County Public Safety Employees Win Big Prizes on the Price is Right

Like most locals, you were likely glued to wildfire coverage on TV last week, and you may have missed a salute to firefighters on the "Price is Right," which aired Friday, May 16. Some of San Diego County’s firefighters and emergency dispatchers answered the call to “Come on Down,” and came away with thousands of dollars in prizes.

To watch the full episode, click on this link. Otherwise, keep reading to get the scoop.

Who among these San Diego Sheriff, San Diego Police and Escondido Police, and California Highway Patrol dispatchers won the biggest prize package on the show? Sheriff’s lead dispatcher Ann McCorkell, that’s who! She nabbed a trip for two for 7 days, 6 nights at a bed and breakfast in Tuscany, Italy worth more than $12,000! 

“It’s a trip of a lifetime,” said McCorkell, who plans to take her daughter, who will turn 21 in the fall. McCorkell has been a dispatcher for nearly 19 years.

 

Every year, dispatchers arrange a bus trip to the Price is Right show, and they are on a winning streak. So far, someone from the group has been called up for a chance to play on each trip, said McCorkell. She never imagined she’d hear the announcer yell out her name this time around.

And, she had good reason to be skeptical. This was her second time playing on the show and her second win! She played in 2003 with Bob Barker and won a $72,000 showcase that included a big screen television, 10 1-pound gold bars, $10,000 cash, and two Chrysler Sebring convertibles.

When Barker was in charge, his rule was no one can go on the show again after a win. But, that rule changed to a 10-year wait when Drew Carey came on as host. She waited 11 years, and she told the show’s pre-screener all this, so she assumed they would not choose her again.

So, why did she get called? She guesses it was her energy and enthusiasm during the pre-screen interview.

Another winner on the show was Palomar Volunteer Fire Chief Clifford Kellogg, who has been a firefighter for 17 years, 11 years with Palomar. He was one of the first four contestants called and he won three wristwatches worth approximately $500.

Kellogg had been asked to coordinate the bus trip up for the San Diego County Fire Authority Volunteer Program. He admitted he is not a regular viewer of the show, so he never expected to be called up and he felt a little lost.

“I lost the dice game so I didn’t win the car,” Kellogg said. “All in all, it was a very interesting experience.”

But that’s not all; it turns out everyone in the audience won a two night stay at the Riviera Hotel in Las Vegas. Furthermore, after the show taping stops, the show does a few more giveaways with the audience. San Diego County Probation Officer Dionne Murphy won $100 cash. 

You may remember another San Diego County volunteer firefighter won big on the Price is Right during last year’s Salute to Firefighters show: Joe Pellegrini, 22, who was then assigned to rural fire stations, won an iPad, iPad mini and a new car. He gave the Honda Civic LX to his mother as a belated surprise Mother’s Day gift.

RELATED: Volunteer Firefighter Wins Big on Game Show 

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