'Price is Right' contestant wins $14,000 — all thanks to a trip down memory lane
She travelled all the way back to 2016 to get some of her guesses spot on.
Jan. 20 2026, Published 9:39 a.m. ET
Remembering the past often helps one be successful in the present, and that is exactly what happened on "The Price Is Right." In a recent episode of the show, one contestant had to travel back a decade in time to guess the price of an item. A trip down memory lane proved well for her, and she was able to win a big prize as a result. She did not seem to have much of a problem winning the game as she played as perfectly as possible.
The contestant was a woman named Laura who had made her way to the stage from Contestant’s Row. She was playing a game called Now Or Then, the rules of which are simple. The contestant is shown a giant circle, which is divided into six equal parts, like a pie chart. Now, each slice of the pie showcases a household item with a price mentioned on it. This could either be its current price or its price in the past.
In Laura’s case, some of the prices of the items were from 2016, which was 10 years ago. The contestant had to guess which price was from the present and which was from the past. Getting that right for only three items would be enough. For each right answer, the corresponding pie slice will light up. Three pie wedges lighting up next to each other would win her the big prize.
Laura was playing for an outdoor kitchen island worth $14,000. The six items shown to the contestant were 16 ounces of cheddar cheese, 0.67 ounces of edible writing gel, a 10-count box of coffee pods, 2.2 ounces of hair pomade, 4 ounces of dry roasted edamame, and a 32-ounce box of cake flour. Once all that was announced, it was time to start playing the game.
Laura started with the box of coffee pods, which were priced at $8.99. Host Drew Carey asked if that was the present price or the price from 2016. The contestant looked to the audience and answered, “Then,” meaning it was from 10 years ago. She was correct, and one pie wedge lit up. Next up, she chose the edible writing gel priced at $3.99. The contestant once again took the audience’s help and said, “Now. That’s now.” She was correct again.
For her third item, Laura chose the hair pomade, which was priced at $9.99. At this point, Carey informed her that even if she got that one wrong, she’d have another chance of winning the game. That must have eased her nerves a bit. She took the audience’s help once again and said, “Now.” That was the correct answer, as well as three pie wedges lit up next to one another. The contestant left the show a winner.
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