Mathews, who admitted to having watched the show since she was five years old, said it was a great way to cap off the weeklong Jiffy Lube trade show and to unwind with her friend and their moms.
"It was on my mom's 'bucket list' to see the show and be in the audience, and we got to meet Drew Carey," Mathews said. "It was on a Sunday, and we were there for six hours. But, it was fun, and time flew by."
While it was Mathews and not her mother who was called down, everyone was ecstatic that one of them made it that far.
"No one knows who is going to be called to be a contestant, but everyone in the audience has a chance," Mathews explained while revealing the selection process. "It begins with you filling out paperwork and getting your iconic yellow name tag and contestant number. They take your photograph in front of a green screen, and that is when you can show off your energy."
Somber and demure contestants aren't what the producers are looking for, in other words. Instead, those who show a lot of energy and are having fun are more likely to be called upon.
"The next step was with Stan Blits, who has been selecting contestants for 35 years," Mathews said. "He literally lines up everyone and asks a ton of questions, and it is clear he is looking for people who are energetic."
Mathews may have impressed Blits when she told him that riding dirt bikes was amongst her hobbies.
"He said, 'maybe you'll win a dirt bike,' and his assistant took note of that. We were all so happy that one of us made it," explained Mathews, who began her career in the automotive industry in 2000 when she started working in the production warehouse doing everything from packaging to driving forklifts to quality control.