On the Friday, May 8 Mother’s Day episode of The Price is Right, a retired veteran won over $240,000 in cash and prizes making her takeaway the largest prize ever won in a single pricing game in the 54-year history of the daytime version of the CBS game show.

The contestant, “Vanesa from Virginia” bested the previous record of $210,000 in a single pricing game of Cliffhangers set over a decade ago in 2016. The moment occurred when Vanesa played “The Lion’s Share,” the new high,” the new high-stakes branded game that debuted this season through a partnership with BetMGM.

In the game, contestants have to guess the prices of grocery items to earn up to five balls. Each ball is then dropped into a wind tunnel, revealing a hidden prize amount. After each reveal, contestants face a tense decision to walk away with their current winnings or risk it all to continue.

Photo: CBS

Vanesa went for the gusto! She didn’t hesitate and pushed forward through every round, ultimately revealing the prizes for all five balls, winning $227,500 in cash and a luxury trip for two to Morocco valued at $12,650. Those impressive winning amounted to $240,150 as her daughter cheered her on from the audience.

According to BetMGM and TPIR producers, Fremantle, “The Lion’s Share” is the first custom-branded game in the show’s history, and the first new pricing game on the show since 2021. BetMGM and Fremantle sealed a multi-year deal last year that lends  The Price is Right and Family Feud intellectual property (IP) rights for slots, table games and non-traditional casino games.

The Price is Right is broadcast weekdays on CBS and streams on Paramount+* (11:00 AM-12:00 PM, ET/10:00-11:00 AM, PT). John Quinn is the executive producer. Drew Carey is the host.

So, what do you think of Vanesa from Virginia’s huge win on The Price is Right? Do you watch the show weekdays? Let us know via the comment section. But first, watch how it all happens below!

In a ironic twist, Lauren Koslow, who currently plays Kate Roberts on Days of Our Lives is returning to The Young and the Restless to play Jill Abbott while temporarily filling in for Jess Walton. Koslow will appear for five episodes beginning on Thursday, June 25.

Koslow first appeared on The Young and the Restless back in 1984 in what was her first soap opera role when she was cast as Lindsey Wells. Now, she returns decades later subbing for Walton, who due to a scheduling conflict, was was unable to travel to Los Angeles when the storyline called for Jill. The Emmy-winning Walton has played the Jill since 1987 and went on recurring status with the show in 2012. Jess also left Los Angeles to reside in Oregon in 2011.

Making this all the richer, was the original Jill played by Brenda Dickson often shared scenes with Koslow’s Y&R character. Lauren played Lindsey Wells until 1986, before moving over to The Bold and the Beautiful as Margo Lynley. Koslow was B&B’s Margo from 1987–1992, and again in 2002. Then, in 1996, she was cast on Days of Our Lives as Kate Roberts, replacing Deborah Adair, and she has been in Salem ever since.

Photo: CBS

THE DAYS AND Y&R CONNECTION

As soap fans know, Days of Our Lives and The Young and the Restless are both Sony-owned shows. So, having Koslow visit The Young and the Restless to fill in for Jess Walton has nothing to do with her continued role of Kate on DAYS. In fact, a rep for the show shared that her upcoming appearance on Y&T, “does not affect her status with the show in any way.” Recently, Stacy Haiduk reprised her role of Patty Williams on Y&R, even though she is still being seen as Kristen DiMera on DAYS.

In a joint statement offered up to TV Insider, executive producer, Sally McDonald and head writer, Josh Griffith expressed, “We’re extremely grateful to Lauren Koslow for returning to her Y&R roots and temporarily stepping into the role of Jill. We want to extend our sincere thanks to Ken Corday (executive producer) and Noel Maxam (co-executive producer) at Days of Our Lives and Peacock. Their support embodies the collaborative spirit of the daytime television community.”

McDonald and Griffith clarified that Jess Walton is forever their Jill and shared, “Jess Walton is an enduring cornerstone of Y&R. We look forward to welcoming her back to Genoa City as her schedule permits and celebrating her extraordinary 40th anniversary as the iconic Jill Abbott.”

