Aaron Coleman Went On Down
Aaron Coleman was supposed to have an ordinary spring break.
The University of Idaho senior didn’t have one, thanks to Bob Barker and the 25-year-old TV show “The Price is Right.”
Coleman stood in line for seven hours outside the CBS Studios in Burbank, Calif. - along with 21 of his UI rugby teammates - to have a chance to appear on the longest-running TV game show.
It was well worth the wait.
The clean-cut, 22-year-old Boise native made it all the way to the Showcase Showdown, which consists of two finalists bidding on expensive items. He lost to a counselor from Pasadena, Calif.
“He passed his showcase to me,” recalled Coleman. “When I got it, I threw up a bid of $7,500. As soon as I said it, the crowd started booing me because it was so low. I knew I was in trouble.”
Coleman may have been a bit pressured. During the commercial break before the bidding war, Barker told him the show was running overtime. “Don’t look to the crowd when I ask for an answer,” Barker told Coleman. “Just tell me right off the bat.”
He lost a trip to Ireland, a bedroom set and a home security system. “I’ve never purchased anything like that,” Coleman said, “so I had no idea how much it’d cost.”
He did, however, come away with a Maytag washer and dryer. The company already has sent him a check for $1,000. He said he’s saving it until he marries his fiancee on Aug. 30.
Barbara Martin, a criminal justice major at UI, at first didn’t believe Coleman when he called her from California.
“I thought he was joking,” she said.
“I can’t wait for my grandma to see it because she hasn’t missed an episode.”
The episode airs today at 10 a.m. on CBS. The Dutch Goose restaurant in Moscow is organizing a party for this morning as well.
The marketing major could hardly believe it when his name was attached to the famous call, “Come on down!”
“It was like a dream,” Coleman said. “I remember jumping up and my team just going crazy all around me, just going nuts.
“I remember jogging down to the stage - it was just a big blur.
“I was really calm and relaxed,” he added. “I’m thinking, ‘I’m on stage with Bob Barker and I’m playing a game to win some prizes.”’
When Coleman and his brother were younger, the game show was a favorite.
“We were able to watch one TV show in the morning before we had to do chores,” he said. “That was the one me and my brother watched.”
Before the show, audience members were instructed on proper behavior. “Rod (the announcer) comes out and says, ‘You gotta laugh at all the stupid jokes, throw your arms up and cheer when you get called, jump up and run straight down. Don’t worry about saying sorry if you step on people’s feet.”’
No worry, Coleman sat in the aisle.
And despite his loss in the Showdown, he has a new washer and dryer to clean his rugby jersey.
xxxx “THE PRICE IS RIGHT” The episode airs today at 10 a.m. on CBS.