Has anyone been on a game show?

[scout]

I heard that there are warehouses full of unclaimed prizes people won on gameshows because they couldn't afford the tax on them. Is this true? Do you have to pay taxes on what you win right away in order the take the prizes home?

Has anyone been on a game show that wants to share their experience?

[shopaholic]

No, but I always wanted to play Plinko on Price Is Right.

[scout]

I LOVE "The Price is Right"!

[Katie&Micah]

That's pretty interesting if they do have these warehouses.. Just imagine if you could get a new car just by paying the taxes on it..

[BethIrish]

I've never been on a gameshow, but I am a tax accountant. Yes, prizes are includible in your gross income - you do have to pay tax on them!

eta: One of the teachers from my HS was on Jeopardy :)

[ginastorm]

One of my friends was on Jeopardy and he won! I don't remember about the taxes but I do know that it took about 6 months for him to get his $$$$.

[littlebear]

I was on Jeopardy. I didn't win, but I got one of the consolation prizes. I had to pay taxes at the end of the year just like it was income. The value of my prize was about $1000. They sent me a form to use to do the income taxes. I think that perhaps with the bigger prizes that you do have to pay the taxes up front, but I don't know what the limit is.

[Neen]

One of our grad students was on Who Wants to be a Millionaire and he won alot (not a million, but alot).

Didn't Richard Hatch from the first Survivor get in trouble for not paying taxes on what he won?

[Sinclair319]

A friend of mine in college was on The Price is Right and won a new car (he was there over spring break). He ended up selling the car to pay the tax money and his tuition.

[juliemag]

My good friend was on Wheel of Fortune during "sibling week". He and his brother both won $14,000 or so. After taxes he said it was like half that. :eek:

[MrsSmith]

One of my life dreams is to be on a game show.

[scout]

MrsSmith met too! They're having auditions for "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" in my area next week. I want DH to try out.

[MrsSmith]

I've auditioned for Jeopardy twice and Wheel of Fortune. :(

[julietchicago]

No, but I always wanted to play Plinko on Price Is Right.

I was LMAO when I read this. I want to play Plinko too!! ;) :D :p
If I could be on any game show it would be Price is Right. I want to spin the wheel too....woohoo!

[Bee]

I saw Price is Right live a few years ago. Did you know you're only allowed to go see it once in your life?! They take your SSN and everything - it's very official. Of course I thought I'd be picked to "Come on Down" but no such luck. It was still fun, but I was bummed that was my only chance to ever see it!

I would also love to be on a Game Show. Hubby & I sometimes dream about which ones would be the best! :o

[LeslieR]

Ford recently gave away a NY Yankees themed mustang. In addition to the car, they also gave the winner $10,000 (approx) to cover the taxes on the car. Apparently, they added the money on because of the hoopla over what happened when Oprah gave away those cars and the guests had to pay the taxes themselves.

[SwiftyOWB]

I would love to be on a game show. How do you know when auditions are? Sounds like fun!!

[jimmysgirl424]

My life's dream is to be on Wheel of Fortune! I have loved that show since I was a kid and still watch to this day! They usually have the "Wheel Mobile" at different locations throughout the country for people to audition. It was at our State Fair last year. DH and I stood out in the hot sun for hours hoping to be picked for a chance to audition. I didn't like their system at all. You had to fill out a little card, then they put it in a big drum and then they randomly drew groups of people to come down and play a mock round with a puzzle and everything. (but no wheel!!) Anyway, our names didn't get called, but DH's one aunt who came too did get called. She didn't get picked for the show though.

I think in most cases you can go to the website for each game show and they will have a link for what to do if you want to be on the show.


I love the Price is Right!! I always wanted to play Plinko, but my number one favorite was...Punch A Bunch!! I loved that game!!

[Juliana]

I was on the game show Greed back in 2000 when I was in college. The show aired on FOX and was basically a rip off of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. It was hosted by Chuck Woolery of Love Connection fame, and I got to banter with him on air for a few minutes which was super cheesy. My team had the chance to play for $2million :eek: , but we left empty-handed because the team leader chose "Let Freedom Ring" over "Home of the Brave" as the final line of the national anthem! I did get a free trip to LA, so I guess it wasn't all bad. I did have to pay taxes on the $250 "parting gift" I received. Another girl from my college who went with me ended up on a team that won the $2milllion and her take was $800,000!!! I don't even want to know what the taxes were on that amount of money.

[jimmysgirl424]

Holy crap!! I loved Greed when it was on!!! Awesome show. I am sooooo jealous that you got to be on it. I'm sorry that you lost. (BTW..."Let Freedom Ring"????? What was he thinking??? :rolleyes: )

[Natasha]

I saw Price is Right live a few years ago. Did you know you're only allowed to go see it once in your life?! They take your SSN and everything - it's very official.

I was in the audience of TPIR that aired today, it was neat to see myself in the audience. You can go see TPIR as many times as you want to, you can only win once. There were people sitting near us who had been to the show 10 times.

It was kinda weird to see myself on TV. I was sitting in the front row, right next to bidders row. I am really glad I didn't get called up, I would have been sooooooo nervous! You have to be crazily outgoing and silly to even get called up, so I was safe! :p

[Rosebud]

Here's another thread on the same topic with 9 pages of very interesting responses:

Have you ever been on a game show or know anyone who has? (http://www.constantchatter.com/forum/showthread.php?t=14837)

:)

[Natasha]

Thanks! When I did a search, this was all I could find!

[Rosebud]

No worries, I couldn't find it by searching either. I just remembered posting in that old thread and had to do a loooong look through this forum to find it.

[Leilynne]

Thinking about the tax kind of takes the fun out of cheering for the poor college students or the crazy fans who blew all their money on getting to TPIR.:) Prizes and winnings are tax-exempt in Canada so I always forget. It hits me once in a while though and I'm always sad that they will only end up with what, half?

[daener]

I used to work with a woman who won a grand prize on the Newlywed Game (the new version, mid 90s) and they never collected their prize. No reason why not, they just didn't get around to it and had no idea what happened to it (it was a trip of some sort).

[HeatherFL]

Where's Gatsby? Her hubby was just on Wheel of Fortune. I'll post in her journal and have her read this thread. :)

~H.

[fats]

A good friend of mine is fanatic about auditioning for Game Shows and she's been on at least 2, I believe. She won $200,000 on Greed and I believe she had a choice to take a lump sum, discounted to present value or she could be paid out over time. Either way, she had to pay taxes, which were immense. You're always better off taking the lump sum - the show went off the air pretty soon after her episode, and there's no telling if she ever would have collected all of her winnings or not.


I remember watching the Price is Right MANY years ago and the guy at the end won both show cases. Bob Barker joked with him saying, "I bet this is going to put you into a new tax bracket!" and the guy went totally white and said, "We have to pay taxes on this?" He was absolutely shocked and then the credits rolled, but I never forgot that!

[Mrs.Chappy]

My friend was recently out in LA (this summer) actually riding down the CA coast. When they arrived in LA (her and her sister) they waiting in line for TPIR...They were number 1 and 2 in line and were there from 3 am. They befriended a lady who was actually told to "Come on Down". It was Drew Carrey's first week hosting the show. When the lady won the showcase showdown my friend went on stage to greet her at the end. i TIVO'd it.