Winning it in a minute
Boy meets girl; boy and girl fall in love; boy and girl win at least a quarter of a million dollars on nationally televised game show.
Aaron Hedrick and Kimberly Fox, both 29, have been together for 3 1/2 years and are looking to get married. They figured they needed $50,000 to make their dream wedding a reality.
Well, they got that and some extra pocket change, all for completing difficult tasks with simple household items in less than a minute.
Hedrick, a 1998 La Cañada High School graduate, and Fox have gained national attention after dominating on NBC’s “Minute to Win It” on July 14, winning $250,000 of guaranteed money.
The couple went on to play for half a million last night and possibly even $1 million. Hedrick and Fox were unavailable for comment because of a nondisclosure agreement they signed with the program. Their past two episodes can be viewed online.
“I didn’t believe it when he first told me he was going to be on the show,” said Steve Hedrick, Aaron’s dad. “You don’t think about those kind of things until they happen.”
Before they appeared on the show, the couple trained themselves for all the games they could be asked to complete. They bought cotton balls, pencils, cards, eggs, cherries and whatever else they could think of to help them practice.
“They practiced a lot at home, but there are 80 to 100 different games so you don’t know what is going to be thrown at you,” Steve Hedrick said.
When Aaron was younger, he was nicknamed “Monkey” because he was so acrobatic, standing on his head, walking on his hands, swinging and doing flips on his trampoline back home. He was also tech-savvy, reprogramming his dad’s new computer when he was just 4.
“He has always been a gamer and very athletic,” Steve Hedrick said. “When I first saw the show I thought it would be perfect for him.”
Turns out Steve was right.
“They are both very skilled,” said Aaron’s mom, Diane Hedrick. “I realized luck has to be with you on a show like that too, though. There is so much pressure and excitement going on.”
Guy Fieri, host of “Minute to Win It” and celebrity chef, said Hedrick and Fox made it all look way too easy as they finished most tasks with 30 seconds or more still left on the clock. Aaron Hedrick completed one task in three seconds on his first try.
“We’ve never seen it like that before, on the first try,” Guy Fieri said after Hedrick’s three-second feat. “I don’t even know what to say. When you’re at home trying these challenges, don’t be discouraged; they’re superhuman.”
Steve and Diane Hedrick were both in the studio audience to cheer the young couple on.
“It was pretty thrilling,” Steve Hedrick said. “I couldn’t get the smile off my face the entire time. You just sit there on the edge of your seat watching them compete, and when they complete the games, sometimes in record times, you just bolt out of your seat.”
Diane Hedrick said the couple will probably start looking for a house with the “bonus” they received, because they live in an apartment.
“We are just so excited for them,” she said. “They are just a wonderful complement to each other, and we are thrilled because they deserve this great opportunity to start their life together.”