CLEARLAKE OAKS — Kimberly Bauer, 21, of Clearlake Oaks, had the time of her life on a recent trip to Los Angeles where she appeared on The Price is Right game show. When all was said and done, Bauer sailed away with her showcase.
“My showcase was a sailboat and a trip to Italy. All together it was about $38,000 in prizes,” Bauer said. “It took me a minute to realize I won but when I did it was the best feeling I have ever had. I never, in a million years, thought I would be on a game show, let alone win the whole thing.”
Bauer”s journey down the isle began with a contestant search at Twin Pine Casino. She said she and her mother were the first people in line. “When we were on our way into the room to do our auditions, the man in charge told us to be different and go crazy. So, that”s what I did.”
Bauer said about two months after the contestant search at Twin Pine she got a call from CBS. “They told me I was one of the two people chosen to fly out to Los Angeles to compete for a guaranteed spot to come on down,” she said, adding that she and her parents and best friend Stephanie Cozad headed to Los Angeles on Oct. 26.
Bauer said she knew she needed to do something that would standout. “The day of the show I had my final interview and I knew that I had to do something they had never seen before so that I would be picked for the show. So, I wrote a funny rap and performed it for the interviewer,” she said. “I had no clue who the producers picked between me and the man I was up against until I heard them call my name to come on down. I was in shock!”
Bauer said she did what all typical Price is Right contestants do. “I just started screaming and yelling and jumping up and down,” she said.
Bauer said when she got on stage she was presented with a chance to win a new car but missed winning it by one number. She said she was disappointed but thankful for the free trip to Los Angeles. “Even though I didn”t win the car I still got a chance to spin the wheel,” she said. “I spun the wheel and got 95 cents on the first spin. I couldn”t believe it! I remember thinking that I was going to win; I just had a feeling.”
Bauer said when it came down to the showcase, the woman she was up against over-bid her showcase. “So, I won,” she said. “The funny thing is that we even missed our flight to LA and I didn”t even think I was going to get to be on the show at all. But, it all worked out like it was supposed to and I”ll never forget it for the rest of my life.”
Bauer and her friends celebrated her big win when the episode aired on Friday.
Contact South County reporter Denise Rockenstein at drockenstein@clearlakeobserver.com or call her directly at 994-6444, ext. 11.
