In Los Angeles last week for the National League of Cities’ annual conference, Greenwood Chief Administrative Officer Cynthia Stanciel and Mayor Carolyn McAdams took a short but rewarding side trip to watch a taping of “Ellen.”
Near the end of the show, Stanciel just couldn’t believe Ellen DeGeneres had called her name to play “What’s in the Box?,” Ellen’s own version of “Let’s Make a Deal.”
Stanciel made it down the aisle where Ellen was waiting, and she grabbed the microphone but at first was too nervous to speak.
She put her hand on Ellen’s cheek and told her, “You’re real.”
“Yes, I am,” Ellen said. “I am real.”
After Stanciel introduced herself and Mayor McAdams — always good form to introduce the boss on TV — Ellen was cued that the show was ending, so she gave Stanciel a prize without requiring her to play the game. And just like that, Stanciel had an Amazon card worth $2,000.
Stanciel has been a longtime Ellen fan.
“And I’m even more of an Ellen fan now,” she said, “especially because we got invited back to a ‘12 days of Christmas’ show, which is the most awesome show.”
The woman playing the game before Stanciel had picked a box that revealed everyone in the audience would be invited to come back for a taping of one of what are actually 15 days of Christmas shows in which audience members win trips, computers, clothing, shoes, gift cards and other prizes.
Stanciel hasn’t been told the exact date of her repeat appearance but is trying to figure out how to make it back to L.A. In the meantime, video of her moment in the spotlight has been shared and viewed thousands of times on social media, making Stanciel a local celebrity.
What about the $2,000? She’ll be regifting that to provide her niece, Markiyah Stanley, an honor student senior at Greenwood High School, with a laptop computer she can take with her to Mississippi State University next fall.
Will a story in the Commonwealth spoil the surprise?
“She’s not going to be surprised because she asked me for it,” Stanciel said.
•Contact Gavin Maliska at 581-7235 or gmaliska@gwcommonwealth.com.
