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Surprise mom completes big TV 'Deal'

Kennard wins car on CBS game show

Posted 10/17/22

Before Becky Kennard was selected as a contestant on the CBS game show “Let’s Make a Deal,” the Surprise mom of five decided if she had the chance to win any kind of money, she wouldn’t risk it on a possible bigger prize.

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Surprise mom completes big TV 'Deal'

Kennard wins car on CBS game show

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Becky Kennard had a plan.

Before she was selected as a contestant on the CBS game show “Let’s Make a Deal,” the Surprise mom of five decided if she had the chance to win any kind of money, she wouldn’t risk it on a possible bigger prize.

But when the time came to make that decision, she went all in — and experienced a “life-changing” moment, she said.

“I was 100% not going for it,” Kennard said about her plan. “I told my husband if I was [getting a chance at] over $1,000 I was 100% taking the money.”

Instead, she pressed her luck and walked away with a new Volkswagen Tiguan, a compact SUV that seats seven, which is perfect for her big family.

The exciting moment aired on CBS on Oct. 13, ending six weeks of keeping her winnings hush-hush with her family.

Show rules prevented Kennard from telling even her family that she had won the car or she would lose the prize.

Kennard told her husband, Tyler, that she had a chance to win a car but stopped early to take some money.

He told her, ‘Oh good job. Way to win the money,’” she said.

But Tyler, who was also on a “Let’s Make a Deal” episode that aired two days prior, had no idea that it was bigger than the money prize until the show aired.

“The kids were screaming,” Becky said. “They were freaking out. ‘Where is it?’ they said. Where had I had been hiding it.”

The vehicle that Kennard won is worth nearly $30,000, which was actually more than the Big Deal prize of the day on her episode.

“Once I found out I was playing for the car, I think I was in shock,” Kennard said. “The whole goal is to get to the Big Deal and this surpassed that.”

The white vehicle with black interior is expected to be delivered from a local Volkswagen dealer within 90 days from the show airing. The Kennards are now hoping to receive it before Christmas. All the family has to do is pay taxes and registration on it.

“It’s a mom car,” Kennard said with a laugh. “It literally could not have been more perfect for us. I was sobbing for pretty much for the rest of the day.”

Kennard won on a game called Accelerator, which is a big roulette wheel with the letters C-A-R spread out over 12 spaces on the wheel.

She was required to drop a ball onto the wheel and spell out the word “car” in any order to win it.

Her first drop hit the letter “A,” which also came with a winning value of $1,100.

Instead of taking the money, she pressed on for another roll.

The catch to the game, however, called for the remaining As to be removed from the board to become “zonks.”

She now had a 66.7% chance of hitting another letter, and she did just that, landing on an “R.”

That had a value of $1,300, giving her a chance to walk away with $2,400 total.

“It’s 50-50 that people go for the car,” Kennard said from experience watching past shows. “Usually they don’t win. Right before me a guy [on another episode that was taped] went for the car and lost everything.”

“But maybe he lost because I’m going to win.”

So with the As and Rs removed and only four of the 12 spots available to win, she still pressed on.

She said wanted the good luck of winning the car after the family suffered a horrible tragedy four years ago. The couple’s daughter, Brinley, died in September 2018 at two days old from a rare lung defect.

But she felt Brinley’s spirit with her when she made the decision to pass up the money for a chance at the car.

“That’s the reason I did that,” Kennard said.

After a couple of rotations around the wheel, the final ball landed on the letter “C” in between two “zonks.”

That set off a wild celebration for Kennard, who immediately ran over to the car and jumped in it as cameras followed her.

“I think it will fully set in when I actually get the car delivered,” Kennard said.

The Kennards were hand-picked to be on the show in the first place. Three years ago, the couple appeared on the Lifetime show “Supermarket Sweep,” and the casting company reached out to the couple in January and asked them if they were interested in joining “Let’s Make a Deal.”

That was right up their alley.

“We just love game shows and reality TV,” Kennard said. “My dream show to be on would be the ‘Amazing Race.’ We love traveling.”

Tyler, an air traffic controller at Sky Harbor Airport, didn’t fare as well on his episode, which aired on Oct. 11. He passed up a big screen TV for a cardboard kitchen, which is one of the show’s famous “zonk” prizes.

“It was crazy to see my kids,” Kennard said about watching the show with Taytum, Tanner, Tucker and Teagan. “They were so excited because Wayne Brady said their name.”

Surprise, unfortunately, didn’t get any love on the show. Kennard mentioned to Brady when she was first picked that she was from Phoenix. She later told him that the family recently moved to Surprise, but that conversation was edited out of the broadcast.

The episodes both Kennards appeared on can be viewed on the Paramount + app.

Jason Stone can be reached at jstone@iniusa.org. Visit yourvalley.net.