Wendy Bouma of Nanaimo never imagined she would end up on the storied TV game show The Price is Right — least of all, perhaps, that she'd win.
Bouma's appearance on The Price is Right aired on Jan. 2, when viewers got to watch a colourful personality from Nanaimo walk away with over $11,000 in cash and prizes.
For Bouma and her husband, Bruce MacDonald, it was a dream come true.
"My heart just dropped," she said of the moment her name appeared on a billboard in front of the audience: 'Wendy Bouma, come on down!'
"I just hugged my husband, I don't even remember like three-quarters of it," she said. "It's just so surreal." Bouma headed down to join the line of contestants.
For her, it was as if she'd already won.
Like hundreds of those in the audience, she had been given a quick audition beforehand.
It was, perhaps, the choice banter she exchanged with one of the production crews that first got her noticed.
The Nanaimo resident wore a bright red shirt that read "Canada Loves Carey & George."
She was approached by a man named Stan, who cheekily said to her "I don't have to ask you where you're from. Hey, we love Canadians. What do you do back in Canada?"
Bouma's reply was quick on the draw. "I just quit my job to come down to The Price is Right."
He asked what she did for a living — "Housewife," she said.
An hour later, Bouma found herself on the stage with Carey after guessing the price of a fireplace, which she won.
She also had a prize for Carey.
"I brought a 2010 Winter Games Olympic scarf and so I had that around me, gave it to him. He said, 'Oh Canada, I love Canada,' " she said. "He said, 'Where are you from?' Then I went, 'Nanaimo!' "
The game was Half Off. Contestants are shown 16 boxes, one of which contains the grand prize of $10,000.
Bouma was shown two small boxes and had to guess which one had a price that was actually half its value.
A correct guess eliminates half of the 16 boxes.
She guessed the first two until she was stumped on the price of a barbecue.
That meant she had four boxes to choose from.
"I looked at the audience and looked at my husband. They were saying, '[Box] two.' " Bouman picked it and a woman brought the box to her to open.
"I lifted it up and all this cash comes out," she said.
Her total winnings came to $11,559, including the fireplace.
"I will say, that's got to be the most memorable experience of my life," she said.
