurek said she should be able to claim her prizes in July.
“To have this experience over my senior year spring break is like a final hurrah,” Mazurek said. “I am extremely grateful for the opportunity and feel incredibly lucky.”
More Top Picks Telescopes
To see the episode, visit www.cbs.com/shows/the_price_is_right/video/MU0B6jok_Cq9RI2ztuX9EsxeGk45kTuk/the-price-is-right-4-5-2017/.
Jane Donahue is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.