US woman who won car as part of $33,000 prize on The Price Is Right was hit by brutal reality after the show was over that 'most don't realize'

A contestant who won a free car on the US TV show The Price Is Right revealed what actually happened when the cameras were off.

Winning a car is certainly a great thing, but once the cameras stop rolling and the stage lights dim, the reality sets in.

And it’s not a bed of roses.

Technically, the free car is not even completely free.

Here’s what happened behind the scenes of The Price Is Right

Contrary to television magic, nobody drives a shiny new vehicle off the CBS lot.

After the cameras stop rolling, winners need some patience and even some money to get the free car.

Because The Price Is Right films in Southern California, all prize winners are legally obligated to pay California state sales tax before they can even claim their prize.

Also, the federal government views retail prizes exactly like cash income, which means the free car could bump the winner into a much higher tax bracket.

Between state sales tax, state income tax, and federal income tax, a ‘free’ car can easily cost the winner thousands of dollars out of pocket.

There’s another thing that most people don’t realize

There are other headaches involved.

For starters, most reality shows make contestants sign strict agreements – like NDAs – to protect the show from a legal standpoint but also to protect the ratings.

Some shows revolve around an ‘oh-wow’ moment that would be completely ruined if contestants or production staff leaked the results early.

If a contestant spoils the results to friends or posts about their win on social media before the air date, they definitely won’t get the free car and, in some cases, they may even get sued.

The other thing that might be truly surprising is that most times they don’t get a car, they get a voucher equivalent to the vehicle’s MSRP.

That’s not a bad thing, but it’s still something to bear in mind.

For example, TikTok creator Kate Steinberg won a compact Nissan Versa on the show but used the prize credit at her local dealership to drive home a spacious Toyota RAV4.

Another contestant on the same TV show, Andrea Schwartz, revealed that the experience was a little stressful.

“Yeah, you don’t just drive off the backlot with the car like I thought the entire time I was growing up,” she told AVClub.com.

“I won $33,000 in prizes. I took the car and sold it. I think I sold the car for $13,000 and it was worth $16,700. It had, like, eight miles on it,” she added.

At the end of the day, winning a free car on a TV show is ideal if you’re actually in the market for one, and are prepared to cover the upfront costs.

If that’s not the case, you might in financial trouble.

“[Most people don’t realize that] they’re going to have to forfeit their prizes [if] they can’t afford to pay the taxes on them,” she said.