Kimberly Carrier was having a rather ordinary day, plunked down on her couch.
She clicked through TV channels until 11 a.m. In just a few minutes, her husband, Travis, would be home for his lunch break to check on her.
The Harlan, Iowa, woman, 40, has celiac disease, a gluten intolerance disorder that makes her nauseated and fatigued. And every day at the same time, her hubby stops in to grab a bite to eat and to watch their favorite program, “The Jerry Springer Show.”
Since Carrier lost her warehouse job about a year ago, the couple had made the lunch date a regular thing.
Yes, watching Springer — a midday tabloid talk show host with outrageous guests — became an event in their house. And it eventually became an event with a big payday.
Some might question whether “The Jerry Springer Show” was much to get excited about, but Carrier wasn't one of them. Her steadfast Springer regime kept her sane during a difficult time. She lost nearly 30 pounds because her new gluten-free diet was so restrictive. She'd nibble on Jell-O and chicken breast during the show.
Springer provided a bit of escapism. No matter how hard her life got — weekly doctor appointments in Iowa City, losing her job, having the starter go out in her Chevy Lumina — her life wasn't nearly as crazy or messed up as those of Springer's guests.
Carrier watched the 20-something mom who didn't know which of the two men was her baby's daddy. The guy who cheated on his wife with a person he thought was another woman. The sugar daddy whose two girlfriends just found out about each other.
“You'd think they were actors,” Carrier said. “But they're not.”
The show became addicting. The guests' wild antics, catfights, “Jerry, Jerry, Jerry” chants and the “yo' mama” jokes at the close of the program were highlights.
Carrier paid special attention in November, when the show was having a contest for its 20th anniversary.
The word-of-the-day competition was held for a $20,000 online giveaway to thank faithful viewers.
Carrier had time on her hands. So after watching each day, she'd go online and enter the words she heard on the show: “trailer,” “pole,” “secret” and “security.”
“It was fun,” she said. “It made the show interactive.”
Earlier this month, she received a letter stating that she'd won the contest's big drawing. She was randomly selected from 35,000 entries to win the $20,000. The added bonus: She didn't have to go on the show to claim her prize. She got a check in the mail.
“It looked real,” she said. “We just didn't want to get our hopes up. It was almost too good to be true.”
Still skeptical, Carrier called the show to verify.
“I kept waiting on the phone for someone to say, ‘Psyche,'” she joked.
In fact, the TV show's representatives had to help her deposit the check. When Carrier tried to cash it, her Iowa bank pegged it as a phony.
“I can't blame them,” she said. “I knew it was real. So I didn't have any problem waiting for it.”
The big money was phenomenal news for the family. Carrier wasn't sure she would be able to give her 24-year-old son and 21-year-old daughter much for Christmas. She was collecting unemployment but received her last check last week.
“It couldn't have come at a better time,” she said.
She plans to get siding on their house, a new car starter, Christmas gifts for the kids and a new bed. She'll also pay off bills.
“It's been a godsend,” Carrier said.
To all those who scoffed at her lunch-date habits, she said: “It pays to watch Jerry.”
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