Drew Carey does an interview at the taping of the 10,000th episode of “The Price Is Right” at Haven Studios on Feb. 4, 2025, in Glendale, California. (Michael Tullberg / Getty Images)
By Nick Givas May 11, 2026 at 1:46pm
A military veteran from Virginia appeared on the CBS game show “The Price Is Right” and walked away with a record-breaking haul in cash and prizes during a special Mother’s Day episode.
“Vanesa,” whose last name was not revealed, scored over $240,000 on Friday, according to Variety.
She “won the largest prize in a single pricing game in the 54-year history of the CBS daytime game show,” the article read.
Vanesa won playing “The Lion’s Share,” a game recently introduced on the show through a partnership with BetMGM.
It involves players guessing grocery prices to earn up to five balls. Once they secure a number between one and five, they’re placed in a wind tunnel to choose that amount from balls flying around them at random.
Each ball can result in cash, prizes, or have the words “lose it all” on it.
After exiting the wind tunnel, they are shown the numbered balls that they selected and can choose which one to reveal first.
If they win prizes or cash on the first ball, they can either stop or press their luck and continue. Vanesa was given five balls and chose to push forward after each reveal.
Her first ball revealed $2,500, the second $25,000, the third and fourth balls netted her $100,000 each, and the final ball was for a mother-daughter trip to Morocco.
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When choosing the final ball, Vanesa, who was nearly in tears, said, “I have to believe,” to which host Drew Carey replied, “God bless you and good luck.”
Her daughter was looking on from the audience, which erupted in applause following her massive victory.
Vanesa won $227,500 in cash, with the trip to Morocco valued at $12,650.
This amount beat the previous “Price is Right” record for a single pricing game set in 2016, when a contestant won $210,000 while playing “Cliffhangers.”
“From ‘Come on Down’ to playing ‘The Lion’s Share,’ it all felt so surreal — a dream moment that only kept getting bigger,” Vanesa said in a statement.
“I was nervous, excited, and everything at once,” she concluded. “Winning over $200,000 is life-changing. I plan to invest wisely, enjoy a little, and treat my mom to a special surprise.”
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Nick Givas has been a reporter for The Daily Caller, Fox News, and served as Managing Editor of the Newsroom at Project Veritas. He’s also hosted three different podcasts, served as a Congressional Communications Director, and had his work featured in The Federalist, Daily Signal, New York Post, and Real Clear Politics.
