Pinky's owner comes on down

MOSES LAKE — Kim Jasper didn't ask for much for her 50th birthday — just the chance to see Bob Barker.

"This really didn't have anything to do with prizes," said the owner of Pinky's Shop of Fashion, with her mother, of the host of the popular television game show "The Price is Right." Jasper recently appeared as a contestant, and she called the experience a huge bonus.

"I am a huge animal lover, I have many pets and I support the Humane Society in any way I can," Jasper explained. "(Barker) is such a tremendous supporter of animal shelters, and he promotes the spaying and neutering to prevent unwanted pets, or pets with no homes. I am very emotional about that."

Jasper and her daughter were in the show's audience, and Jasper was a contestant June 1. That "Price is Right" episode aired June 6.

Just getting into the audience is a bit of a production, said Jasper. Many people are turned away at the CBS Studios gates, which open at 6 a.m.

"I was in line at 10 minutes after 5 a.m., and I was the 127th person in line," Jasper shared. "There were people sleeping there, camped out. It was hysterical."

A certain amount of people were let in by the order of arrival, and after that, people stand by as large groups or parties of 20 or more are let into the show.

Jasper never had a problem getting in. "I was fortunate, very very lucky," she said.

After getting approval, Jasper and her daughter returned to the studio, as required, at 7:15 a.m. and proceeded to wait on metal benches. They received their numbers, which were still not quite a guarantee that they would get into the show's audience, and were told at about 8:45 a.m. to return by 10 a.m., when their identification was checked and received their "price tag names."

"We met some really nice people in line from Illinois — they kept our stuff in their car," Jasper said. "You make friends, standing in line. I was in line nine hours. Some people were in line much longer than that."

Throughout the day, people would come by and check to make sure people were still standing in numerical sequence. If someone wasn't standing in order, they would be excused, Jasper said.

After clearing security, the potential audience members are individually interviewed. Jasper was asked where she was from, and what she did. She explained that she and her mother run the ladies' boutique, and explained that Pinky's is raising donations for the local Humane Society throughout the month of June.

At 2:30 p.m., the show begins taping, and concludes at 3:30 p.m. Jasper said that very little is edited out of the show, when she watched it on TV later.

Jasper was called down in the first group of contestants, and recalled she bid right "accidentally." After waiting so long in line, everything happened quickly for Jasper once the show started.

"Poof, I was down, poof, I was up — I didn't even know what hit me," she said.

Standing next to Barker was wonderful, she said with a smile.

"He's a very nice man," she said. "I kissed him on his cheek, that's what I wanted to do. I wanted to do that for my 50th birthday."

Jasper got to play The Shopping Spree, in which she had to select which items of four would be the most expensive, and she was lucky enough to pick the three.

After that, she got to spin the Showcase Showdown Big Wheel, but went over $1, so she did not move on.

"I've had a lot of fun in my life, and it was probably the most fun day of my life," Jasper said of the whole overall experience. Her appearance on the episode has garnered her much attention from friends and family. "Everybody was so excited, and I appreciate that. I said to my mom, 'You know, I'm not going for prizes. If I do get to be a contestant, I want to kiss Bob Barker on the cheek.' I want to entertain, I love to make people laugh, and this has certainly given a lot of people a lot of laughs."

Jasper's mother has owned Pinky's for 31 years, and Jasper has been on board for 17 years.