Anselmo native and Anselmo-Merna graduate James McMillan is enjoying a once-in-a-lifetime memory after appearing on the long-running game show The Price is Right and making it all the way to the final showcase.
James Russell McMillan, known as Russell by many in the area he grew up in, is now an MRI technologist in Omaha. The episode of The Price is Right he appears in, which was filmed last fall, aired earlier this week. Until it aired, McMillan was tasked with keeping much about his experience a secret from friends and family.
His path to an appearance on national television started with a road trip. McMillan and his fiancé, Parker, are regular viewers of the show and decided to attend a taping while traveling through Los Angeles.
“We thought ‘How perfect would it be’? We’re going to be in LA — let’s see if there’s a taping that day,” said McMillan.
The two discovered a 7:30 AM taping that fit their schedule, expecting a fun audience experience. That quickly turned into something more when announcer George Gray, who James and Parker were seated just to the left of, called out McMillan’s name to join contestants’ row.
Two item bids later, McMillan earned his way to the stage for a game by bidding $999 on a group of designer sunglasses, knowing from watching the show that such items often cost more than expected.
“That adrenaline rush for sure was crazy,” said McMillan. “People are shouting out what to bid and you’re trying to think strategy in a split second.”
On stage the clock game was waiting, where contestants guess exact price values of prizes as a clock counts down, guided with ‘higher’ and ‘lower’ cues by host Drew Carey. Despite a hiccup with the clock, which wasn’t visible to those watching at home, McMillan still finished with some time to spare to win a trip to Seattle, a home bar and stool set, and a collection of Dualit kitchen appliances.
View the video of McMillan playing “Clock Game” at the end of this story
He then spun the famous ‘big wheel’ during the showcase showdown.
“That wheel is heavy. You see people struggle with it, but until you spin it yourself, you don’t realize the heft,” McMillan laughed.
His spins totaled high enough to push him to the showcase, where he bid on a prize package featuring trips to Iceland and Florida along with gaming equipment. Although his bid was a bit too high over the actual retail price, but that didn’t put a rain cloud over his experience.
When asked about the experience of being at a taping as a whole, McMillan said host Drew Carey helped keep contestants relaxed, and during breaks he even chatted with Carey and announcer George Gray behind the scenes. He also learned that the show is filmed differently than it appears on TV, with all contestants playing before the wheel spins are recorded.
Now that the show has aired, McMillan has heard from friends, neighbors, and family members who watched him on their TVs at home. His parents, he said, had already watched the episode more than once shortly after it aired.
McMillan offered simple advice to those who dream of being called to “come on down”.
“You never know— you’ve got to give it a try. If you get picked, it’s just a magical experience up there,” he said.
View the full episode that James appeared on at this link.
