While many Nicholls students took to the streets to enjoy local parades during the recent carnival season, Teresa Perry, mass communication sophomore from Oakdale, made her television debut beside Bob Barker on “The Price is Right.” Perry, along with her mother, sisters and sister-in-law, appeared on the show while on vacation in Los Angeles over the school’s Mardi Gras holidays.

Getting tickets for the program was a morning long task for the Perry family.

“It was crazy,” Perry said. “We got up at four in the morning, because we wanted to be at the studio for 6 a.m. We got priority tickets at about 9 a.m., and they started interviewing us around 11 a.m.”

Perry’s smooth southern voice helped her to be selected for the show.

“During my interview, everybody (employees of the television studio) was laughing at my accent. I think it put me over the top,” Perry said.

Of course, having tickets and being interviewed does not guarantee that a person will be chosen as a contestant. Perry was, therefore, very surprised when she was among the first audience members selected to play. She was even more elated when she won a bedroom set, the second item presented for bidding.

“I got on stage and was so excited that I couldn’t breathe,” Perry said.

After her winning bid on the bedroom set, Perry went on to play Temptation, a game in which the contestant must correctly guess the prices of small prizes to make up the price of a car, a 2005 Ford Focus. Perry narrowly missed winning the game.

“I got all but one number in the price of the car right,” Perry said.

Perry was eligible to spin the “big wheel” for a chance to participate in the “Showcase Showdown,” but was beaten out by another contestant.

Perry has watched “The Price is Right” since childhood.

“I enjoy the show when I get the chance to watch, but my sister-in-law is a big fan, and I was hoping that she would be chosen to play,” Perry said.

The episode will air on March 3 at 10 a.m. on CBS. Perry is hoping to watch the beginning of the program from her room in Zeringue Hall before her class begins at 10:30.