Maryland Native Brady Fritz Wins Big On 'The Price Is Right'
LOS ANGELES (WJZ) -- Maryland native Brady Fritz is no stranger to the stage, but this one was different.
In February, the aspiring actor, who now lives in Los Angeles, his parents and a college friend attended a taping of CBS' "The Price Is Right." Little did he know he was not only going to be called up on stage but he would walk out the big winner.
"I heard 'Brady' and then quickly I was like, 'Oh it could be anybody,'" he recalled.
Then, announcer George Gray said "Fritz."
"It was incredible. It didn't feel real," he said.
The graduate of The John Carroll School in Bel Air rushed down to Bidder's Row and quickly made it on stage by bidding on a pair of headphones.
Then, he was face-to-face with host Drew Carey.
"I've watched 'Whose Line is it Anyway' since I was a little kid and I'm a big improv person, I took improv back in college," he said, "so being next to him was kind of like ... he's definitely a star that I looked up to."
After winning a trip to Belize, Fritz ended up making to the Showcase Showdown round where his hot streak continued.
When all was said and done, he took home the headphones, trips to Belize and Memphis, a turntable and a new boat -- a grand total of $36,258 worth of prizes.
From that point, the challenge became keeping the results a secret until the episode aired on May 11, three months after taping.
"It was kind of annoying," he said of keeping the secret at first.
Eventually, the initial excitement wore off as the air date neared.
Due to the coronavirus, he and his loved ones held a Zoom watch party to re-live the experience. While it wasn't ideal, "sharing the moment with everyone was a true joy," he said.
As the episode unfolded, everyone got to see his celebratory Bruno Mars-inspired spin and handshake move with Carey and him sitting behind the throttle of his boat.
Once the episode finished, the familiar excitement rushed back over him.
"I wish I could live on that day a couple more times," he said.
While he's familiar with being in the spotlight, national television is something unique, he said.
"It definitely was different because there's about four giant cameras in your face," he said. "Interestingly, looking back on it I don't really remember the cameras."
Fritz has a year to take both of his trips, and due to COVID-19, he's not sure when exactly he'll do so.
One thing he does know: if Drew Carey wants to tag along, he's welcome.
"If he wants to be my plus one, he can," Fritz said with a laugh.
You can watch the full episode online on CBS.com or on CBS All Access.
