Playing with SAFM Adelaide’s breakfast hosts Bec & Soda, Shondell was among 48 other Adelaide listeners who were vying for the $50,000 today, Wednesday 13 September.
The game of $50k Alphabucks required Shondell to get ten answers correct all starting with the same letter within 30 seconds. The order of play was drawn at random and the set of Alphabucks questions were also blindly chosen by the listener, she selected the letter S and was the 13th listener to play. Players were not allowed to repeat an answer.
The competition results went to a team of SAFM adjudicators – including content director Alex Flack, who questioned Shondell’s answer, a vegetable starting with S, “spaghetti squash,” after much deliberation it was ruled she was indeed the $50,000 winner.
Shondell revealed it was her two little girls Ruby, 8, and Anya, 11, who have been helping mum to practice at home. Even crediting her daughter’s love for the vegetable spaghetti squash as what won her the cash prize.
Bec & Soda were thrilled the money went to such a worthy winner.
When Soda asked what would $50,000 do for you? Shondell said, “My dad has recently become an amputee, he’s lost his sight pretty much in both eyes.
“Mum has been the rock for him since that’s all happened, it means a lot, it means I can help now, I have never been able to help mum and dad at all.
“Dad’s got type two diabetes.
“A few years ago, he got a nasty infection after a couple of operations they weren’t able to save his foot, he ended up losing just below his knee down.”
“Mum takes him to all his physio, he still works, takes him to work, and makes sure he gets everything he needs, mum does everything for him.
“He lost his sight with a heart attack a few years back.
“There are a few bits and bobs he still needs just to make life around the house a bit easier. A new lounge that makes it easier to get him up and down during the day.”
Shondell describes her kids as her rock.
“My almost 12 year old, she’s about to go into high school, she’s a mini me. She’s as stubborn, as loud, as opinionated as me, she keeps me on my toes and grounded at the same time.
“My youngest is Ruby, she is the crazy one of our family, she saved me today… she is the light at the end of the tunnel for everything.”
She told me this morning, “Mummy you’ll be telling me when you pick me up that we will be able to help nanna and poppa.
“Ruby never asks for anything, always giving, never wanting. Both of my kids are like that.
“They’re always there to give and want the best for everyone, it’s a little proud mummy moment.”
When asked by Bec & Soda what she will buy for herself, Shondell replied, “I don’t really like buying myself stuff, I like to give and not to get.”
She called her sister Tracey to break the news of her windfall.
The game wasn’t short of drama, the SAFM team needed to run in a bottle of water to Shondell while she waited for the SAFM adjudicators to deliberate as she started to feel faint.
SAFM’s $50,000 Alphabucks has been played on Bec & Soda in Breakfast and in SAFM workday for the past 10 weeks. To win their way to play on today’s $50k Alphabucks Day, listeners had to win one of the minor Alphabucks rounds.
