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Michael always dreamed of going on a game show, hoping to win big enough to leave his job, and he figured Press Your Luck was the show to do it on. He taped the show, and studied the board hoping to determine exactly where the Whammys were hidden on the board, but he noticed something wrong with the other aspect of the board. The flashing light appeared to move around the board randomly, but Michael discovered it actually moved in fixed patterns. Futhermore, there were only five such patterns (or lists, as CBS technicians called them). In each list, each of the board's eighteen squares lit up once and only once. For illustrative purposes, we will number the squares clockwise, starting at the upper-left corner and identify each pattern by its starting square. The patterns are as follows:
3, 16, 13, 10, 18, 8, 6, 14, 7, 5, 15, 11, 17, 2, 12, 1, 9, 4
5, 18, 11, 13, 3, 6, 15, 7, 1, 9, 14, 16, 10, 2, 4, 12, 17, 8
11, 6, 10, 12, 1, 4, 14, 16, 2, 9, 17, 8, 13, 15, 3, 7, 18, 5
17, 10, 15, 13, 2, 8, 18, 16, 12, 3, 5, 11, 7, 4, 1, 9, 14, 6
18, 16, 10, 5, 11, 9, 2, 13, 17, 7, 4, 15, 12, 8, 6, 3, 1, 14
He then studied the patterns, paying particular attention to where squares 4 and 8 appear in each. In round 2, all the slides in these two squares not only contain money, but additional spins, and these spaces are the key to Michael's plan to break the bank.
After buying a 65¢ shirt at a thrift store and borrowing money to buy a plane ticket, Michael flew to Los Angeles for the contestant auditions in early 1984. The interviews were conducted by head contestant coordinator Bob Edwards and executive producer Bill Carruthers. Edwards saw something in Michael he didn't like, but Carruthers, who had the final say, accepted the application. On Saturday, May 19, 1984, Michael returned to CBS Television City for a regular taping of five episodes. Ed Long, a minister called for the fourth show of the day, had auditioned right before Michael and recognized him from the tryouts. Finally, Michael was called for the fifth and final show, along with dental assistant Janie Litras, who noticed a creepy look in his eyes as they were waiting in the green room. Ed was the third player, having won his game with $11,516.
Janie, who later said she came on the show for the trivia aspect, aced the first question round, earning ten spins out of a possible twelve. Michael's lone buzz-in chance was a classic case of premature-buzz-in-type-bad-answer, and he was left with just three spins, giving him the right to spin first.
BONUS ROUND
"I think we're in a rut."
-- Peter, after Ed hits $1,250 on his opening spin--the third straight spin that amount was hit
Spin #1: $0, 3 spins: Michael held back his prowess on this spin and paid for it, landing on a Whammy in square 17.
Spin #2: $0, 2 spins: Writing off that first spin as practice, Michael continues to play along but keeps an eye on the flashing light. This time, as pattern 3 ends he lands on square 4 for $1250.
Spin #3: $1250, 1 spin: Pattern 3 comes up again, and Michael dispenses with the familar plea of "Big bucks, no Whammys", and he lands on square 4 for $1250 again. He finishes his turn with $2,500.
Ed also got $1250 on his first spin didn't look back, ending his turn with $2,950. Janie built up $4,608 before passing her last two spins to Ed, who landed on square 15 both times for $550 each. At the end of the round, Janie led Ed $4,608 to $4,050 and won the right to spin last in round 2, but little did she know that it wouldn't be much of an advantage after all...
The second question round got off to a slow start. All three players missed the first question, and Michael and Janie needed the multiple choice to score on the second question. With only two spins among the three players, Peter is seen putting down his stack of cards and picking up another before reading the third question. According to Whammy! development manager Mandel Ilagan, Peter was instructed to switch to an "alternate" stack of questions, which are generally easier, to help increase the spin counts. Sure enough, all three players got the last two questions right, and Michael's technique of interlocking both hands over the buzzer (Ed and Janie, like almost all PYL contestants, used one hand) allowed him to pick up six spins on those last two. With seven spins to Ed's two and Janie's three, it's time to see just how big the big bucks can get on Press Your Luck.
BONUS ROUND
"Alright, this is it! Boys and girls, hipsters, flipsters, and finger-papping daddies, lend me your lobes."
-- Peter's first words coming out of commercial
With the lowest score in round 1, Michael is the first to take his turn in round 2. He has the big board right where he wants it. The number in parentheses after each spin indicates the pattern in progress when Michael stops the board.
