Mt. Pleasant native takes home showcase on The Price Is Right

BY KARYN SPORY

Mt. Pleasant News

Not many people can say they just happened into over $34,500 worth of goodies.

But Mt. Pleasant native Jake Ernst can.

Last September, Ernst, who works at the Hy-Vee corporate offices in Des Moines, had some extra vacation time he needed to use, so he took a trip to the West Coast and ended up winning big on The Price Is Right.

?I started out in San Francisco visiting friends originally,? said the 2005 graduate of Mt. Pleasant High School. ?But I wanted to drive down the Pacific Coast Highway so I rented a car and drove to L.A.?

Ernst said once he made his way to L.A., he found himself in an area where many of the network game shows are tapped. ?What do you know, there?s The Price Is Right. I knew the game. I?d seen the show before when I was a kid and I just thought it would be so much fun to see a tapping of it,? he explained.

So Ernst got a ticket and waited in line to enter the studio where the legendary game show is tapped.

?They don?t cast (the contestants) ahead of time,? said Ernst. ?They interview you while you?re in line.?

Ernst said each of the 300 people in line were interviewed, but the shows staff seemed to ?pick on? the most outgoing and social individuals. ?They seemed to get a good vibe off me,? he joked. Ernst was the fourth person called down on the show.

?It was actually really loud in there, I couldn?t hear very well. I just assumed it was me,? he said of being called down by host Drew Carey. ?I was just super ecstatic. I couldn?t believe it.?

Ernst said he had some time to joke around with the host. ?We spent more time off camera than on. Everything is just so quick and fast on (TV), but the actual show takes longer to film and there?s a lot of times where they have to set things back up to film,? he said.

During that time, he got to chat with the host and crew. ?The cast, the crew, everyone was just really nice. It was exactly what I expected it to be,? he added.

Although Ernst filmed his segment in September, it didn?t air until Thursday, Jan. 7. So while he could tell friends and family he was at the tapping, he couldn?t divulge just how much airtime he?d received.

Ernst ended up making it all the way to the showcase showdown, but the journey didn?t come without a few discouragements.

?I actually lost my game, which was a trip to the Hamptons in New York,? he said, admitting he wasn?t too broken up about it by the end of the show. ?I have actually been out to the East Coast in the last four years so I wasn?t too upset.?

Ernst said at the initial moment he was bummed out, but by the time he got to the wheel, he was hopeful things would spin his way. And did they.

As the wheel spun round and round, Ernst said a shout-out to his family back in Mt. Pleasant. As the wheel slowed down near .45, Ernst?s shoulders slumped down, but the wheel wasn?t done moving. His spin finally settled on .70, and after some encouragement from the crowd, he decided to stay there instead of spinning again. And it?s a good thing he did as he had the highest spin without going over $1, which led him to the showcase showdown.

During the showcase, Ernst threw out an estimate of $32,500 for the price of a jet boat and seven-day trip to St. Martins.

?I was $80 off from winning mine and the other lady?s showcase,? he said, shaking his head over how close he was.

?I?m not complaining one bit,? he adds. ?I was lucky enough to get there.?

In the end, Ernst went home with a jet boat, a seven-day trip to St. Martins, a Kawasaki dirt bike and a couple of Cannon cameras.

Ernst said he has yet to receive his prizes, but they will come within 90 days of the airing of his segment.

Ernst?s episode is still active on the CBS website.