So, what do you think of Days of Our Lives Lauren Koslow stepping in for Jess Walton as Jill Abbott? Excited to see what she does in the role while filling in for the Jess? Weigh-in via the comment section below.

Guiding Light alum, Matt Bomer (ex-Be Reade) was honored with the Vanguard Award at the 43rd Miami Film Festival just a few weeks ago. The award recognized his body of work, his significant impact on film and television and his current roles including on Apple TV+’s movie, Outcome, which also features All My Children legend, Susan Lucci (ex-Erica Kane).

While at the festival, Bomer participated in a live sit-down conversation with Josh Horowitz of the Happy Sad Confused Podcast where he was asked about his early days in television and soap operas, all leading to Horowitz asking Matt to give a 1 minute recap of the life and times of Guiding Light’s Ben Reade!

Bomer played the role of the scheming Ben from 2001-2003, and as discussed, it was never Matt’s intent to land on a soap or stay for any significant length of time, as he has other aspirations as an actor after graduating from the acclaimed Carnegie-Mellon University in Drama.

Photo: AppleTV+

THE ROAD TO GUIDING LIGHT

Speaking with Horowitz, he explained how he came to Guiding Light, “I’d done two episodes on All My Children with Susan Lucci, who’s in Outcome, who I got to just come full circle with. Susan had spoken at Carnegie Mellon and three months later I was on set with her. (On All My Children) I was playing her daughter’s ex lesbian lover’s, new fiancé.”

After that, Bomer was asked to audition for a role on Guiding light, and the rest is soap history. When Horowitz asked Matt to give the lowdown of everything that happened to Ben Reade in story in one minute, here’s what Matt shared!

Bomer began, “He’s a trust fund baby who bet his fraternity brothers that he could be the first to deflower the town virgin, who is like the young female heroine on the show. Then, of course, he falls in love with her, but then she finds out about his attempt to deflower her, so she dumps him. Then, he falls in love with this other girl, but then he loses his trust fund. So, he turns to the only life that one can, which is to become a male sex worker. All of my clients were like women in their forties. I was like 22. I would meet them (on set) at 6:00 AM and do intimacy scenes by 9:00 am. Then, he goes crazy because his girlfriend finds out that he was being a sex worker, and so she dumps him. He goes crazy, kills four people, then kidnaps her to a remote cabin in the woods where he holds her hostage with a syringe full of insulin. Then, when he gets busted, he injects himself with it, but then hangs on one extra day in the hospital to apologize for all his sins.”

Photo: CBS

On his way out Bomer shared, “I told the (GL) writers that when I got there, ‘Look, I’m not not going be here that long. So give me the craziest thing you’ve ever given anybody,’ and they obliged. But my favorite thing was after all that, I remember I was like in my dying makeup, walking off the soundstage and a writer comes up to me and goes, ‘If you ever want to come back, we’ve got it figured out.'”

SUPERMAN

After Guiding Light, Bomer found himself not only in the running for the next Superman movie but to play the lead role, and landing the part. But, as Matt revealed, the movie was scrapped and he never got the chance to play the man of steel.

“I was such an unknown at the time,” recounted Bomer. “I went in on a cattle call, then I got a phone call from the casting people. Then, I went and met with a director and read with an actress. Then, I went back in and screen tested in the Superman suit and signed the contract. I know that I was the director’s choice for the role and then. … it happens, (the movie got canned). It was a great script. It was called Fly By and it was more about Clark Kent when he was younger. He was like a college student trying to figure what it is to have all these powers and how to try to be a normal person and Superman at the same time.  It was all so surreal to be going from a total cattle call to that.”

You can check out the full conversation with Bomer below.

Do you remember Matt’s time as Ben Reade on Guiding Light? How do you think he did when in 1 minute he told the life and times of Ben? Let us know via the comment section below.