Mary Kay Giarrusso is hard of hearing, so she didn’t know at first that she should come on down.
But her husband, and everyone around her in the studio audience, recognized the signature call.
“When I heard, ‘Mary Kay Giarrusso, come on down. You are the next contestant on ‘The Price is Right,’ I was high-fiving everyone,” said her husband, Joseph Giarrusso. “I was so proud of her being up there. When she was chosen I thought, well now she’ll understand why I wanted to be there and why I love the show.”
Mary Kay Giarrusso of West Deer, who goes by Kay, will appear on CBS’s “The Price is Right” at 11 a.m. Friday. It is longest-running game show in American television.
She had planned on hosting a viewing party for their neighbors at the club house at nearby Pittsburgh National Golf Club. But with covid-19 social distancing restrictions, they might just celebrate in the driveway with a few neighbors.
The couple moved from Long Island, N.Y., to retire in Pittsburgh. Mary Kay Giarrusso, 67, is originally from Pittsburgh’s Morningside neighborhood.
They love to golf. Before going to Hollywood for the taping of the show, they visited Palm Springs, Calif., to hit the links.
“This will be something fun for everyone to look forward to during this crazy time,” Mary Kay Giarrusso said. “The experience was all I could have wanted and more. The California trip was part of our retirement and getting on the show was just icing on the cake.”
In addition to dealing with the pandemic, the couple faced another hurdle to get to the game show. Their original February taping date was canceled because show host Drew Carey was on bereavement leave following the killing of his ex-fiancee, Amie Harwick. Another date was added – March 4.
Mary Kay Giarrusso said she was impatient waiting to get into the studio, which took about two hours.
But when she looked at her husband once they were in their seats, she saw the biggest smile.
“This was my dream to go to ‘The Price is Right,’ ” said Joseph Giarrusso, 68. “After, my face hurt from smiling so much. I am a big Drew Carey fan.”
A former standup comedian, Carey is a gracious host, she said, who interacts with the audience during breaks and makes everyone feel welcome.
Tune in to #PriceIsRight today for your midweek Pick Me Up! pic.twitter.com/8l1GmRZQzo
— The Price Is Right (@PriceIsRight) May 13, 2020
The audience members root for each other, Mary Kay Giarrusso said.
“You are representing the section,” she said. “It’s like it’s your neighborhood.”
The audience noise gets so loud that it’s hard to hear sometimes, she said. While she cannot share the outcome of the show, she said she does remember telling herself to not fall when she was spinning the wheel to be part of the showcase at the end of the show, and to remember who to say hello to.
“I can tell you it was the thrill of a lifetime,” she said. “I know Drew was talking to me, but I was in a daze. It feels like a dream. It is really legit. It’s random who they pick. It was my lucky day. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would get called. I can’t wait to watch the show because I can’t remember much.”
