Kennett woman wins 'Price Is Right' big prize

KENNETT, Mo. — What is it like and what does it take to be a participant on a national game show such as the “The Price is Right”?

Just ask Clara Harris of Kennett. She had a chance, took it and won.

Harris, her husband, Ron, and family members and friends gathered at the her home Monday to watch her win the game show’s Showcase Showdown — a 55-inch television, a trip to Miami and a 2016 Volkswagen Beetle.

Wearing the shirt she wore during the Jan. 11 taping of the show, Harris said how there was more to it than showing up and winning.

“There is a story behind this shirt,” she said, pointing to a bright orange shirt with “#MoneyGram” written on it and five dollar bills attached along the bottom. “It was hashtag week on ‘The Price is Right’ two weeks ago. ... My kids call me Gram, so it was #MoneyGram, but they wanted more than just a dollar. That is why the five dollar bills — one for each grandchild.”

It started with a planned trip to Hawaii with Harris’ sister, Wanda Stampley, who died Nov. 24.

“She wanted me to take a vacation with her so bad, so I went ahead and purchased the ticket,” Harris said. “I had insurance on the ticket, so they paid me for it, and then the airline gave me a credit, but I had to use the credit pretty quick.”

Harris said her sister-in-law called to ask whether she would like to go to Los Angeles with her. Harris flew out by herself.

After the death of her sister, Harris said she had been depressed, and the trip was what she needed. She joined her sister-in-law in California, where they were doing some house-sitting for Harris’ niece.

“At the last minute, she got us a ticket (to the show),” Harris said of her niece. “My number was 265, and they took in 300 people. We were at the very end of the line.”

Harris said going to “The Price is Right” had been a dream of hers since she was 17. “I don’t mean being a contestant, but being in the audience to watch the show.”

“The producers go along and talk with different people,” she said. “When he came to me, I told him I was from Kennett, the town of Sheryl Crow.”

Harris said she kept calling the producer back and talking to him.

“I think that was why he picked me out,” she said. “He also liked my shirt.”

Harris said they waited in line for four hours. After getting inside, she was the fourth one called up to play.

“The first item I bidded on was an iPhone 6s and an Apple Watch,” she said. “I had no idea what they were worth, but there was a group of college boys behind me saying to bid $1,700. I was the last one to bid, and I used that bid and won the prize.”

Harris said it was all so surreal, and everything moved along so fast. Harris’ bid was $25,500 during her Showcase Showdown. Because the other contestant’s bid went over, Harris won a total of $34,650 worth of merchandise.

“I watched it today. It was really a thrill to have been there, but it was so surreal,” she said. “The only reason that I went through all of these situations and it all went so smoothly was because God was with me the whole time.”

All of the prizes should be delivered within the next 30 to 60 days.

Pertinent address:

Kennett, Mo.