SoCal Local Lives Out A Dream On 'The Price Is Right'

MARINA DEL REY, CA — Deana Becker of Marina del Rey has watched "The Price is Right" since she was a child with her grandmother and mother, she told Patch this week.

She can't say the outcome since the episode will air on Monday on CBS (10 a.m. PT, 11 a.m. ET). But she can say it was a total blast.

From the crew to the audience — Becker loved every second of her experience.

"The crew just made it feel like you were hanging out in someone’s living room having an amazing party and I just loved the whole vibe and energy," Becker said.

She's been an audience member on the show several times.

"The first time I went it was back in the days when you had to camp out on the sidewalk back when Bob [Barker] was hosting the show," she said.

And it's been part of her life — even some of the most surprising moments.

"I was camping out with a group of my friends, pregnant and not even knowing it," Becker said.

She's gone back as an audience member two or three times since. But since the pandemic, the set has shifted slightly at the studio, accommodating public health protocols and giving people more distance.

"It used to be that you’re packed arm to arm with a huge audience," she said. "Now it’s like a VIP lounge with your closest friends. You can cheer everyone on and have conversations across the aisle."

The result? She felt like it was even more fun.

"It made it more conducive to actually forming a bond with people that are there," Becker said. "It was really cool. It was still loud. It’s always loud when you go there, you never get used to it."

The experience is something she will never forget. And she encourages other people to attend a show in the future.

"I want readers to know that regardless of whether they’re called down to go down on stage or not, you’re going to feel like you’ve won just by being in the audience," she said. "It’s just a welcoming experience. And everyone in the audience was so supportive of one another and I think that has a lot to do with the way it’s formatted with a smaller audience and people being able to have meaningful conversations with each other."

Becker describes the show as a positive space, unlike anywhere else.

"When you watch on TV you see everyone cheering and all that but when you’re actually there you know that the people are actually rooting for you," she said. "Everyone wants everyone to win. It’s so counterculture to our society. It’s like the one space where you can go in this country where everyone can tell you to win."

She felt proud, and it made her miss her late mother.

"She really would have got a kick out of it," she said. "I grew up watching the price is right with my grandmother and my mom."

You can tune in and watch Becker live out her dream on "The Price is Right" Monday at 10 a.m. PT, 11 a.m. ET.