After a 24-hour drive, stopping once in Arizona, nine Aggies set off on a two-day adventure to appear in the audience of “The Price Is Right” in Los Angeles, Calif., over Christmas break.
Brought together by the student organization CARPOOL, Adrianna Trevino, a senior biology major; Rachel Hollon, a senior journalism major; Kristen Halbrook, a senior history major; Carrie Rivera a junior kinesiology major; Lindsey Steckel, a sophomore general studies major; Erin Kennedy, a junior marketing major; Katy Peterson, a senior industrial distribution major; Stacy Reeves a sophomore English major; and Adrienne Wingate, a senior education major became close friends through an exciting six days of seeing celebrities and winning prizes that ended with senior history major Halbrook in the hospital.
Steckel pre-ordered the tickets by mail because she said she has always wanted to see the show. When she asked her friends if they wanted to come, they were all excited for the trip.
They found out, though, that the tickets didn’t guarantee a good seat. After only about an hour of sleep, they waited in line for almost eight hours in front of CBS Studios at 3 a.m. for a possible spot on the show.
“We had to wake up at 2:30 a.m.,” Halbrook said. “It was definitely interesting waiting on the streets of L.A.”
But the women were hard to miss with their smiles, excitement and Aggie spirit.
“We all wore bright pink shirts that said ‘Aggies love Bob Barker’ on the front and ‘Road Trip ’04’ on the back,” Peterson said.
Perhaps it was their bright spirit or their bright apparel that caught the attention of interviewers when trying to decide who would appear on the show. None of them thought they would be picked, especially not Trevino, who usually doesn’t watch the show.
Trevino won $1,000 playing Plinko along with a mustache trimmer, ice cream maker, ice tea maker and vegetable chopper, even though she said she was not the typical contestant.
“I really wasn’t expecting to go on,” Trevino said. “They just called my name. I don’t know why they picked me, but it was a lot of fun.”
She said she forgot to kiss Barker on the cheek, which is regularly done by female contestants from the audience.
“I was so surprised, I didn’t even think about it,” Trevino said.
During breaks, Trevino said Barker teased her because she didn’t always know what to do next.
When she went on stage, Barker asked her, “How often do you watch this show?” When she answered “occasionally,” he jokingly said, “I don’t like the way you said that.”
After finding out that Trevino was an Aggie, he blamed her not watching the show on “chasing those Corps boys around.”
Trevino said between waiting in line for seats, chatting with Barker and winning $1,000 that, the 12-hour event was worth it.
“We had a great time; it’s definitely a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Trevino said.
It turned out that “The Price is Right” wasn’t the only exciting event on their road trip. There were many more surprises in store as they took a whirlwind tour of Hollywood.
“It was just amazing, we packed everything we could into those two days,” Halbrook said.
While shopping on the street, a man offered them tickets to the “The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn,” which they attended later that night.
“The Craig Kilborn Show was definitely educational,” Halbrook said. “I never knew how much work the audience does for the show. By the end, my hands were red from clapping and my voice was hoarse.”
Despite sitting in the back of the audience, Hollon was singled out by the musical guest on the show.
“One of the Ying Yang Twins came up and started dancing with me,” Hollon said. “I don’t know why he chose me; I wasn’t even clapping with the beat.”
Free Craig Kilborn tickets weren’t all they experienced while shopping in the expensive boutiques. They found themselves enjoying an outdoor Enrique Iglesias concert.
“We were just shopping and there was Enrique 20 feet from us,” Halbrook said. “It’s such a different world there.”
Although they were shocked and excited to see celebrities, they found that for the residents of L.A., it’s a normal occurrence.
“We went to a bowling alley and Alicia Silverstone was there,” Trevino said. “Everyone acted like it was no big deal.”
The nine Aggies said they felt a bit out of place with the celebrities, gorgeous weather and high prices, but that they enjoyed every minute of it.
“You feel differently than you do here at Texas A&M,” Halbrook said.Before long they had to head home, leaving California behind for another 24-hour drive across the country.
“Being on the road was just as much fun as being in L.A.,” Peterson said.The fun on the road was interrupted by a very unexpected stop – the hospital.
“On our first day on the way home, I got really sick and had to spend three days in a hospital in Tucson, Arizona,” Halbrook said.
Despite the setback, they said it didn’t dampen their adventurous spirits, and they joked about the hospital room as part of their American tour.
“Everyone stayed the night with me in Arizona. The room had a beautiful view of the mountains,” Halbrook said.
Through their experiences, these friends said they grew closer than ever before and cherish what they shared.
“It was definitely a bonding experience,” Halbrook said. “We grew so close, and it proved to me that my friends are the best. I’m looking forward to the next road trip.”