By Kimberly Hopson
L’Observateur

LAPLACE – A local man got his 15 minutes of fame when he was a contestant on the Price is Right last November. Tyrone Scott, 53, and his wife, Lucretia Scott, took a trip to California in the hope of becoming contestants. With a bit of luck, the couple ended up with some decent winnings. Scott is the second LaPlace resident to appear on the show recently.
Scott considers his appearance on the show a blessing when considering his shaky past. Scott struggled with drug addiction for several years.
“I was in and out of prison, not even caring about my hygiene. It was a story of redemption,” said Scott about his past. “I didn’t have any credibility and wasn’t a homeowner. Had no transportation, had zero dollars. And now in what I consider a relatively short time, God has blessed me with my wife. He has restored my relationships with my children, my family, all of which were destroyed during my drug addiction. You put all those things together when not too long ago you didn’t even have two pennies to rub together,” said Scott, who is now the pastor of Greater Good Hope Baptist Church in Norco and a supervisor at ADM Growmark, an agricultural processor.
Lucretia Scott said acquiring tickets to the Price is Right was no big feat, but actually getting onto the show is a very long process. Tickets are free, but because there are so many people trying to get on the show, having a ticket doesn’t necessarily mean you will make it onto the show during the taping you are there for.
“Here’s the thing: On the Internet, they have priority tickets, but (compared to regular tickets) it just wasn’t an easy process,” she said. “We got the ones that were easier, but when we got in line they were picking every person who had the priority tickets first.”
The couple waited in line outside but still didn’t make it inside because of the priority selections. Instead, they were given VIP passes.
“If you don’t make the first show, the first 30 contestants that were not able to get in, they get what they call a VIP pass,” said Scott. “Meaning that when we show up for the taping of the second show, we would automatically get in regardless of how many people they had.”
Scott and his wife used their VIP tickets to make it into the waiting room and on to interviews. Besides the standard questions about age, hometown and occupation, Scott noted that the interviewers asked what his favorite game on the show was. He’d found out from a person that had been on the show several times that the question was key to becoming a contestant, but didn’t give it much thought. The couple finally made into the studio where they were met with much excitement.
“Once you get in it’s like a party house or a zoo or something. I mean everybody’s having a great time because everybody’s excited,” said Scott. “I’m finally here after eight hours! I’m actually on the Price is Right!”
Scott said that in the studio you can’t actually hear it if they announce you as a contestant. Audience members have to look around for a poster that will announce who the next contestant is, which is held by someone the camera is not panning to. This is how the studio gets the footage of contestants looking around and the initial surprise when their name is called. Scott said he has the poster on his mantle as a souvenir. He was the fifth contestant called.
Scott said the game you tell the interviewers you like (in his case, More or Less) isn’t necessarily what you will end up playing.
“They choose the game. But, by me watching the Price Is Right over the years, it was not anything intimidating. It was a great experience and was challenging.”
His wife said he was surprisingly confident while playing.
“I didn’t know the man had a clue about prices,” she said.
Scott said he would visit the show again if given the chance. The couple likes to try new things so a revisit isn’t a priority, but his wife would like to go again and try her hand at being a contestant. Scott could not give much more information because the episode has not aired yet. He did say that he won something for sure, so everyone who knows him should tune in to see exactly what it was.
“We can say it was something that we both need,” said his wife. “And when you see it, you will laugh.”
The episode featuring Scott will air Jan. 17 on CBS.