He didn’t come home with a new Pontiac V6, but he did get the chance to appear on national television, and chat with morning talk show hosts, Regis Philbin and Kelly Ripa.
Lake Orion resident Stan Domalik and his wife Barbara were offered a free trip to New York City, March 9-11, after Domalik entered a contest to win a new Pontiac Montana SV6 van on the show ‘Live with Regis and Kelly,? which airs at 9 a.m. weekdays on Channel 7.
The ‘Pontiac Extreme Van-a-Day Giveaway? offered contestants, who were contacted by phone, the chance to answer a question about the previous day’s show to win a new van. Domalik entered the contest online in January.
‘I usually watch it every morning,? Domalik said of the show. ‘They usually give away vacations.?
Contestants could enter online or by postcard, and were allowed to enter more than once.
‘I entered about six times online,? said Domalik, who retired three and a half years ago from Pontiac Motors.
On March 8, Domalik received a call from a representative of the show, saying his name had been chosen for a ‘Second Chance Giveaway.? His name was one of 30 that were put into balloons, and randomly chosen by Regis and Kelly.
‘There were over two million people that entered the contest,? he said. ‘They threw darts at the balloons, and chose six people to come on the show and have a chance to win three vans.?
The show paid for the Domaliks? flight and hotel in New York, and gave them $200 for incidentals. They stayed at the ‘On the Avenue? hotel.
‘They sent me all these forms online that I had to fill out and fax back before I could go,? he said. ‘My printer broke, so I said ‘Now what do I do???
Domalik was able to enlist the help of neighbor Sue Periso, who printed and faxed the forms for him.
‘There were about 15 pages,? said Domalik. ‘We got our confirmation for the flight at about 8 p.m. that evening.?
The next day the couple traveled to New York. On Thursday morning, Domalik went to the Regis and Kelly studio and met the other contestants.
‘They took us up to the stage and showed us where the show would be broadcast,? he said.
The contestants answered questions live on the show Thursday to determine the order that they would draw keys to try the six vans. Three keys would work, three would not. Domalik ended up selecting fifth out of the six people.
‘I picked one that didn’t (start a van),? he said. ‘We taped on Thursday, for them to air on the show on Friday. I didn’t call anyone to let them know if I had won or lost.?
The Domalik’s went inside after the vans were started, and found Regis and Kelly inside the green room, getting coffee and hot chocolate.
‘Because everyone else was still outside, we were able to talk to them and get pictures,? Domalik said. ‘By the time everyone else came back inside, they had already left.
‘They were both real nice and friendly,? he said of Regis and Kelly. ‘They are both funny…and Kelly is prettier in person than she is even on TV.?
Barbara said the show’s staff was also very nice.
‘It seems like there’s a lot of people connected to the show,? she said.
Domalik was feeling ‘down? when he arrived back home because he would have liked to have won a van.
Domalik plans to enter the Regis and Kelly contest again, as it is now back to giving away vacations.
The van and prize that Domalik played for was worth about $60,000, because an $18,500 cash award was included. The man who picked the last key, after Domalik, picked one that started a van.
‘Since we got home the phone has been ringing non stop,? he said. ‘I got calls from people I hadn’t even heard from in years,? Domalik said. ‘It’s always possible (to win). It’s not like you’re buying lottery tickets.?