The Price is Right has been around for decades, making people’s dreams come true and giving out cash prizes and more since the 1970s. Even though it’s been around for so long, the series is still coming out with firsts, and after a viral blooper showed model Manuela Arbelaez accidentally giving away a car, she spoke out about it.
A Season 43 episode saw Manuela Arbelaez, who had been a model on the popular game show for six years at the time, did something that was a first for The Price is Right. A contestant had three chances to choose a price tag that would or would not reveal she won a car, and Arbelaez accidentally revealed the winning one after the contestant only said her first choice. And the moment was priceless:
While it wasn’t necessarily a painful mistake anyone could make, she did immediately realize what she'd done and tried to cover the "WIN" card, but it was too late. Having that happen on television after being on the show for so long could have been a nightmare, but Manuela Arbelaez took it in stride, and evidently, everyone was just laughing about it.
In an interview with Inside Edition following the airing of the incident, Manuela Arbelaez explained what happened, noting that the buzzer usually goes off when someone loses, and it was natural instinct for her to reveal the winning price tag. And while she was terrified about what happened, she looked on the bright side of things:
I was mortified. I was mortified because I thought, A, this is my last day at work, and B, they’re gonna take it out of my paycheck every week. At the end of the day, we’re only human, and I made a very expensive mistake, but I made someone very happy.
She certainly looks mortified in the clip with how she went to hide behind the closest piece of the set that could conceal her, but it didn't seem like a total catastrophe. Everyone at The Price is Right seemed to find the situation funny, and Arbelaez was able to get support from host Drew Carey and the team. She said:
Drew could not have been more supportive, same with the producers. They came up to me, and they loved it. They thought it was the funniest moment, and they embraced it, and they’re like, 'We’re not gonna pick it out, we’re gonna air it as it happened.'
Surprisingly, even though this was a Price is Right first, Manuela Arbelaez is not the only person on a game show to accidentally reveal a winning card. Wheel of Fortune’s Pat Sajak made a Bonus Round mistake a couple of years ago when he accidentally opened the winning envelope as soon as the wheel landed on it, which is usually saved until after the contestant either does or doesn’t solve the final puzzle. So no matter how long a series has been on the air, mistakes can still happen, and it just shows that everyone is human.
Game show bloopers are a common thing, and can be a lot of fun for viewers from home. Sometimes it’s the contestant’s fault by way of not solving a particularly simple puzzle or clue, or the fault of the host or model. While it can’t be stopped, the best thing to do is to just laugh at it because, at the end of the day, mistakes happen, and they can make watching episodes even more enjoyable. For some primetime viewing options now and in the coming weeks, check our our 2023 TV premiere schedule.
