MRC LIVE & ALTERNATIVE AND POWERBALL REVEAL FIVE FINALISTS OF “POWERBALL FIRST MILLIONAIRE OF THE YEAR” PROMOTION

$1 Million Drawing to be Broadcast Live on “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2022” on ABC

LOS ANGELES, CA (December 1, 2021) – MRC Live & Alternative and POWERBALL® revealed today the five finalists in the “POWERBALL First Millionaire of the Year” promotion. For the third consecutive year, POWERBALL will hold a special drawing for the $1 million prize just after midnight ET on ABC’s broadcast of “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2022.”

The five finalists were randomly selected, in a preliminary drawing, from a national pool of lottery players who entered drawings and contests held by 29 U.S. lotteries. The five finalists moving on to the New Year’s drawing are LINDA PERKINS from Aurora, IL; AARON ROSE from Slaughter, LA; ROBERT LONG from Waterloo, IA, who represents a group of 22 lottery players called Lotto 22; BRIAN MINEWEASER from Honey Brook, PA; and SHARI BEENKEN from Titonka, IA. In addition to the chance to win $1 million, the five finalists were also awarded a $10,000 cash prize plus an at-home New Year’s Eve party package, including a 70-inch LED TV, a karaoke system, a premium laptop computer (with 20 mega-pixel digital camera, on-camera microphone, 19” ring light, and other accessories), a deluxe dinner for eight, $500 to spend at Party City, and more.

As previously announced, country artist Jessie James Decker will return as POWERBALL® correspondent for her third year and will provide live updates throughout the evening, checking in with finalists celebrating at their homes across the country, before revealing the “POWERBALL First Millionaire of the Year”just after midnight on January 1, 2022.

Participating lottery jurisdictions included Arizona, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana (Hoosier), Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virgin Islands, Vermont, and Washington D.C.

Last year, “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest” took viewers to each of the five finalists’ hometowns. Just after midnight, Carlos Mabry from Washington, D.C. was named the 2021 POWERBALL First Millionaire of the Year. In 2020, Blaine Marston from Passadumkeag, Maine was named the inaugural POWERBALL First Millionaire of the Year.

For more information on the “POWERBALL First Millionaire of the Year” promotion, please visit www.powerballrockineve.com. For the latest Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve news, exclusive content and more, follow NYRE on social (Facebook | Twitter | Instagram), on ABC sites (Facebook | Twitter | Instagram), online at newyearsrockineve.com and join the conversation by using the official hashtag for the show, #RockinEve.

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ABOUT JESSIE JAMES DECKER:

Singer, songwriter, TV personality, fashion designer, beauty and lifestyle influencer/entrepreneur and 2x New York Times best-selling author, Jessie James Decker has emerged as a multi-platform juggernaut juggling fashion brands like her personally designed Kittenish line with three retail stores and growing, along with her television hosting duties. Signed to Warner Music Nashville, Jessie’s passion for music has made the multi-talented artist one of music’s true breakout firebrands. The singer’s authentic style immediately captivated listeners everywhere on her 2009 self-titled debut. She continued to keep it real with her second studio album, 2017’s Southern Girl City Lights, which debuted at #1 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart. Now it’s onto a new musical chapter of growth and empowerment with The Woman I’ve Become EP, out now. Jessie lives with her husband, retired NFL player Eric Decker, and their three children, in Nashville, Tennessee.

About MRC Live & Alternative

MRC Live & Alternative is the world's largest producer and proprietor of televised live event entertainment programming with the "Academy of Country Music Awards," "American Music Awards," "Billboard Music Awards," "Golden Globe Awards," "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest" and the “Streamy Awards.” MRC Live & Alternative owns one of the world's most extensive and unique entertainment archive libraries with more than 60 years of award-winning shows, historic programs, specials, performances and legendary programming. For more information please visit: www.mrcentertainment.com.

About POWERBALL

It’s America’s Game! Since 1992, POWERBALL® has inspired the country with a chance to become a millionaire, while raising $25 billion for good causes supported by lotteries. On August 23, 2021, POWERBALL launched a new Monday drawing, which expanded the weekly lineup of POWERBALL drawings to three nights a week: Monday, Wednesday and Saturday. POWERBALL tickets are $2 per play. Tickets are sold in 45 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. More than half of all proceeds from the sale of a POWERBALL ticket remain in the jurisdiction where the ticket was sold. To date, POWERBALL holds the world record for largest jackpot set in 2016. The record $1.586 billion jackpot was shared by winners in California, Florida and Tennessee. For more information please visit: www.Powerball.com