One The Price Is Right contestant was so happy to win a car that they hugged host Drew Carey and had a wild celebration. The game show contestant played a perfect game after begging the Sound Effects Lady.
Dennis Merkelbach’s win was posted to TPIR‘s official Instagram page on November 6. “Mighty Sound Effects Lady is so generous #PriceIsRight,” the post was captioned.
Merkelbach, from Sherman Oaks, California, started off the episode with a bang when he won the first item up for bid. He bid $1,800 on an LG ThinQ gas range, which was worth $2,499.
He then came to the stage to try to win a 2025 Volkswagen Taos in the game One Away, which first broadcast on March 24. All of the numbers listed on the board were one away from the correct number. All Merkelbach had to do was decide whether to go up or down. The original price featured was $37,475.
The contestant decided that the first number would be a two. For the second number, Merkelbach decided to go down again and go with six.
He then decided to go up on the next two numbers, going with five and eight. For the last number, Merkelbach decided to go with a four.
Carey then told the contestant that he had to ask the Mighty Sound Effects Lady if he had any numbers right. Merkelbach would have to go number by number. The Mighty Sound Effects Lady would blast a horn if he was correct or another sound if he was wrong.
When he got one number right, Merkelbach screamed, “Yeah! Come on!” He had the same reaction for the next two numbers, but also pumped his fist and twirled around the stage.
Merkelbach stumbled over his words when asking about the fourth number, which he also had correct. “Oh my God!” he said, throwing his hands on his head and walking back and forth across the stage.
When the fifth number was revealed to be correct, Merkelbach ran around the stage yelling. He then gave Carey a big hug. When Merkelbach hugged model Rachel Reynolds, she told him, “Perfection! You did it!”
“What a way to start the show!” she said to Carey.
Merkelbach did not make it to the Showcase. He spun a 50 and then an 85, giving him a total of 1.35, which was over the limit of 1.00.
The Price Is Right, weekdays, 11a/10c, CBS, stream next day on Paramount+