When UND student Bethany Olson heard her name called as the final contestant for the first round on CBS's "The Price Is Right," she wasn't nervous.
"I was in an extreme state of shock," said the fifth-year senior from Anoka, Minn. "I kept looking back at my friend who came along with me."
She and Matt Maurer, Hutchinson, Minn., were in West Hollywood, Calif., visiting her father's girlfriend. Olson said she reserved her tickets online, then stood in line early for the Oct. 21 taping.
Her "state of shock" continued as she won her way up on stage by coming closest to the retail price of a men's watch.
In the game Swap Meet, she had to pick one item from three that was the same price as a set of cookware. Her choices were an iMac computer, a set of power tools and a sofa daybed.
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She made the right choice "and I got to go play with my power tools," Olson said. The excitement of winning wasn't lost on host Drew Carey.
"He was very entertaining through the whole thing," Olson said. "He liked me a lot. I gave him a big hug, that's for sure."
Olson later had a chance to spin the Big Wheel for a chance to be in the Showcase Showdown at the end of the show, but her two spins fell short of 95 cents spun by another contestant.
"That wheel is really heavy," Olson said. "The guy who spun before me was 6'2" and I'm 5'6". It was a lot easier for him."
Olson was told her prizes won't be delivered to her Anoka home until the day the show airs, Jan. 5. She said if she had her choice, the next game show she'd like to take a crack at is "Cash Cab" on the Discovery Channel.
"We spent $133 round trip and came back with more than when we left," Olson said. "You'd kind of think we went to Vegas with that kind of luck."
