Alumna wi
big
on NBC game show
Britney Lewzader, a Murray State alumna, hit the jackpot on the NBC game
show " Deal or No Deal."
Lewzader's main reason for auditioning to be a contestant on the show was
to earn money to get health insurance. Lewzader needed insurance so she could
start a family with her husband, Jonathon.
"Appearing on the show has changed my life in so many ways," Lewzader
said . "I am completely humbled by the whole experience."
"Deal or No Deal" was set up with 26 cases of varying amounts of money,
one of which held the $1 million prize. The contestant picked one case at the
beginning of the game, which held the amount the contestant would receive if
he or she eliminated the other 25 cases. The contestant picked cases and the
amounts were revealed. At various points in the game, the banker offered the
contestant an amount of money based on their probability of winning the $1
million prize, so as to prevent the contestant from walking away with a large
amount of money.
However, when Lewzader a'p peared on the show, she became part of it's
Million Dollar Mission. The Million Dollar Mission stated that for each person
who did not win the million dollars, another million dollar case would be added
to the field of 26 cases . Lewzader had not known about the mission until the
moment she stepped out to tape the show with host Howie Mandel, at which
time she found out there were' nine $1 million cases on the board.
Upon finding out about the Million Dollar Mission, Lewzader was excited .
"That's a whole lot of zeros!" she said.
Many people at Murray State were surprised at Lewzader's opportunity,
including nursing professor Renee Ridley, who was also Lewzader's second
cous in. Ridley accompanied Lewzader to the "Deal or No Deal" tryouts in
Nashville, Tenn .
"She's a go-getter and she's lucky," Ridley said.
Many Murray State students were also proud to watch an alumna get such an
opportunity.
"Her main goal was to get enough money to be able to start a family, and she
accomplished that goal," said Justin Harrod, a junior from Frankfort . "Britn ey did
a good job reflecting Western Kentucky."
The show was full of personal facts about Lewzader. At one point, the
banker offered Lewzader $368,000 plus a lifetime supply of Q-Tip cotton swabs
because she revealed on the show that she used cotton swabs frequently. As
the deal was offered, cotton swabs rained down on the studio. On the second
night of taping, the "Deal or No Deal" models dressed as beauty pageant queens
to reflect Lewzader 's former pageant participation as Miss Tater Day of Marshall
County.
The banker on "Deal or No Deal" was determined not to let Lewzader walk
away with the $1 million . Therefore, he offered her several record-breaking
deals, the highest of which was $625,000. Lewzader opened 24 cases, eight
of which contained $1 million, before she finally cracked under the pressure of
the banker. She chose to take the banker's offer of $471,000, because she felt
the risk accompanying opening another case was too great. After accepting the
banker's offer, Lewzader opened the case she had picked at the beginning of the
show, but it contained only $400 so she had made a wise decision in accepting
the deal.
As a result, Lewzader became one of the largest winners in "Deal or No Deal"
history. Lewzader said it was incredibly hard to keep the fact that she won so
much money a secret from the time the show was taped until it aired, but she
was glad to have a few people with whom to share the good news .
Lewzader had many plans for her winnings.
"Besides health insurance, we are definitely looking at building a house," she
said . "We are currently renting, so we can't wait to have a house of our own."
After being so successful in getting through the "Deal or No Deal" process,
Lewzader shared a tip for all the game show fans at Murray State.
" Be yourself!" she said . "It is so important that they see who you really 'are
and not who you think they want to see." Mega n Locke