Come on down: Coshocton's Tracy Haines is contestant on 'The Price is Right'

COSHOCTON − Tracy Haines' son suggested a trip to California. He wanted to see the redwood forest and the USS Midway that his father once served on. She wanted to go on The Price is Right. Both got their wish.

The Coshocton County mobility manager got a shout out to her co-workers at the Coshocton County Coordinated Transportation Agency during her spin of the Big Wheel during the Showcase Showdown. She said host Drew Carey, a Cleveland native, knew where was Coshocton was and Haines told him how the venerable game show's original sign was on display at Universal Bridal and Prom at Unusual Junction on U.S. 36.

Haines won an electronic dartboard with cabinet, two reclining leather love seats and an 85-inch smart television. She would have taken the showcase home as well if not for a mental glitch. However, she felt lucky to get on at all as some time mismanagement almost blew her chance. The episode taped on Dec. 14 and aired Jan. 17. She couldn't speak about the appearance until after the show aired.

Haines procured two tickets online that guaranteed entry to the taping as long as you're not late. Her son checked the time from their hotel to the studio. It was about 20 minutes away, but Haines wanted to allow an hour just in case. However, as they were getting drinks at a gas station, Haines double checked the location and discovered her son had actually found The Price is Right Museum. The studio was almost 45 minutes away.

"We get on the highway and he's flying. All of sudden, we're at a dead stop. Five lanes wide, cars as far as the eye could see. I was like 'we're never going to make it,'" Haines recalled. "We finally make it and we're 15 minutes late. He pulls up to this tent in the middle of nowhere and I jump out and say, 'I'm Tracy Haines. I'm from Ohio. Am I too late to come on down?'"

The people laughed and said they could still attend the taping. They then had to fill out some information and stand in line. Those in attendance were asked some basic questions and shown tape of an old episode and told to act as if they were in the audience for it live.

Haines said you're basically being watched and interviewed the whole time as they're trying to gauge who would make the best contestants. She thinks her exuberant entrance might have sealed the deal. There were 145 people in the audience.

"When you walk in, all you see is cement walls. It's just a great big building and there's curtains everywhere. But when you walk on the other side of those curtains, you come out onto the whole display area and we were all like 'whoa,'" Haines said of entering the studio. "The atmosphere was just incredible."

Haines got called up at the top of the show. She was wearing a bright orange shirt with The Price is Right logo with one side reading "Pick me" and the other saying "My pups are spayed and neutered," a playoff of former host Bob Barker's longtime signoff.

"It was like an out-of-body experience. It was like 'who is that crazy lady up there," she said with a laugh.

Haines got out of contestants' row by bidding on the dartboard. She had priced the same board for a Christmas present. She played side by side once on stage. Haines had to move two blocks around with numbers on it to make the right price. She got that correct for the furniture and TV.

Haines said during breaks she was able to talk with Carey. Growing up with Barker as host, she found Carey a bit dry, but her opinion has changed.

"He was so personable. He told us life experiences and just shared a story of what he had been up to. He told jokes and had us laughing the whole time," Haines stated. "The other thing was, all the people working there, they felt like your friend. I felt so comfortable with them. You can tell they love their job."

When it came to the showcase showdown, Haines spun the big wheel last. The woman in front of her had 90 cents. Haines got 95 cents in two spins.

"The poor girl, she was so sweet. When we sat back down she goes 'I can't believe you beat my 90.' Then I felt so bad, because I'm still cheering and jumping around," Haines remembered.

During the showcase, Haines was the big winner and had the choice of bidding on or passing the first showcase. It included a shed with tools and a car. She has a fairly new car and a shed, so she passed as she didn't need it. There's also the philosophy of longtime fans that the second showcase is always better than the first. She was hoping for a trip.

The second showcase was a trip to Argentina, designer clothes and a motorcycle. The bid she had in her mind was $24,350. However, when she went to speak $27,900 came out. She has no idea how that happened. That was an overbid, as the prize package was actually $24,626. Haines doesn't feel bad as the woman who won the showcase really needed the win.

"That win was life changing for her. This all happened the way it was supposed to," Haines said. "I'm so happy she got it. I didn't need it. The experience and the trip going with my son was what it was all about."

Leonard Hayhurst is a community content coordinator and general news reporter for the Coshocton Tribune with more than 15 years of local journalism experience and multiple awards from the Ohio Associated Press. He can be reached at 740-295-3417 or llhayhur@coshoctontribune.com. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @llhayhurst.

This article originally appeared on Coshocton Tribune: Tracy Haines of Coshocton competes on 'The Price is Right'