SACRAMENTO – Fall may be upon us and with it, cooler weather, but the temperatures inside the Big Spin® studio remained toasty as contestants got on a hot streak and took home more than $240,000. The show aired statewide Saturday, November 11, 2006.
Gary Patino, an IRS worker from Fresno, is one man who will promptly pay his taxes on his $70,000 prize from the Fantasy 5 Dream Machine. He almost didn’t send in his Dream Machine coupon. “My wife didn’t understand why I wanted to send in my Fantasy 5 Dream Machine coupon. I see it as a 37 cent investment that paid off,” he said. Mr. Patino plans to put the money away for his daughter’s education and take a family trip to Disneyland.
Jaime Garcia, of Modesto, also cleaned up on the Fantasy 5 Dream Machine with a $65,000 prize. “I couldn’t even breathe when I found out I would be on the show,” said Mr. Garcia. A family man and father of three, he would like to put his prize toward a home closer to his son in Sacramento.
Maria Diaz, a University of Southern California Student from Riverside, rounded out the trio of Fantasy 5 Dream Machine players. Ms. Diaz was too shy to appear on television so she sent her mother, Rose Diaz, in her place and won $55,000. “My mother will have all the glory and we’ll share the prize,” said Maria. She plans to use her share of the money to pay for graduate studies while her mother would like to remodel her kitchen.
Anthony Valdez, this week’s Aces High contestant, didn’t do too poorly either with his $30,000 prize. A Sears driver from Sylmar, Mr. Valdez bought his winning ticket while waiting for merchandize to load. “I want to get a house for my wife,” he said.
|
|
|
| Gary Patino |
Fresno |
$70,000 |
| Jaime Garcia |
Modesto |
$65,000 |
| Maria Elena Diaz |
Riverside |
$55,000 |
| Anthony Valdez |
Sylmar |
$30,000 |
| Beatiz Rosales |
Compton |
$5,000 |
| George Haslam |
Modesto |
$4,000 |
| Jose Manuel Real |
Van Nuys |
$2,500 |
| Earl McNeil |
San Diego |
$2,000 |
| Maria Pulido |
Livermore |
$2,000 |
| Blanca Mendoza |
Lodi |
$1,750 |
| Sabino Vargas, Jr. |
Huntington Park |
$1,750 |
| Ralph Joseph |
Tracy |
$1,750 |
| Tammijo Jones |
La Mesa |
$1,750 |
| |
TOTAL |
$242,500 |