Imagine the odds of being chosen a finalist out of 3.8 million contestants for the Pepsi Play for a Billion Sweepstakes? Now imagine the odds of two people from the same community being a finalist?
That’s exactly what has happened as Tyrone resident Jada Light will also participate in the sweepstakes during a live television show from Orlando, Florida on Sunday, September 14. Light joins Brenda McNelis of Tyrone, who could win $1 million on the show aired on the WB network and hosted by comedian Drew Carey.
“I’m not getting my hopes up,” Light told The Daily Herald. “I’m just excited to go to Florida and to meet everyone. Its going to be a great experience.”
To qualify, Light purchased Pepsi products and registered her caps on the Pepsi website and was randomly chosen out of millions of people.
“I only registered about twenty caps,” said Light.
Pepsi will be flying Light to Orlando, providing hotel accommodations, several dinners and brunch and $100 in spending money during her stay.
“My family and friends were questioning if this was legit, even after the Fed Ex man kept arriving with documents,” she said. “I finally said to my mom, how often have you gotten something like this from Publishers Clearing House? Mom this is Pepsi were talking about, it has to be legit.
“I’m now very excited to be a part of this.” added Light.
Light didn’t know until a few weeks ago that she was one of two Tyrone residents to be chosen as finalists.
“I was in Community Pharmacy and told them, and they produced the front page article in The Daily Herald about Mrs. McNelis,” she said. “I can’t believe two Tyrone people are finalists.” said Light.
According to Pepsi, 75 codes were chosen each week leading up to the end of the entry period.
Light and McNelis aren’t exactly sure how the contest will work. Several television prep sessions will be held explaining details of what will happen and how the game will be played.
Dave DeCecco, a Pepsi spokesperson, told The Daily Herald in detail the complicated rules and that someone will walk away with $1 million. Six random numbers will be chosen, and then each of the one thousand contestants will choose a six digit number. Then a live monkey will join host Drew Carey on stage and arrange in secret a final six digit number. The ten people closet to that number will then be asked to join the host on stage.
Ready for let’s make a deal? At this point, they will have the opportunity to stick with their number to see if it matches the final one or exchange their number for cash or prizes and leave the game. The final contestants will then share the numbers of those who made a deal and left the game. The one closet to the final number sequence will automatically win one million dollars in cash. But if their numbers match exactly to the chosen number delivered by the pet monkey, they will win one billion dollars.
Light is a 1994 graduate of Tyrone Area High School, and was recently employed at Corning in State College before it closed. She now works part time at East End Pizza in Tyrone.
The odds are great, but there is a chance that both Tyrone women could be the final two contestants left on stage with one winning a million and the other a billion dollars. To big of odds you say? But remember, who would have thought that two women from the same town would both qualify out of millions of entries?
In the meantime let’s congratulate and wish the best of luck to Tyrone’s two representatives at the chance of a lifetime.
