Students win big prizes during rendition of iconic game show

Carley Sonju
Staff Writer

Family Weekend at MNSU holds many events for all ages of visitors who come to support their student. 

This year, Family Weekend was Nov. 1-3. One of the most anticipated events of the weekend was the one with the best prizes.

For the past five years, MNSU has hosted their own special version of “The Price is Right” during Family Weekend, giving away over $2,000 in prizes each year. “The Price is Right” show was hosted by two brothers who are MNSU alumni. 

The event was held in Ostrander Auditorium in the Centennial Student Union. The set in Ostrander was made to look very similar to the actual TV set, complete with props modeled after the ones used on the show, the most famous being the big wheel spun after the bidding rounds.

Contestants are chosen are called to “Come on Down!” to bid on a prize, and whoever is closest to the retail price of the prize wins the bidding round. 

A few of the prizes up for grabs were an Instant Pot, a Fujifilm instant camera, a hoverboard, and gift cards to various places. Cash prizes were also available for some of the games.

Three separate shows were held on Saturday evening, allowing for more families to join in on the Family Weekend fun. At the 9 o’clock showing, the games that were played were some of the most iconic from the TV show. The most well-known, and a crowd favorite, was Cliff Hanger. The contestant playing Cliff Hanger won a fireproof safe and plans on keeping valuable documents and pictures inside of it. Another big winner at the 9 o’clock show was the winner of Stack the Deck. The prize designated for this game was an Instant Pot, a hot kitchen gadget that has recently grown in popularity.

The winner of this prize was Hannah Sorum’s mom. Sorum, a freshman majoring in psychology, stated, “I watched The Price is Right almost every day that I was home this summer, and was so excited to come to one with my mom since she loves the show too. I was a little jealous she got to ‘come on down’ instead of me!” 

Sorum plans on coming back next year to try another shot at being chosen as a contestant, and of course, her mom plans on making some delicious meals in her new Instant Pot.

Not everyone could be a winner, and some contestants went home empty handed. However, the audience kept the atmosphere lively and energetic by helping the contestants with their bids by yelling out what they thought would be the right price.

The Price is Right held its 5-year anniversary at MNSU this year, and because of the great turnout each year, it does not seem like it will be going away any time soon. 

Next year, bring your friends and family to The Price is Right for a chance to Come on Down, and as longtime host Bob Barker said, “Help control the pet population. Have your pets spayed or neutered.”

Header photo: Alex Arndt, the host of the event, interacts with contestants at “The Price is Right Show” during the annual Minnesota State University, Mankato Family Weekend at Ostrander Auditorium Saturday, Nov. 2, 2019 in Mankato, Minn. (Samuel Oluwadoromi/MSU Reporter)