Miramar Marine wins Price is Right

[thedrifter]

Miramar Marine wins Price is Right
Submitted by: MCAS Miramar
Story Identification Number: 200311719206
Story by Lance Cpl. Paul Leicht



MARINE CORPS AIR STATION MIRAMAR, Calif.(Nov. 7, 2003) -- Becoming a Marine is often a dream come true, but for one very lucky Marine here so was the chance to get on his favorite television game show, 'The Price is Right.'

He never thought he would walk away a grand-prizewinner.

During a taping of the show on Oct. 23, Capt. Charles A. Carte, 31, legal officer, Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron, won more than $25,000 in prizes after winning the "Showcase Showdown" on the popular CBS game show.

"When I came to California this past June one of the first things I wanted to do was try and get on 'The Price is Right,' said Carte, who first enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1992 and later attended Officer Candidate School in 1996. "Being on the show was reward enough and I never expected to win, but I had a feeling I would get on the show."

Wearing his Dress Blue Delta uniform, the Hillsville, Va. native charged to the front to bid on an item and earn his way onstage after being called to 'Come on Down.'

Stuck on the price of a dune go-cart worth roughly $800, Carte said he decided to seek out some help from the host of the show, Bob Barker.

"After I sought his advice he said, 'Who would have thought that a captain in the Marine Corps would need advice from me?!'," said Carte. "It was pretty funny. After that I played the game 'Push-It' but failed to win the featured bedroom set because I had no idea what the price would be."

Going up against other contestants who made it onstage, Carte actually came close to not making it to the final "Showcase Showdown" after spinning the famous dollar wheel.

"That wheel is heavier than it seems and it's pretty hard to spin," said Carte. "You really have to use your body weight to get it moving."

Carte said not only was he the last contestant to get onstage, but he was also the last person to spin the wheel. Coming closest to a dollar on two spins without going over, he advanced to the Showcase after accumulating 90 cents.

"My first spin was 15 cents and the second was 75," recalled Carte. "Another lady almost reached one dollar with her second spin, but the arrow moved at the last second and put her total over a dollar."

In the "Showcase Showdown," Carte said he bid $19,500 on a boat showcase with an actual value of $23,000. This bid put him closer than his rival who didn't guess anywhere near the actual value of their Lincoln Town Car showcase.

"I actually got some help from a former contestant in the audience who told me to go with $19,500 which was more than my initial guess," Carte said. "So I said 'OK,' bid $19,500 and I won."

With that victory, the other H&HS Marines that made the trip with Carte to the studio rushed the stage to congratulate him and partake in the celebration.

After the show Carte said he got the chance to meet the "Barker Babes" and received a signed photograph of Bob Barker himself.

"I used to watch 'The Price is Right' all the time as a kid and I just couldn't believe I got on the show, not to mention winning the Showcase," said Carte. "I still can't. One of my family members who also loves the show is disabled and I really did it for her. The next time I go home on leave I'm going to give her the signed photo."

The show featuring Carte will air on CBS Dec. 22.




Capt. Charles A. Carte (second from right), 31, legal officer, Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron, stands with his signed photo of Bob Barker. With him from left to right are Staff Sgt. Lisa Leighton, legal chief, H&HS, and Lance Cpl. Kenneth Sawyer, legal clerk, H&HS, who attended the show with Carte. Photo by: Lance Cpl. Paul W. Leicht

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn20...2?opendocument


Sempers,

Roger