Calgary man finds redemption on ‘The Price is Right’ nearly 13 years later

A Calgary man got a chance at redemption, fulfilling a lifelong dream in the process after appearing on “The Price is Right” for a second time.

Trent Cherak, a longtime fan of the game show since he was in Grade 4, first appeared on the game show in 2010 as a fresh-faced student at the University of Calgary, describing it as “one of the best and worst days of my life, all within 30 minutes.”

He played The Lucky Seven game for a brand new car, which is when a person guesses the price of the car. He went with the number six as the last number, but two appeared, losing the game.

After Drew Carey took the helm as the host, the show placed a rule that allowed previous contestants to come back and play again after 10 years.

However, Cherak was uncertain of when he could appear on the show due to the COVID-19 pandemic, so he was surprised when the show reached out to him.

“I was really incredibly fortunate for the show to call me and invite me back for a redemption special,” Cherak told CityNews.

“They’ve never done something like this before. But I didn’t have a guarantee that I’d be called down to be a contestant.”

After being inside the studio for a few minutes, he was called down once again, though it was tough to hear his name.

“It’s so loud inside the studio that you can’t actually hear your own name being called down, so what they have is these giant cue cards with your name on it, and so looking all around and then seeing your name drop on one of the cue cards is just so incredibly exciting,” Cherak said.

“The world stops for a moment because, at that moment, the world’s your oyster. And you know that the next half hour of television is going to be a great one.”

After guessing the closet price of a set of golf clubs, he was the third one to appear on stage that day.

When the host, Carey, reminded the audience of his original appearance on the show, Cherak used the opportunity to give a shoutout to the city, all while wearing the same t-shirt with the Canadian maple leaf on the front that he wore all those years ago.

“I remember in 2010, Drew asked me where I was from on the show. And I answered, Canada. I’m like, ‘Drew, look at me, I’ve got a maple leaf on my chest,'” Cherak said “But in this last taping, I was really proud to be able to shout out that I’m actually from Calgary, Alberta.”

When it came time to play the game, he says he was fortunate to play The Hole in One, a game that he says is one of a few that is based on skill.

In the segment, players have to put six grocery store items in order from cheapest to most expensive. Doing so takes the contestant closer to the hole. Cherak listed all but two correctly, but that didn’t seem to matter as Cherak said he had a plan.

“When I’m making that golf putt up on the stage, I got to tell you, the world just stops for a moment,” Cherak said. “The nerves are running through your body. And when I actually made that putt to try and win the car, it’s like the ball takes off in slow motion.”

Cherak says the ball leaned to the left for a moment before sinking in. “I can’t believe I’ve won a car, I really can’t,” he recalled.

He had the chance to “Spin the Wheel” but did not make it past his two spins. The winner got $0.90 on her first spin.

While he is grateful for the opportunity to have been on the show, especially as a winner, he says he isn’t keeping the car, which is a 2022 Ford Escape SE.

“I was fortunate enough to save up and buy a new Jeep five years ago, so I like to think of this ‘Price is Right’ car as a post-payment for my Jeep, which I’m incredibly grateful for,” Cherak said.

He also said this may be it for appearing on game shows, but has fond memories of being in the studio audience.

“There is so much incredible energy inside that ‘Price is Right’ studio. Everyone is rooting for everyone to win, and everyone in there is going to be your friend, so it’s a really good time,” he said.

“I don’t want to get greedy. I feel so complete.”

-With files from Logan Stein