University of Delaware student competes on 'The Price is Right,' takes home top prize
A University of Delaware student put the First State on the small screen last week when she competed on “The Price is Right” and took home the grand prize.
Lily Ramos, a junior nursing student, appeared on an episode of “The Price is Right” on Monday, March 13, in a spring break-themed episode that featured an audience of college students.
Students from universities nationwide were playing for the chance to win hefty cash prizes to help with student loans and other college expenses.
“I don’t think I have been on TV before so I was like, ‘Oh, my gosh, this is so cool,’” Ramos said. “I know a lot of people are big fans of the show. People I know and people I don’t know would watch it.”
During UD’s winter break, Ramos’ longtime friend, who knew Ramos’ mother appeared on the show last year, wanted to apply for a spot on the show himself.
After interviewing to apply, he made it through to the taping day in Los Angeles and was allowed to bring three guests, so Ramos and two others accompanied him.
They waited in the rain outside the show’s studio all morning before finally making it inside to audition for their spot. Once there, each applicant was expected to tell producers why they deserved a chance to compete.
During her pitch to producers, Ramos cited concerns about affording nursing school, shortages within the industry and eliminating college debt as her main reasons for wanting to compete on the show.
Come on down!
“I knew that this was the college episode and it was called 'pay off your loans,' and that’s definitely what I wanted to do,” she said while laughing. “I still have loans and tuition to pay off. It’s always costing a lot of money.”
And her candor about the struggles of being a college student worked in her favor.
As one of the only East Coast college students to appear on the show, Ramos made a grand entrance into Contestant’s Row. When she heard the signature phrase “Come on down!” she somersaulted down the aisle as one of the first four players called down to partake in the action.
“It’s something I didn’t expect to do before it really happened, but once we knew it was happening, it was super exciting and I was very excited to have the opportunity,” said Ramos of auditioning with her friends.
Although she was nervous about not being stuck on Contestant’s Row, Ramos and her friends kept saying to themselves, “At least one of us has to be called down. Please, call us down,” she said.
“I literally think I manifested being on the show because I kept thinking it and saying it out loud. I kept saying, ‘Come on down, Lily Ramos,” she said. “I just imagined that I was already on the show and that I would be called.”
Southern Cal native
In the end, the southern California native’s positive thoughts propelled her even further that day. She came out on top and won the grand prize, but not without a few twists and turns throughout the game.
Ramos had to secure her spot on the show by bidding, without going over, the price of various college-related prizes. The closest bidder would get invited on stage for more game play.
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Ramos was the closest bidder, winning a smart whiteboard that cost $2,100 and a ticket onstage to play the grocery game, which could result in a $30,000 win.
Tasked with guessing which grocery items were under $5, each correctly guessed item adds a zero to the prize total.
She took home $30 from that portion of the game, but still had another chance to win big by spinning the “Big Wheel.” Ramos was in the first group to do so and spun the wheel once while shouting out her loved ones before it landed on $1.
No other contestants landed on the $1 mark, and Ramos ended up winning $1,000 and a visit to the Showcase Showdown.
During the Showcase Showdown, Ramos went head-to-head with contestant Donovan, a student from the University of California, Berkeley, who already secured a MacBook Pro and $10,000 on the show.
Whichever contestant bids closest to the price of their showcase without going over would be crowned the winner.
Although Ramos’ showcase totaled $46,200, meaning she underbid by more than $20,000, the other contestant overbid his prize by $322, resulting in Ramos’ astonishing win.
As host Drew Carey revealed the surprising turn of luck, Ramos embraced her friends while celebrating onstage.
While the other contestant selected the showcase that included a new 2022 Nissan Altima SV, which Ramos originally hoped to end up with, her winnings still include great deals.
She took home $1,030 in cash and three trips totaling more than $50,000 — to Rome; to South Africa for a safari; and to Washington, D.C.
Ramos hasn’t traveled much and is eager to take advantage of her new opportunities to do so, hoping to take one of the trips this summer. She plans to take her mom to Rome and the friend who brought her to audition to South Africa.
To celebrate the show, she hosted a watch party last week at her apartment with friends, complete with pizza and snacks.
“You can’t tell anyone the results. None of my friends knew [the outcome] of the show, so it was pretty interesting for me to see their reactions as we watched it,” she said.
For Ramos, a surprising part of being on the show was how long it takes to film it, adding that some takes were redone several times to get it right.
She also was struck by how realistic it was.
People assume shows like this might be fake or embellish certain parts, but everything seen on TV was real and how things played out while filming, Ramos said.
Despite her 15 minutes of fame, which was more like 60 minutes given the one-hour runtime of the episode, Ramos said she’s no campus celebrity just yet.
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“I think I’m just living life the way it was,” she said. “It was definitely an overwhelming amount of support that I am very grateful for.”
Overall, Ramos had the experience of a lifetime and is still feeling thankful for her win and the support since.
“Of course, I have to say winning is the best part because I didn’t expect to win the showcase,” Ramos said. “I think the whole experience was such a positive experience. … I was just so happy and hopeful. My heart was beating so fast.”
This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Price is Right top prize won by University of Delaware student
