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Celebrating with 'Deal Or No Deal' Millionaire Jessica Robinson
By Troy Rogers
When it comes to the words "one million dollars", a lot of people still think of Mike Meyers as Dr. Evil in the Austin Powers movies. When it comes to winning one million dollars, a lot people play the "what if" game as they watch their favorite game show. For seven months pregnant stay-at-home mom from Utah, Jessica Robinson, the dream of winning one million dollars came true last week when she won the top prize on NBC's popular primetime hit Deal or No Deal hosted by Howie Mandell.
After three seasons of contestants coming close to selecting the million dollar case, Jessica Robinson became the first person in the show's history to win the top prize. If you're a fan of the show, you have to respect a girl like Jessica who has the guts to put it all on the line for the money. When put to the test, not many people can do it.
What's it like to win a cool million on Dead or No Deal? The Deadbolt's Troy Rogers got the chance to find out when he recently talked to Robinson on a recent conference call to celebrate her win.
THE DEADBOLT: Hi Jessica. Congratulations.
JESSICA ROBINSON: Thank you.
THE DEADBOLT: I know it’s really exciting to win the money, but how does it feel to be the first one?
ROBINSON: I don't think either of them have hit me. Being the first one is pretty dang cool. I mean there's - it really hasn't hit me. I have no idea what's going on with anything and I've just been, you know, spilling my beans to who knows who about who knows what.
THE DEADBOLT: You mentioned that you’re going to buy a house. What have you bought so far? Have you spent any of the money yet?
ROBINSON: Well, we don’t have the money and we’re not getting it until January. But this is just kind of funny. We want to celebrate a little bit and this is the dumbest thing but I want this straight ironer for my hair first. It’s the funniest thing and I should just go buy it and I did. I was like, ‘I’m going and I’m just going to get it.’ And it’s so silly, but once I lose my baby weight I’m going shopping and I’m going to look good.
THE DEADBOLT: So you get - you said you get the money in January?
ROBINSON: Yes.
THE DEADBOLT: So it's going to be a pretty good New Year's Eve, I guess.
ROBINSON: You better believe.
Other Conference Call Highlights:
Jessica Robinson on how she got on Deal Or No Deal:
"I have a friend who was actually a supporter on the show for her friend and she had mentioned to me kind of in passing, "Hey, you should try out for Deal or No Deal. You'd be really good." And so I'd actually filled out the really long application. And then she comes to me and she's like, 'Oh, they're coming to Salt Lake. I just heard and you should go.' And I'm like, 'Oh, okay, I'll go. I'm not doing anything that Saturday.' And my husband and I go. And the line was crazy and I actually turned to my husband and I was like, 'You know what? I don't know if I want to wait in this line. This is crazy.' I thought it'd be like two or three hours and it was closer to seven. And he was like, ‘No we’re here let’s just do it.’ I stayed in line and made it past all of the interviews and that’s how it got started."
Robinson on having a party to celebrate the televised win:
"Actually, one of my - We live in a basement apartment, so we really couldn’t have a huge party because there’s like three people that could probably fit in there. So one of my neighbors, so sweet, decided she would host a party and it was fabulous. There was well over a hundred people there. And we had a projector up and we had a big screen, it was so fun to relive it and see it. You never know how they’re going to edit things, but it was crazy and it was so fun to share it with everyone."
On what else she has planned for the money:
"Well, we are moving to Texas. We won’t be having our baby there, but that’s okay. We’re going to move around the first of the year to Austin and buy our first home, which we’re really excited about. We didn’t think it would happen for a couple of more years and I’m really excited because we’ll be able to furnish it all at once and have it the way I want it. And tuck it away for education for our children, set up some funds. And then when I lose my baby weight, I’m going shopping. But we’re really going to try and be responsible with it and make it work for our family and grow."
Robinson on whether she thought about taking the $561,000 the Banker offered:
"Oh, that’s a hard question. I think if my husband would’ve hesitated, because I turned right to my supporters, because at that moment I was like, ‘I can’t really comprehend this money, so help me become grounded again.’ If my husband would’ve hesitated and been like, ‘Okay Jess, that’s a lot, we’ll be happy,' then I probably would have - I don’t know what I would’ve done, but I definitely would’ve thought of it more. At the point in the game where I had two cases and my case, I was like, ‘I’m going all of the way.’ So I want to say no, but if my husband would’ve hesitated I would’ve hesitated, because we make a lot of our decisions together, especially a big one like this."
Robinson on what happens during the commercial break:
"Howie actually leaves the stage really quickly, and I know he is a germ freak and it could’ve been because of that, but I was thinking about it and it could be because - I don’t know if you could just ask NBC this, but it could be because they don’t want the audience to think we’re conversing, even though he doesn’t know what’s in the cases. But they wouldn’t want there to be any suspicions, so I don’t know if that’s why, or just because he does it all of the time, like ‘I don’t want to be up there.’ I have no idea, but there’s no dirt there. It’s totally like the movies, I think, like you would imagine it. There are producers coming over and talking to me and saying, ‘Okay, look at the board, these are your odds. That was good, that wasn’t that good.’ Just letting me know, kind of come back to reality, and then someone putting more lipstick on me that they did two seconds before. Someone is fixing my shirt and bringing me water, it’s crazy but you’re just pampered the whole time."
Jessica Robinson on why she picked her lucky green shirt:
"Honestly, the shirt - I don’t really believe in luck, like I don’t really have a lucky anything. But to be real honest, it was the only shirt that looked cute that fit me, [laughs] I’m not going to lie."
-- Troy Rogers
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