December 18, 2003

New Hosts Announced for Ohio Lottery Game Show  

CLEVELAND – Ohio Lottery Executive Director Dennis Kennedy today announced Leilani Barrett of East Cleveland and Michelle Duda of Hilliard have been selected as the new hosts of Cash Explosion® Double Play, the Lottery’s weekly game show.  

“Over the past few months, we have made a number of behind the scene changes to the game show, most notably the production vendor and the taping schedules,” Kennedy said. “Now we’re looking to broaden the appeal of the show with some changes to the set and the introduction of new hosts.”  

Kennedy added that the pending changes to the game show are only cosmetic. The Cash Explosion instant ticket, the drawings for contestants and the game play on the show will remain exactly the same. Cash Explosion® Double Play is one of the nation’s first Lottery game shows and has been airing in every Ohio media market for almost 17 years.  

Barrett has appeared throughout Ohio on stage and in television.  As an actor Barrett has performed in Shakespeare plays as well as Broadway-style musicals. His improvisational skills landed him a regular role at Second City-Cleveland and his voice-over talents can be heard in commercials on radio and television. In addition to acting, Barrett regularly works with children to teach the importance of theatre and music. 

Duda is a self-employed copywriter/producer working with various clients in video, print, interactive and music applications. She also works as a correspondent for Columbus Monthly magazine, and for three years was a resident anthem singer during the Columbus Blue Jackets hockey season. A singer since the age of four, Duda has performed with pop, blues and big band ensembles as well as the Columbus performance group Vaud-Villities.  

Ohio’s first opportunity to see Barrett and Duda will be on February 14, 2004 as they host the Ohio Lottery’s “$5 Million Top Prize Drawing” (TPD) show. As the new hosts of Cash Explosion® Double Play, their first appearance will air on February 21, 2004 .  

Barrett and Duda are replacing long-time Cash Explosion hosts Paul Tapie and Sharon Bicknell who each have more than ten years with the Lottery show. John E. Douglas, the show’s announcer will continue to introduce contestants and Ohio Lottery product promotions.  

“Paul and Sharon will remain very close friends of the Ohio Lottery, and we certainly offer our appreciation and best wishes,” Kennedy said.  

Game show vendor Mills James Productions of Columbus conducted an extensive talent search with agencies in Ohio , Indiana and Pennsylvania . The selection of Barrett and Duda comes after reviewing more than 160 live and taped auditions.

As one of the most popular and recognizable Ohio Lottery games, Cash Explosion instant tickets average $1 million in sales each week. In 1993, sales for the game topped out at more than $137 million or $2.6 million per week.

Since 1987, more than 7,000 people have appeared on the game show and have won more than $90 million in cash. In 2002 the Lottery added a “Play at Home” feature to allow those who watch Cash Explosion® Double Play the chance to win money from home.

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