Local Jif contest winner to be on Nickelodeon's "Figure It Out"
The legend of the Peanut Butter Sandwich champ lives on.
Mallory Russell, the Hilton Head Island student who won the Jif Most Creative Sandwich contest, will make an appearance on Nickelodeon's "Figure It Out" at 7 p.m. Aug. 10.
"Figure It Out" is based on the long-running games show "What's My Line?" In the Nick version, a panel of judges try to guess a young contestant's special skill or achievement. Judges are given clues and have to ask questions to determine what makes the contestant unique.
You'll have to wait and see if the panel could figure out the 8-year-old's claim to fame.
Mallory became a local celebrity earlier this year when her P-Nutty BBQ Chicken Quesadilla won the Jif contest and netted her $35,000 for college. The family thought her run on television was over after Mallory made an appearance on NBC's "Today Show" with the other finalists.
About a month later, her father, Chris, got the call on a Friday evening. Nick producers were seeking guests for the show and stumbled across Mallory's accomplishments. Chris talked it over with his wife, Tonya, and Mallory. Thinking it'd be a fun trip, they called the producer back, "What time do you need us?"
The next day.
Just eight hours after filing paperwork Mallory and her mother were en route to Los Angeles. They woke up early Sunday, while it was still dark out Mallory remembers, and spent the afternoon at the studio.
"It was tiring, but it was fun," Mallory said. "There was a lot of waiting."
Contestants have to last three rounds with the Nick celebrity judges to win the big prizes. Mallory can say that she was not doused in slime, the green goo that falls from above whenever someone mistakenly says a secret word or action, but did have an encounter with someone else who got drenched. In case you're curious, it's "very smelly."
After coming home, she's trying to get life back to normal. She entered the contest on a whim and before she knew it she was the center of attention. Students at Hilton Head Island Elementary School for the Creative Arts surprised her with roses and balloons when she and her twin brother Lathan came to school. She gave numerous interviews and made the sandwich on TV.
She's even been approached in public. A woman recognized her while she was dining with her family at Mi Tierra and came over to say hello. Mallory said she's had fun over the last few months, but she's ready to return to life as a regular third-grader.
She keeps in mind that fame could be worse. Before going to L.A., she had a question for her dad about the consequences of appearing on Nickelodeon:
"Are there going to be paparazzi?"
"No," Chris said, "I don't think we'll have to worry about that."
"BBQ-peanut butter quesadilla wins Hilton Head student $35,000 in Jif recipe contest"
"Hilton Head Island second-grader national finalist in JIF recipe contest"
This story was originally published August 6, 2012 at 12:01 AM with the headline "Local Jif contest winner to be on Nickelodeon's "Figure It Out"."