George Fletcher says LIRR job propelled him to victory on "The Price is Right" after heartbreaking overbid 21 years ago
NEW YORK -- George Flether, who oversees the Long Island Rail Road's timetables and train capacities for a living, put the finishing touches on a tale of TV game show redemption when he made his second appearance on "The Price is Right."
"A lot of what we do here is totally related to math," said Fletcher. "I have been watching 'Price is Right' since I was a kid, like everybody else, everybody in America. It's just a piece of Americana, whether you're home sick from school or it's during the summertime. It's just, it was always there."
Fletcher was a contestant on the show with Bob Barker 21 years ago.
"It started out very promising," said Fletcher, who won some smaller items before advancing to the Showcase. "It was a trip to Nashville, a sauna and a Pontiac Grand Am, and I bid $27,500."
Fletcher bid $222 over the actual retail price.
"It was just a heartbreakingly-low overbid," said Fletcher.
Back in the Barker days, contestants couldn't come back for another chance. That rule has since changed and contestants like Fletcher can now redeem themselves.
And Fletcher wanted redemption.
"There's a lot of thinking and stewing until it actually happens," he said.
Fletcher was chosen to "come on down" again this past spring. After waiting more than two decades, he made it back to the Showcase.
"I don't want to be the guy who has two Showcase overbids on his record," said Fletcher.
He bid $32,300 this time, and won it all.
Fletcher, who hopes to be eligible for a third appearance on "The Price is Right," credited good timing, luck and training from the LIRR.
"We're so focused on numbers, and all of that is how it works here at the railroad, that it just applies very well to pricing," said Fletcher.
Fletcher's new car is sure to fit in with the rest of his "The Price is Right" collection.
"It just really makes it feel like all of this time that I watched this show, it's just so worth it. Not just for the prizes and the value of them, but just also to have been a small piece of this 50-plus year piece of Americana," he said.
A comeback story like this is priceless.
