Today show viewer opens up about $40K cash giveaway "nightmare"
<p>Jenny Baker says she was extremely distressed after she claims there were technical difficulties which made her lose out on the <em>Today </em>show’s $40,000 cash giveaway.</p>
<p>The Nine breakfast show hosts a call-in competition called the “Mega-Cash-a-Roo Giveaway” every morning where in order to win, viewers text a code word given to them on each episode every day.</p>
<p>The hosts ring a random phone number, where the viewer must answer within three rings and say, “I wake up with <em>Today</em>.”</p>
<p>If the caller does not answer within three rings, miss the call or say a wrong word, the price is rolled over to the episode the next day and the cash prize is increased by $10,000.</p>
<p>On Thursday morning after seeing the “No Caller ID” call come on her phone, Jenny says she followed the instructions perfectly – only to be shut down.</p>
<p>“I could not believe it, I was sitting down with my mobile in hand and I [picked it up] and said, ‘I wake up with <em>Today</em>!’ and nobody answered,” she told <a href="https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/tv/morning-shows/today-viewer-opens-up-about-40k-cash-giveaway-nightmare/news-story/9d7cdd9fc8571c310ca6d890decfdc3a">News.com.au</a>. “It was dead silent.”</p>
<p>She says in a panicked state she tried again after there was no response from the show's hosts.</p>
<p>“I said again, ‘I wake up with <em>Today</em>!’ and nobody was there at all, and then I heard them say, ‘Jenny Baker’ a couple of seconds later on TV, so I go, ‘I wake up with <em>Today</em>, please, please don’t hang up on me!’ And then the line went dead.”</p>
<p>“No, unfortunately it wasn't the words we needed,' said co-anchor Georgie Gardner as the call was quickly disconnected. “So close but so far!”</p>
<p>The 55-year old Mackay-based woman says she was “bawling” after the call ended and she knew she missed out on the whopping cash prize.</p>
<p>“I nearly collapsed, I was bawling my head off,” she said.</p>
<p>“I was a mess all day,” she continued. “Forty-thousand dollars. I don't work, I get $120 a fortnight to look after my mum as a carer, my husband was made redundant two years ago… Forty grand to me is huge.”</p>
<p>A spokesperson for the <em>Today</em> show told <a href="https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/tv/morning-shows/today-viewer-opens-up-about-40k-cash-giveaway-nightmare/news-story/9d7cdd9fc8571c310ca6d890decfdc3a">News.com.au, </a>Nine can only award money to a winner who is heard saying the correct sentence on air.</p>
<p>“We hope our viewers win each and every day and we know they are all deserving of the prize, but to ensure a fair competition we have to abide by the terms and conditions each time.</p>
<p>“Viewers have three dial rings to answer and must clearly say the words ‘I wake up with <em>Today</em>.’</p>
<p>“The hosts hear what the control room hears — if there is a slightly ropy phone connection and we don’t hear the words ‘I wake up with <em>Today</em>’, then we cannot award the money. The hosts heard A word sadly — that’s it … Had they heard the SENTENCE we would have loved Jenny to win the money.”</p>
<p>Have you ever won money from a TV or radio show?</p>
