What’s the Most a Contestant Has Ever Won on ‘The Price Is Right’?

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For six decades, Americans have been able to consistently rely on one thing: the daytime airing of The Price is Right. The iconic game show, spanning multiple generations and two iconic hosts, Bob Barker and Drew Carey, is one of the longest-running programs in the history of television, and it remains as iconic as any piece of media in the nation. Players can go home with a big paycheck by answering questions and partaking in challenges related to grocery and merchandise pricing. To this day, however, no contestant on The Price is Right has had as lucky of a day as Michael Stouber in 2019, who earned nearly $263,000 in one episode.

Michael Stouber Won the Most Money on One Show in ‘Price is Right’ History

Michael Stouber winning a record amount of money in 'The Price is Right' — Image via CBS

Since its revival in the 1970s, The Price is Right has been a steady mainstay on television for roughly 9,000 episodes. Compared to primetime game shows like Who Wants to be a Millionaire? or Deal or No Deal, daytime game shows, like The Price is Right‘s CBS counterpart Let’s Make a Deal, are generally lower stakes. The Price is Right frequently offers grand prizes, like cars, technology, and vacation resorts, as a substitute for a cash prize.

In the last decade, the show has adopted a special week called “Big Money Week,” where contestants are given a chance to earn substantially larger winnings. For New Jersey native Michael Stouber, being told to “Come On Down” by announcer George Gray became a euphoric moment. During his first game, Plinko (Mike was wearing a shirt reading “Plinko is my cardio”), the chips fell in Stouber’s favor, as his first chip fell into the middle of the board, earning him $200,000 on one drop. In a mere few minutes, Stouber won $200,200 on Plinko. Later in the program, Stouber won the final showcase, with prizes including a new car, a trip to Fiji, and additional earnings, amassing a grand total of $262,743. The previous record was $214,000.

Michael Stouber on The Feeling of Winning a Record Amount of Money on ‘The Price is Right’

Mike Stouber not only became the top money winner in Price is Right History (not including primetime specials) but also the highest earner in the history of daytime television. His elation and triumph were crystal-clear on the stage, but according to him, everything became a blur, saying that he “blacked out” amid the celebration. The luck-based nature of Price is Right games levels out the playing field for everyone of all ages to succeed. On the flip side, the randomness of a game like Plinko only adds to the excruciating feeling of trying to will your chip to fall into the highest slot, as the only thing controlling your outcome is gravity. “You’re trying to talk to the chip and get it back to the middle,” Stouber recounted during his Plinko experience.

Stouber has been watching The Price is Right since childhood, and watching the show remained a tradition when he started a family of his own. Naturally, appearing on stage next to Drew Carey was a dream come true, and with his remarkable winnings, Mike Stouber has his name etched into television history. Reliving this joyous occasion on TV was especially heightened by watching it with his family. Sitting on his couch, the overwhelming exhilaration came rolling back. “I’m usually a really calm guy…and seeing that… I went a little crazy,” Stouber said after watching his colossal win on TV.

While Michael Stouber holds the daytime record, the highest win on The Price is Right‘s primetime slot belongs to Adam Rose, who went home with $1,153,908 in cash and prizes in 2008 on the special The Price is Right “$1,000,000” Spectacular show. He may not be a millionaire, but Stouber can do plenty with his winnings. Rather than indulging in luxurious items, Stouber told The New York Post that he planned on using his earnings to invest in minor improvements to his home.