Queen City News reporter recalls Price is Right’s invaluable experience

CHARLOTTE, NC (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — As a Queen City News reporter, Savannah Rudicel could tell you all kinds of fascinating stories.

But perhaps most intriguing is the story that has become the fame of his entire family.

“Your sister is on the right price…no way!” her brother’s friends once said of the appearance on national television.

The iconic game show debuted on CBS 50 years ago on September 4, 1972.

“Mic check 1-2-3,” said Rudicel, the pro that she is.

Then she burst out humming the theme song from the game show she grew up with.

“Everyone loves the right price. I think it has the perfect mix of nostalgia and updated game show,” she said.

During our interview, Rudicel wore the same t-shirt she wore in 2015. It featured host chef Drew Carey pictured with the beloved climber from the “Cliffhangers” game. His mother had a shirt to match as they tried to make a lifelong dream come true.

At 19, Savannah has proven she has what it takes to be a candidate.

“You know, someone who’s excited and happy to be here. Well, I could do that! said Rudicel.

It happened.

She heard those three iconic words: “Go ahead! But at first, she almost couldn’t believe her ears.

“And then I hear, ‘Savannah Rudicel, get down!’ And I think, ‘Wow, that’s so funny.’ I want it to be me so badly that I made it look like my name,” she recalled. “And I look up at the stage, and there’s a producer with a big white board with my name on it like , ‘Come on, get down!’ And I was like, ‘Oh, oh, okay!’ »

She was the first contestant to be selected for this episode. After settling in, she finally got a spot on stage.

Rudicel bid on two Samsung tablet computers and won.
“900! she guessed.

Rudicel could only laugh watching a recording of the show.

“See, you just jump… You can’t help it; you just jump,” she said, watching herself jump with joy.

“I think I jumped on it when he called my name! And just floated up to the stage. And I thought, ‘Don’t hurt Drew Carey, don’t hurt Drew Carey!’ she says to herself.

Immediately she was beside herself beside Carey, playing a game called Side by Side.

“I pulled the seven a bit and wiggled it a bit. And the whole crowd leaves… no, no, no! she says.

“What a ham! Rudicel says now.

She won a trip to Orlando and even had a friendly chat with the model.

“And you could hear when it was a commercial break…I was like, ‘Oh my God, this is the best day of my life!'” she recalled.

The final challenge was the famous Showcase Showdown, another chance for Savannah to bid on the show.

“They opened it up and they were like, ‘That’s two bikes!’ And I was like, ‘Oh no…I don’t know anything about motorcycles.’ Rudicel thought to herself.

But wait, there’s more.

“And then they announced, ‘And a trip to Fiji!'” she continued. “And I was like, ‘Oh my God, a trip to Fiji. Alright, alright, that’s a dream!”

“Savannah, a few motorcycles in your window and a trip to Fiji; What more do you want?” Carey asked that day.

Being on set was everything she wanted and more. But his offer wasn’t too shabby.

“20,940…you’re on your way to Fiji!” Carey said.

“I remember the ding ding ding ding!” said Rudicel.

She won nearly $28,000 in prizes.

“And I sprinted to see my bikes and Fiji… and I was just like, ‘Oh my God!’ And I’m losing my mind again,” Rudicel said. “All of a sudden my mom is on stage with me, and we can’t do anything but jump… we’re just sitting; they’re jumping!

The memory of the prize is just might be the biggest prize she won that day.

“People freak out when they win a new car, or even a weird dining set,” Rudicel said of the show’s staying power.

She is part of that legacy of pure excitement.

“My love only intensified afterwards,” Rudicel said of his love for The Price is Right. “I didn’t think it was possible, but it did!”