The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
by Becky Smith, The Quill
Last September, of 2018, Tyler and Natalie Sharpe took a trip to Los Angeles, California to celebrate their 5th wedding anniversary.
While planning their vacation, Natalie made sure they got tickets for "Let's Make A Deal", one of her favorite game shows.
She says "going on a game show has been on my bucket list since I was a kid".
The first day of Tyler and Natalie's L.A. vacation began with contestant screening for the show. It was a long process with paperwork and interviews lasting nearly 8 hours from the time they arrived to the time they left.
Contestants on "Let's Make A Deal" typically dress up in costumes, so they were well prepared. Natalie says "We wanted to wear costumes that would help us stand out so Tyler dressed as a carrot and I dressed as a pea pod."
One of the criteria they were looking for in a contestant was someone who was energetic and excitable. At one point during the screening, they asked Natalie to show them how she would react if she won a prize. Natalie said "I made sure to jump up and down and show them a lot of enthusiasm!"
Natalie says "we were both excited and nervous and had a blast meeting and spending time with the other audience members."
After the paperwork and interviews, they were bused to the studio where they were given specific seats to sit in. However, it was never revealed who had been selected to be a contestant.
At the very start of the show, Wayne Brady walked onto the stage and called Natalie's name to come down as the first contestant. Natalie was elated! Tyler recalled "I was in shock. The show had literally just started and all of a sudden she was running up on stage and talking to Wayne."
Her first decision was between an anonymous amount from the ATM machine or curtain #3. She passed on the curtain, which turned out to be a kitchen appliance set, and held on to the ATM card.
Natalie then passed on curtain #2 which turned out to be a ZONK (fake car). Finally, when Wayne gave her one last choice, she gave up her ATM card and chose curtain #1. The ATM card she gave up turned out to be a $400 cash prize, but Natalie's prize behind curtain #1 revealed a seven-night trip for two to Aruba!
Needless to say, Natalie was jumping up and down with excitement. "All that pretending to win ended up paying off" Tyler said.
Natalie had mentioned to Tyler earlier that she would want to win either cash or a trip and says she felt like she won the best prize ever.
The hardest part of their experience was that they had signed contracts stating that they wouldn't reveal the details of the show until after it aired.
Of course, not wanting to lose their prize, Natalie and Tyler held each other accountable and were able to keep it a secret until the show aired April 16, 2019. Natalie says "getting to see our family's reaction was completely worth the wait!"
When asked about how Tyler felt about his wife winning big on TV he said "No one is more suited to be on a game show that Natalie. She loves games, loves to have fun, and is always so joyful and animated with everything she does. She planned out that entire week including the show, the costumes, and even researched ways to help her stand out more. It was a once in a lifetime experience and I'm really proud of her."
Tyler is a former La Harpe resident and the son of Ted and Terri Sharpe. The couple plan to take their prize trip later this year.
The "Season 10; Episode 141: 4/16/2019" can still be viewed on the CBS website by navigating to "Let's Make A Deal".