After lying to his family, Newark man spins the wheel on 'The Price Is Right' Wednesday

When Newark's Robert Jarrell got home from a work trip to Los Angeles, family and friends wanted to know how his experience went as an audience member for a taping of "A Price Is Right."

He told them all — including his mother and the children of his girlfriend — that it was fun, but he was never called to "come on down" while at the long-running daytime game show.

He lied.

His name was called. And based on photos released by the Drew Carey-hosted program to publicize Jarrell's appearance, he made it past "contestant's row" and got to spin the wheel with Carey looking on.

So why did he deceive? He couldn't tell anyone whether he won — he had signed a non-disclosure agreement — and he figured they would relentlessly quiz him to squeeze the information out. 

His suspicions seem to be correct.

After he came clean with his mother last week, she "freaked out" and the texts started coming fast and furious.

She has since admitted that she hasn't been able to sleep due to the excitement and even had a dream about her son being on the show.

"I told her, 'Aren't you glad I didn't tell you 60 days ago? You would have been going crazy for two months,'" laughs Jarrell.

The wait will officially be over Wednesday, Jan. 30, at 11 a.m. when Jarrell's episode finally airs on CBS. 

Jarrell headed out west in late November for the LA Auto Show with two co-workers from Quadratec, an independent Jeep parts and accessories retailer based in West Chester, Pennsylvania.

Since they were arriving a day early, Jarrell hatched a plan for them to attend a "The Price Is Right" taping by going online and reserving a few seats.

A longtime fan of the show, Jarrell was one of 325 people in the audience.

The odds were stacked against him making it onto the soundstage at CBS Television City in Hollywood, so he was surprised when he heard his name and the show's famous music began to play.

"There was a split second moment of shock and disbelief. And then it sinks in: 'Oh, I have to get up and run down there!'" says Jarrell, 36, who lives in Newark with his girlfriend Kelly and her two children, ages 18 and 5. "My co-workers jumped up with me and we were all screaming and yelling. It catches you very much by surprise."

Once on stage, he says his nerves weren't frayed. And his job might have something to do with that.

Jarrell, a University of Delaware and William Penn High School graduate, hosts online video reviews and overviews for Quadratec, so being in front of a camera is nothing new.

"I never felt overwhelmed, but there's this energy that comes over you just being in that studio," he says. "Half of me was in disbelief that I'm doing this thing I've watched on TV my whole life and the other half is watching the production and all the logistics of how they do it.

"I was just very, very excited."

While millions of Americans will be watching Jarrell on Wednesday morning, he won't be one of them. He and his family will not watch it as it airs.

Instead, they will tape it, avoid all social media and watch it together after work at his sister's house in Middletown.

That's when his mother will finally see if her dream comes true.

And he can tell them the whole story for the first time.

Contact Ryan Cormier of The News Journal at rcormier@delawareonline.com or (302) 324-2863. Follow him on Facebook (@ryancormier), Twitter (@ryancormier) and Instagram (@ryancormier).

IF YOU WATCH

What: "The Price Is Right" featuring Newark's Robert Jarrell

When: Wednesday, 11 a.m.

Where: CBS