You could say Roberta Casper's appearance on "The Price is Right" was almost heavenly.

"I got to see the Pope last year when he came to the U.S., and I thought that was an experience, but this is surreal," she said.

Casper, 62, of Brookline walked away as the grand-prize winner in an episode that aired Monday, outbidding other contestants to win a catamaran, home-theater entertainment system and a trip to Cannes, France.

"I've been to Canada and Mexico, but I've never been out of the U.S. other than those two places, that's why all I wanted was a trip," Casper said.

Casper auditioned for the show at the Rivers Casino in September. She had 30 seconds to explain on camera why she should "come on down."

"Everybody was really calm and cool," she said. "I stood up and started yelling and screaming and jumping up and down."

Her exuberance must have left an impression.

The show flew her to Los Angeles to tape an episode with host Drew Carey on Dec. 1. Casper said she and two other Pittsburghers were selected to sit in the audience, but no one knew who would be called to compete.

When Casper was among the first four contestants called, she lost it.

"If you watch the show — I was like a crazy maniac," she said.

Wearing a "Pittsburgh Loves You, Drew" T-shirt, Casper outguessed three other contestants to win the catamaran, then played the game "Lucky Seven" to try to win a Ford Mustang.

The game calls for a contestant, who is given $7, to guess the price of each numeral of an item — in Casper's case, the Mustang — and still have $1 remaining. The contestant is docked a dollar for each number he or she is off.

"I was $1 short, the story of my life," Casper said.

Still, she earned a chance to spin the big wheel and earn spot in the Showcase Showdown. She spun a 95, then bid $23,500 on her showcase of the Cannes trip and home-theater system.

"While (the announcer) was talking about all the gifts, I was thinking, 'I better bid on this because the next thing could be a new kitchen or a gym or something like that,' and I didn't want any of that, so I better grab this. I love everything that I won. I'm very blessed, very grateful."

She underbid by $2,063. The other contestant missed his showcase by more than $8,900.

Casper's sister-in-law Diane Hufnagel, who flew to the West Coast from Daytona Beach, Fla., to be with Casper, also walked away a winner.

"I made her a $20 bet that she would get called and win," said Hufnagel, 58. "At the end, I said I'll take that $20 now, and I bought a bottle of champagne, and we celebrated."

Casper brought her friends and family together yesterday for a watch party at Larry's Road House in the South Hills. She's also managed to catch her episode a few times online.

"Have I watched myself• About 37 times," Casper said.

"I'm an old lady, so I've been watching a few years," she added. "I never thought I would get on it."

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