Coshocton family is paying 'Ellen' show win forward

• Amy, Skylar and Jade Hasseman was in the audience for "Ellen" on May 16
• Taped episodes aired earlier this month, with Amy and Skylar playing Scary Go Round on one episode
• The pair won two TVs and Amy has plans to raffle hers to benefit Coshocton High School
• Skylar received tickets to the show after applying while staying in California recently

COSHOCTON – A Coshocton family who recently appeared on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” are taking the host’s pay-it-forward mentality to heart with a prize earned on the show. 

Amy Hasseman and her daughters, Skylar, 19, and Jade, 16, sat in on two tapings of the popular daytime talk show hosted by comedienne Ellen DeGeneres on May 16. The episodes aired May 17 and May 29.

Amy and Skylar appeared on the show in a game segment where they each won 55-inch televisions. The televisions were shipped to them from California.

Spinning good fortunes forward

While the family is keeping one TV, they plan to raffle off the other to raise funds for new cameras and other security upgrades to Coshocton High School. Amy said they chose to do this because of how DeGeneres encourages others to spin their good fortunes forward. Details about the raffle will be released once it has been finalized.

“Ellen’s whole premise is to be kind and help others,” Amy said.

Skylar recently spent a month in California exploring professional dancing and taking classes. She applied for tickets to various television shows and was told she was selected for “Ellen” shortly after returning home. It made an amazing Mother’s Day present and Amy was glad she could have such an experience with her daughters.

They originally flew into San Diego for some sightseeing. They then went to Carlsbad Caverns and took a train from there to Burbank where “Ellen” is filmed. 

The experience on 'Ellen'

Amy and Skylar didn’t get to talk with DeGeneres, but did hug her when they came out to play Scary Go Round. The pair fired balls from a cannon at another team as they attempted to traverse two spinning platforms to capture three large balls. Amy and Skylar then had balls shot at them. Mother and daughter completed the task in less time for the win. 

“At first, we were like this is going to be no problem at all. This is going to be so easy,” Skylar said. “Then we got the elbow pads and the knee pads and the helmets on and we were like ‘OK, this is real.’ By the end I was sweating, it was crazy.”

Amy believes Jade wasn’t chosen to play because she’s under 18, but she watched from the crowd and cheered her family on.

“I didn’t know when they were going to do it. So, I was just sitting there like ‘where is my mom and my sister,’” Jade said. “Then they came on and I was screaming and clapping.”

Jade competed in a dance contest in the audience and Skylar also got to dance with tWitch, DeGeneres’s DJ and sidekick.

The Hassemans saw interviews with actress Sandra Bullock and actor Jon Hamm and a musical performance from Shawn Mendes.

“There was a crazy energy. The atmosphere was really cool,” Skylar said of the tapings. “Everyone was so excited and happy. The vibe of the whole place was awesome.”

llhayhur@coshoctontribune.com
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