Frankfort Man Tries His Luck on 'The Price Is Right'

Michael Alvarez had it figured out. 

The Frankfort native, 35, had watched carefully as assistants surveyed the 300 others waiting in line for a shot at The Price Is Right. And when one approached him, he turned on the charm. 

The gregarious Southland resident chided her about the studio amping up the space heater in California's "chilly" weather—68 degrees. This was nothing, he said. Back home in Chicago, February's brutal cold bore down on the area, he teased.

Alvarez stood out, and jokes he charmed his way onto the show. 

"What they're looking for—to be gregarious—that's all true of south suburban residents," he said. "My friends said, 'If anybody made it on that show, YOU made it on that show.'"

After three hours of waiting, Alvarez's name was the second Drew Carey bellowed to "come on down." 

He was one of four contestants called to the front, where they bid on the price of a product. The contestant with the closest bid that doesn’t exceed the retail price wins the product and advances to other contests. At the end of the show, two contestants enter a bidding war for a showcase of prizes, which can include boats, cars or vacations.

The studio was filled with shouts and cheers, as Alvarez and the three others vied for a chance to move on in the competition. His dad Phil, and another family member waited in the crowd to see just how far Alvarez would go. 

"It's just lights and noise," Alvarez said. "It all moves very quickly."

The experience was very much what he expected, he said.

"I did my research," he joked. "It was a blast." 

The episode in which Alvarez appears airs Monday, April 14 at 10 a.m., on CBS. Tune in to find out what he won.