Dylan Taylor, dressed as a boombox while wearing an oversized garlic bulb on his head, had only 20 seconds to enter the correct digits on three locks taller than himself.
As the time ran out, Taylor had two out of the three digits correct. He then was given a choice: get paid $2,000 to walk away, or try to guess the last digit with only 15 seconds.
Taylor immediately shook his head after hearing the first option, but quickly and confidently nodded in affirmative when presented the second choice.
“I just need one number,” he said. “It’s all I need.”
In game shows, quick thinking and smart strategies are a requirement to succeed. And Taylor had them all.
Taylor, a Gilroy native, won $10,000 on the CBS game show, “Let’s Make a Deal,” which aired April 4. Hosted by Wayne Brady, “Let’s Make a Deal” pits contestants against a series of mini-games with various prizes to win.
When Brady called Taylor onto the stage, he commented on why Taylor was wearing an “onion” on his head. Taylor was quick to correct him.
“This is a garlic clove, because I’m from the Garlic Capital, Gilroy, California,” he told Brady.
Taylor told the Gilroy Dispatch that he thought it was funny Brady referred to his hat as an onion.
“I was happy to wear my Garlic Festival hat and represent my home town of Gilroy,” said Taylor, who attended St. Mary School and graduated from Christopher High School.
Taylor said it was the first time he appeared on a game show, and said he was encouraged to apply after seeing one of his friends on “Let’s Make a Deal.” Taylor said his energy and enthusiasm during an interview with the show’s producers helped him be chosen.
“It was an exciting experience,” he said. “It was really cool to see behind the scenes what it takes to produce a TV show, for example, seeing the cameras and the set crew. Meeting the host Wayne Brady was a highlight.”
And why did he dress as a boombox?
“I wanted a fun costume, something different and I love music,” Taylor said. “The boombox lights up so I thought I would get noticed to be selected as a contestant.”
