Rachel Rosen....Come on Down!!!!!

Yes, it actually happened! Our wildest dreams come true!! Although I'm not good at making a long story short, I'll do my best. After arising at 4:30AM, we got to CBS Studios (see photo, still dark out when we got on line) only to be greeted by a long line of folks who had camped out all night to ensure their spots on the show (they distribute more tickets than there are seats, which are then assigned on a first-come, first-served basis). We were #'s 164 & 165, and told that anyone higher than 150 did not have a good chance of getting in. After many hours of nail-biting, at about 11AM we finally were given our name tags and assured of being in the studio audience. We were among the last 20 folks admitted. Whew!!

Thrilled to just be there, it was beyond our comprehension when Rachel was called down as one of the first 4 contestants. She won the 2nd round of bidding, and an electric guitar and amp, and played push-off, which, despite choosing the price overwhelmingly approved by the studio audience (including myself), she did not win. As great as that would have been, the prize was a trip from Los Angeles to San Francisco. Being that we had just come from San Fran, and live in Phila, not winning that prize was not devastating.

The next heart-stopping moment was when she won a spot in the Showcase Showdown by getting .95 in 2 spins of the big wheel. In the Showdown, the first showcase was passed to her, a set of Viking kitchen appliances, that would have neither fit in my kitchen, nor matched, a set of THE ugliest dining room furniture that I have EVER seen, plus groceries for a year(the only part of the prize that was appealing). Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately?), due to some very bad advice from OM screaming from audience, winning the showcase was not to be either. But, she got on the show, and got to the Showcase. Wow!!! What a day!

Look for the show to air on Thanksgiving, or the day before.