Spin #1: $2500, 7 spins: Michael doesn't even bother to say "stop", landing on square 4 for $4000 + one spin. (18)
Spin #2: $6500, 7 spins: Michael does his last spin one better for $5000 + one spin in 4. (17)
Spin #3: $11500, 7 spins: Pattern 11 starts, and this time Michael switches to 8 for $1000 + one spin. (11)
Spin #4: $12500, 7 spins: After Peter says, "You haven't lost a spin," Michael responds, "I ain't never losing 'em." He was proven wrong as he stops the board one step early and lands on a trip to Kauai in 7. (18)
Spin #5: $14136, 6 spins: Pattern 17 comes up again, and Michael regains his rhythm, returning to 4 for $4000 + one spin. (17)
Spin #6: $18136, 6 spins: $500 + one spin in 8. (11)
Spin #7: $18636, 6 spins: Pattern 11 comes up again, but Michael stops one step early, landing on 17 for $700 + one spin. (11)
Spin #8: $19336, 6 spins: This was the Home Player Spin, and Michael doesn't disappoint, landing on 8 for $1000 + one spin and winning $1,000 for a home viewer. (11)
Spin #9: $20336, 6 spins: It was at this point where Michael shows his first sign of nerves. He lets pattern 18 pass, then as pattern 5 completes, he shakes his head and chuckles. Finally, he settles down and stops on 8 for $750 + one spin. (11)
Spin #10: $21086, 6 spins: Pattern 5 passes, but when Michael sees the light go to 17 twice in three steps, he knows what's coming--$5000 + one spin in 4. (17)
Spin #11: $26086, 6 spins: Michael really waits this one out, letting 18 pass, then letting 5 pass. While the board cycles through 18 a second time, he lets the light pass by 4 and finally stops on Pick a Corner in square 6. Given the choice of $2250, $1500 + one spin, and $2000, he immediately takes $2250. (18)
Spin #12: $28336, 5 spins: Pattern 17 finally comes back up, but again Michael stops one step early, landing on a sailboat in 7. (17)
Spin #13: $29351, 4 spins: Peter looks ready to faint as the board starts again. As Michael lets pattern 18 pass, Peter says "This is why we call it Press Your Luck!" Pattern 3 finally comes up again and when Michael lands on $3000 + one spin, he immediately starts celebrating. (3)
Spin #14: $32351, 4 spins: Pattern 11 passes, then 5 plays out, but when 11 comes up again, Michael stops it this time for $500 + one spin. (11)
Spin #15: $32851, 4 spins: After letting pattern 3 pass, Michael recognizes 17, and cashes in for $4000 + one spin. Janie claps in disbelief, while Ed hides his head. (17)
After 40 spins, Michael did what no daytime game show contestant had ever done in a single game--broke $100,000. Having done what he set out to do, he passed his remaining four spins to Janie, then raised his arms in triumph, thinking the pressure was off. It's on for Ed and Janie now. "Man. I don't know about this, Peter," Ed said as his took his first spin--and sure enough, he hit a Whammy. With one spin left, Ed does get $5000 + one spin twice, but another Whammy snuffs his comeback bid. After 44 spins, it was finally Janie's turn, but the Whammy was waiting for her as well. But little by little, Janie accumulated $9,385 before saying the word Michael least wanted to hear--"pass".
Spin #41: $102,851, 3 spins passed: Michael didn't want the three spins, but he had to take them. But he didn't miss a beat, landing on $4000 + one spin. (18) Janie squeals, knowing her strategy may have backfired.
Spin #42: $106,851, 2 spins passed, 1 spin earned: Michael almost always caught pattern 3, but this time, it slips by. Although he landed on square 8 as planned for $750 + one spin, he looks worried. (11)
Spin #43: $107,601, 1 spin passed, 2 spins earned: After letting pattern 17 pass, Michael had all but lost his train of thought and now, for the first time, he really was pressing his luck. He stopped the board one step early onto square 17, which just switched from $700 + one spin to a trip to the Bahamas (Peter: "With that money, you could buy the Bahamas!"). Lucky for him, because the other slide in the square was--you guessed it--a Whammy. (11)
Having come dangerously close to losing over $107,000, Michael was done pressing his luck and, without hesitation, passed the two spins he earned back to Janie. She hits $750 in square 5, leaving her still over $100,000 away with one passed spin left. "Extra spin or bust" is the ultimate understatement, but she couldn't pull it off, pulling the light into square 15 for a Mexican cruise. Peter says, "What's the difference?", but according to Todd Hunter, the most expensive Mexican cruise offered on PYL was valued at $4,140. Fourteen-thousand-plus would have been enough to win on most other days, but this day was all about Michael Larson. Michael turned to Ed and said, "I didn't want to do it to you."
"How does it feel to be the part owner of CBS?"
-- Peter, during his postgame interview with Michael
Michael's winnings included two vacations, a sailboat, and a staggering $104,950 in cash. His grand total of $110,237 was not only the highest in PYL history, but it was also remains the highest single-game total in daytime television history to this day. In fact, it remained the all-time highest single-game non-tournament record in all of American game show history until the U.S. premiere of Who Wants to be a Millionaire. CBS Standards and Practices tried to deny Michael his money, but they couldn't prove his methods were illegal. Robert Noah, creator of Twenty One who executive produced NBC's $ale of the Century in 1984, told TV Guide in 1994 that like a card counter in blackjack, there was no rules stating you couldn't pay attention. Michael got his money, and CBS ran the game as a two-part special on June 8 and 11, 1984. Soon after, CBS took safeguards against any future Larson-y (no pun intended) by discarding the original five lists and reprogramming a new set of 32 lists. Despite being cited as a "Jump the Shark" moment, PYL continued to run on CBS until September 1986.
As for Michael, his winnings were pretty much divided into thirds. The first third was his taxes, and the second third went into real estate. However, he lost his investment very quickly. He withdrew the remainder in $1 bills hoping to win a radio contest, but it was all stolen that holiday season. Soon after, he was removed from his house by his wife and persued by the SEC for security fraud during his real-estate deals. He spent most of the rest of his life on the lam, but he made one more interview with ABC's Good Morning America shortly after the movie Quiz Show brought game show scandals back into the limelight. But Michael brought something else besides legal problems to the interview--throat cancer. He never recovered, and in February 1999, Paul Michael Larson lost his battle at the age of 49. Somewhere, somehow, the Whammy got his revenge.
Stop at the Whammy Warehouse!
