It turns out that in LA, a lot of aspiring actors will take advantage of some of their down time by joining the studio audiences of various talk shows and game shows. The actors make a bit of cash and the show gets a full audience for each taping. It's a win-win situation for both sides.
Through this network of shows, PJ actually ended up as a contestant on Bingo America, a game show on GSN that is hosted by Richard Karn of TV's Home Improvment fame (he played Tim's sidekick, Al). They called PJ just the day before taping because they had a last minute cancellation.
PJ's episode of Bingo America aired last week and he nonchalantly asked Special K to tape it for him so he could see it the next time he visited. When I was in SoCal last weekend, Special K and I queued up the DVR and settled in to watch 30 minutes of a game show neither of us had ever seen, but which we thought was cool simply because we knew one of the contestants.
The game started out with PJ going head-to-head against another contestant, a cute girl named Amanda. (Both Special K and I thought PJ would never be able to concentrate, competing against a pretty girl!) PJ and Amanda competed to buzz in first in order to answer trivia questions (correctly) and gain points on the Bingo board. PJ won the first round, Amanda won the second round and it all came down to a showdown for the best 2 out of 3. PJ wins round 3! We say good-bye to Amanda and PJ is now on to the second phase of the Bingo America journey with $1300 in his jeans pocket.
This next step requires PJ to maneuvre his way through a five-step process by randomly choosing numbers on a giant bingo board that he hopes are "safe" (ie. there is some amount of money hidden behind the number). If the number he chooses is not safe, the host will unveil an image of a bomb, meaning that PJ loses everything he has earned so far. The numbers he chooses are standard bingo numbers: B5, I25, N42, G58 etc. With every step, the odds get increasingly more challenging, until PJ finds himself at the fifth and final level where his odds of losing everything are 2 in 3. By this time, he has earned $6500 and he can choose to walk away and keep that money. Or he can gamble against terrible odds and hope for more cash AND an opportunity to compete for a grand prize of $100,000.
Special K and I are now on our feet, yelling at the TV, "Walk away, PJ, walk away!!"
Most of the studio audience is yelling the same thing.
PJ decides to gamble.
PJ decides to gamble.
He goes for it.
He asks for O75.
There is a 2 in 3 chance that he will lose everything.
The expose what's behind O75 and .... he's SAFE!! (and earns another $500!)
Special K and I are now jumping up and down and high-fiving each other.
Now PJ is ready for the final round. He stands with the host and faces a giant plastic see-through sphere with dozens of balls flying around inside (think of the machines they use to toss the balls before they announce the lottery numbers).
This final stage of Bingo America is purely a game of chance. If one of the numbers that PJ chose in the previous round as he was picking his way around virtual minefields is the actual number that the lotto machine spits out, then PJ wins $100,000. That's right, $100,000.
Our hearts are pounding as the host stretches the suspense and anticipation to the max. We can barely stand it and we think we can see PJ sweating just a little bit.
I turn to Special K and say "If PJ won $100,000, he would have told you, right?"
Special K looks at me and doesn't say anything. We don't know what to think.
A ball drops out of the machine. The host asks his version of Vanna White to tell the audience what the letter on the ball is:
She replies, "I can tell you that it's a G."
G58. G58. G58. That's what PJ's G number was. What are the odds?
PJ looks like he is going to pass out. Special K and I feel like we're going to pass out.
After almost unbearable suspense, the host asks his Vanna to show the audience the ball.
G58.
G58???
Omigod -- G58!!!!!!
PJ just won $100,000!!! Special K and I were speechless. We stared at each other for many, many seconds, mouths agape, unable to even breathe. I finally managed to sputter "Call him! Call him right now!!!!" and as we finished watching PJ high-five the host and shout out to the audience, we got him on the phone and gushed at him from two different extensions, finishing each other's sentences and recounting every single moment of PJ's journey to Bingo America fame.
It turns out that PJ had to sign legal documents, promising not to disclose the outcome of the show until after its air date. And PJ taped the show way back in August! He has had to keep this massive secret to himself for over three months.
We are absolutely thrilled for PJ and both of us remarked how something like this reaffirms your believe that good things do indeed happen to good people and that this is a clear message that PJ is on the very path he's meant to be on and that this is a brilliant reward for him making the bravest move of all -- pursuing that which he's most passionate about.
We are absolutely thrilled for PJ and both of us remarked how something like this reaffirms your believe that good things do indeed happen to good people and that this is a clear message that PJ is on the very path he's meant to be on and that this is a brilliant reward for him making the bravest move of all -- pursuing that which he's most passionate about.
We love ya, PJ, and we're your biggest fans!
(Note: I'll post a couple of photos in the next post -- didn't want the images to spoil the story!)
2 comments:
Now THAT is an awesome story!
I almost jumped out of my chair!
Isn't it great?? We were SO happy for him -- once we got over the initial shock, of course!
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