'Price is Right' contestant wins prizes worth $33,000 — then she was hit with an unexpected issue
Apart from being one of the longest-running game shows in American television history, "The Price is Right" is also known for its bizarre prizes and the extent to which people can go to win them. While many hope to spin the wheel, make the right bid, and drive off in a swanky car, winners know that it isn't like what it looks like on the screen, especially from a tax standpoint. Andrea Schwartz who won a car on the show, shared how different her experience was, off camera.
The Price May be Right But That's Not Enough
Schwartz appeared on 'The Price is Right' back in 2012 and was on a roll winning prizes left and right. In total, she had won prizes worth $33,000 including a $1,200 cash prize, a Mazda 2 compact car, a shuffleboard table, a pool table, and a pair of earrings.
While she seemed incredibly happy during the show, things took a different turn when the curtain dropped. In an interview with AVClub she explained that after the show, she had to fill out paperwork to pay taxes on all of the prizes she won. "Yeah, you don’t just drive off the backlot with the car like I thought the entire time I was growing up," she said.
She added that she didn't have a lot in the bank to pay all of her prizes off and stated that the contestants get the prizes only after the taxes are paid.
She further explained that the $1,200 that she won in 'Plinko' was taken away to pay a part of the $2,500 tax that she owed for the prizes.
"I won $33,000 in prizes. I took the car and sold it. I sold the pool table and the shuffleboard table," she said. She explained that she didn't have the space for the prizes, so they had to go. "I sold the tables for $4,500, and I think I sold the car for $13,000 and it was worth $16,700. It had, like, eight miles on it," she added. She expressed that most people on the show don't know what they are getting into. "They’re going to have to forfeit their prizes because they can’t afford to pay the taxes on them," she told AVClub.com.
She busted another myth by revealing that the luxury holidays on the show aren't all paid for and contestants owe taxes on them as well. Despite winning big on the popular show, Schwartz called the experience "a pain." She said that while winners are supposed to get the prizes after 90 days, she didn't get the pool table and the shuffleboard until five or six months later.
In the end, Schwartz still walked away happy, as the prizes at least had some resale value. The prizes allowed her to raise an investment for her new business which was a food truck that she ran from the north shore of Lake Tahoe, her hometown.
"It’s called The Souper Wagon: soup, salad, and sliders. It’s all organic and local and as farm-to-trailer as we can be," said Schwartz.
