Ottawa police officer appears on 'Price is Right'
Gameshow lures officer and friends to Hollywood
CBC News
Posted: Dec 11, 2012 5:14 PM ET
Last Updated: Dec 12, 2012 6:41 AM ET
An Ottawa police officer’s annual trip to Las Vegas turned Hollywood after Sgt. Norman Freill got the call to ‘come on down’ and be a contestant on television’s longest running game show.
“I’ve always wanted to be on The Price is Right … and it’s pretty close relatively when you’re in Vegas, so I convinced (my friends) that it would be a good idea and away we went,” explained Freill.
“Everyone was pretty excited.”
The foursome of lifelong friends rented a van for the drive from Sin City to California and, on the way, hatched a plan to get noticed and increase their chances of fame and fortune.
“You have to do something unique when you go to that show, so I thought maybe (matching) Hawaiian shirts,” Freill recalled.
The group settled on matching lumberjack shirts, and the wardrobe coordination turned out to be a good idea, as a producer from the game show immediately noticed them.
“It’s not completely random,” said Freill of how potential contestants are selected from the studio audience. “They do pre-interviews.”
The Canadian contingent was blown away when it heard Friell’s name announced, followed by the famous call to ‘come on down!’
“I was just in shock and didn’t know what to do, but I didn’t want to act like a fool knowing there are millions of people watching so I just tried to keep calm,” Freill said.
The episode was taped in September but aired earlier this week. Due to the time lapse, Freill had to sign an agreement that he would not disclose the results prior to broadcast and managed to keep it a secret for two months.
He was, however, compelled to inform his boss at Ottawa Police Services.
“I didn’t even tell my wife (Ilona) at all. The only person I told was my boss, the chief, just because I mentioned where I work,” he said.
So how did one of Ottawa's finest fare?
“I had a chance to win some cookware, and a new car,” Freill said. “I didn’t win the car.”
"Unfortunately,” added Ilona. “But knowing me, I like to cook, so I’m very happy.”
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