As soon as James Shuls became the proud owner of a new metal detector, he kissed a man.

And he did it in front of an audience.

Shuls, junior elementary education major, was an audience member on “The Price is Right” and made it to the elusive contestants row.

“When I heard my name called out, I was completely shocked,” Shuls said. “I jumped up into the air.”

“Barker’s Beauties” presented the metal detector to contestants.

A large group of friends did their best to help the Missouri Southern student out: “400, 400.” Behind all the screaming numbers and hand signals, Shuls didn’t realize his friends were actually yelling out “1,400.”

“Four hundred,” Shuls said to Bob Barker, the game show’s long-standing host.

The “mistake” made Shuls a winner. All the contestants, except him, had over bid.

“I didn’t know I won,” he said. “A little blue light in front of me started shining.”

As Shuls ran up on stage, he decided it was best to share his gratitude to Barker.

“I remembered all the ladies give Bob a kiss on the cheek,” he said. “I didn’t want to get left out.”

And that’s what he did. He kissed Bob Barker on the cheek.

“I don’t remember what his reaction was,” Shuls said. “My memories are a little hazy.”

It was a whirl-wind ride just to get on the show. He and a large group of students from Campus Crusade for Christ made a trip to Southern California for a summer retreat. The group of students stood in line for almost 12 hours.

“We played games and took turns walking around L.A.,” Shuls said.

Once they received their tickets, they had to wait in yet another line. A couple of hours later, Shuls and the rest of the group went into the studios for group interviews. The hopeful contestants stated their names and where they were from.

As Shuls remembers, he gave them his game show voice.

“Hey, I’m James and I’m a student at Missouri Southern State University.”

Organizers with the show continued asking questions. One organizer went back to Shuls.

“Are you with all these students?” he asked Shuls.

He wanted to tell the truth. But at the same time, he didn’t want to reduce his chances of getting on the show either.

“I didn’t want to lie, so I told him we all went to different colleges,” Shuls said.

The organizer quickly responded: “OK, I believe you.”

The response excited Shuls and the rest of the Campus Crusade crew. It’s rumored around “The Price is Right” that an “I believe you” response is a confirmation for being selected from the audience.

“I was so nervous; a lot of people thought I would be chosen,” he said.

As Shuls went back to remembering his story with Bob, the metal detector and his string of luck, he said before his appearance on the game show that he rarely watched the television program, but now he’s a fan.

“I was playing for a brand new bedroom set,” he said. “I don’t remember how much it was worth.”

Shuls played the Mountain Climber game, where the objective is to guess the correct prices to a few items. Bad guess – the climber hikes higher and higher toward a cliff. Good guess – the climber stays put. The first prize was a tin water pitcher.

He guessed $7.

“The climber dude started climbing,” he said.

The actual price was $18. The next prize was a special edition King Kong DVD and a tool set. He was off by more than $20.

“The climber wasn’t slowing down,” he said. “I lost really bad.”

Although the Southern student was defeated by poor guesses, Shuls was still a crowd favorite. He was first to spin the “Big Wheel.” His first spin was 25 cents.

“I think I’ll stay Bob.”

Audience members started booing.

“Just joking Bob,” he said as he lightly hit Barker on the arm.

His final spin was 50 cents, making his two spins a respectable 75 cents. The next contestant in line drew two 45- cent spins eliminating Shuls.

“I lost, but I was definitely a fan favorite,” he said. “In the parking lot after the show, a bunch of girls yelled out to me, ‘We love you, James.'”

When all the madness slowed down, and Shuls was back in Missouri, he had a big question to ask his fiancée, Crissy Capshaw.

“Would you consider it cheating if I kissed Bob Barker?” he said to Capshaw.

Capshaw, senior secondary education major, just laughed at the question. She was still getting over how he even made it to the show.

“He told me the entire story,” Capshaw said. “It was hilarious.”

Shuls told her the bedroom wasn’t anything too special. She said when she watches the show, she will take a close look at the bedroom set that wasn’t worth fighting for.

“That bedroom set would have been perfect since we’re getting married in July,” she said.

In the end, Shuls was happy about his experience. He’s the proud owner of a metal detector, has a special edition King Kong DVD and a water container.

The episode airs Wednesday at 10 a.m. on CBS.

Even though Shuls lost, he said it’s OK. He’s just grateful for the opportunity.

“I really don’t care about losing,” he said. “It was just so amazing that I was on.”