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I am taking this page to share with you comments, mail, and emails I've gotten regarding the book and the recent article in Esquire Magazine.
Let me mention the Esquire Magazine article first. Chris Jones is an amazing writer. I love his work and he researched and wrote a great article. Thank you - Chris Jones. I mentioned both Ted and Drew Carey in the book in, what I thought was, a very positive manner. I've gotten many emails after the article was printed asking if I feel the same way about Ted and Drew Carey now that I've read the Esquire article. Yes, I do. I believe Ted is an honorable man and Drew Carey was caught in a most awkward spot. Although after reading the article, I believe now Drew does have a "Terry Kniess" dartboard on his dressing room wall. It should be noted Drew was interviewed prior my interview and may not have known about some of my background. That may or may not change his opinion of me. His reaction was that of a person under a great deal of pressure. I understand it and respect it. I do not know if he has read the book and I sincerely doubt if he'll ever call and tell me, let alone send me a Christmas Card.
The most common comment I get about the book is, "Chapter 3 makes me cry." You can only imagine how hard it was for me to detail that part of the story. To this day I cannot read that Chapter and probably never will be able to again. I thank all of you for your condolences.
As I mentioned early on in the book, if you believe in a conspiracy theory nothing I write will probably change your mind. I was certainly right about that. I've had several people continue to call me, let's just say, some less than honorable things. I'm okay about that because everybody is entitled to his or her opinion.
In an interview shortly before the book was published Drew Carey made a statement about the 'perfect showcase bid' show was a "dark day" in the history of TPiR. I, in some ways, can understand this because of the way he got blitzed by some in the media. The treatment he got was most unfair and certainly unjustified. I hope someday he'll look back on it in a different light.
My niece, Jodi, and I got together Thanksgiving week in 2008. We talked about our respective shows and compared what had happened on each. Neither had aired yet and the book, I did not want to write, then became a necessity. Linda and I were driving home looking at each other totally shocked by the bizarre events of both shows. We knew as soon as any connection to Jodi and me was made, the rumours would fly. Up until 24 hours after my show aired, I thought everything was simply fine and life was good. It's amazing how some people can so quickly turn a fun event into a nightmare. My lessons from this are great isn't always good and bad isn't always horrible.
Throughout my life, I've heard repeatedly, "Everything happens for a reason." I've even said it myself to people, but quite honestly I wasn't really sure I believed it. It's most often used when something bad happens to someone you care about and you really want to try and make that person feel better. It's been nearly two years since we lost Krystal and headed into 1-1/2 years since The Price is Right event. I can now see, looking back over my entire life, everything has happened for a reason.
Just a few days ago a person I just met and I were talking about the show and all of the oddities surrounding it. She made the kindest and most heart warming statement to date. She said, "Your win was Krystal's gift to you." I can only hope I was as good to Krystal as she has been to me.