Volunteer Firefighter Wins Big on Game Show

San Diego County Volunteer Fireman Joe Pellegrini, come on down! You are the next contestant on “The Price is Right!”

The 22-year-old Pacific Beach man was among a group of local volunteer firefighters who drove up to Hollywood where “The Price is Right” is filmed. They were there for a special “Salute to Firefighters”. Not only was he selected as a contestant, he scored a new car, and is now likely vying for the son-of-the-year award.

The show taped in March, but contestants sign contracts saying they won’t reveal what happens before it airs. That meant  Pellegrini had to keep a big secret from his family, especially his mother. The show aired today (Friday), but he was assigned to fighting the San Felipe Fire near Borrego Springs, so his mother, grandmother and some friends watched the show without him.

After he got back in the station, he called his mother. She and his grandmother were both really excited about his win, especially his grandmother because it’s her favorite show, he said.

That’s when he told his mother that he was giving her the new 2013 Honda Civic LX because he knew she needed a new car and had been talking about getting one. He called it a late Mother’s Day present.

“She was extremely happy. She thought I was kidding,” Pellegrini said.

His mom almost spoiled her surprise when she noticed a letter from the “Price is Right,” he said. She knew he had won something but she never suspected he would give it to her.

Pellegrini said it was his second visit to the Price is Right show. He had gone up last December with some fraternity brothers and his friend won a showcase. If you’re not a regular viewer, that’s a big deal. Two contestants are given the chance to bid on prize packages worth thousands of dollars, and the closest bid wins. Turns out, his friend’s luck rubbed off on him.

Pelligrini described his experience on the game show. Everyone starts out in a big line outside the studio and tries their best to dazzle the screeners who choose the contestants. People have to take their personality up a notch and come across as outspoken and energetic so they will “make good television,” he said. He obviously made a good impression because he was the only one among his group that was chosen as a contestant.

Inside the studio, the firefighter audience was cheering so loudly as they started the show that he almost didn’t hear his name called.

“Oh, that’s me, that’s me!”  Pellegrini remembers thinking.

He first won an iPad and iPad mini, then had the chance to win a new car. He gave host Drew Carey a junior firefighting badge sticker from San Diego County which the host immediately stuck on his suit. To win the car, Pellegrini had to play a price matching game. Initially, he guessed a wrong answer, but Carey gave Pellegrini a chance to revise two numbers and when he did, he won the car.

Pellegrini volunteers at San Diego Rural fire stations as part the San Diego County Fire Authority. He has been volunteering since October of 2011 and recently earned his bachelor’s of science degree from SDSU as well as a degree in fire protection technology from San Diego Miramar College.

“I love it,” Pellegrini said of volunteering. “Obviously, I’d like to get a (permanent) job at a department. I’m testing and applying wherever I can.” Hopefully, his luck will continue to pay off.

To watch the full episode of the show go to this link. He’s in the second half of the show.