Carson City teacher appears on ‘The Price is Right’

Carson City resident Molly Otto could hardly believe when she was called down during a second taping of “The Price is Right” in Los Angeles in September.

Otto, a first-grade teacher at Carson Montessori Charter School, flew from Nevada to Los Angeles in September with her fiancée and future mother-in-law to try their luck at the game show, now in its 52nd season and hosted by Drew Carey. Otto became a contestant upon her second try after attending the show twice.

“We did it out of the blue,” she said. “We’re from Nevada, we flew to L.A., and that’s all we did. We just did ‘The Price is Right.’”

They attended the show’s Halloween and Thanksgiving editions, the first of which none of them were called, Otto said. But luck favored the bold during the second show.

“I ended up getting on the Thanksgiving show,” she said. “They called my name, and I think I was the third person they called down. They did a computer screen, and I got the closest bid. It was such a blur. I had to pick $15,000 or $17,000 to pick a motorcycle, and I went to go spin the wheel. I think it was 85 cents and I went to the showcase. It just about went under what the asking price was.”

Otto has had a hard time keeping the affair a secret because she’s wanted to reveal most of the details in a viewing party with her friends and family as they watch the show.

“I haven’t told anybody, and I have a twin sister,” she said. “The crazy part is we had no intention of going there. I wasn’t planning on going and winning the showcase. It’s this local girl from Carson City who just won the showcase. I don’t think there’s enough words to tell you how grateful I am.”

Molly and her twin sister Mallory are known to go on local adventures. They grew up in the area, enjoyed mountain biking and competed in the local Carson City Off-Road race sponsored by Epic Rides, which provided a 15-, 35- and 50-mile course for cyclists. They developed their passion for riding at the age of 5.

Molly has kept her love for the community in the classroom, a passion she picked up from her mother. She hopes to pass on her sense of fun and adventure to her community.

“I want to encourage (anyone) to just do it,” Otto said. “We were thinking we don’t want to take time off work, but if you have the opportunity, please try. Miracles can happen. I believe that stuff does come if you try, if anybody takes that opportunity.”

The Thanksgiving episode of “The Price is Right” Otto appears in will air Nov. 22 on CBS. Her birthday is Nov. 23, so she said she will enjoy the celebration with her family then.

For information, visit http://www.facebook.com/ThePriceIsRightCBS.