Cynthia Yates is Grand Gimme Five Winner

Channel Five’s Annual Christmas Spectacular dazzled with performances from a host of Belizean talents in various genres of the performing arts.  But, the most anticipated segment of Friday’s show was the Gimme Five draw for the grand prize winner and while participants in the yearly raffle held their collective breaths, only one person emerged as the night’s biggest winner.  Cynthia Yates, an employee of Brothers Habet, is the lucky winner of a roundtrip ticket to the United States, courtesy of United Airlines.  With as many as forty tickets entered in the lottery and her eyes glued to the tube, Yates was pleasantly surprised when her phone rang.  She answered “Gimme Five” and walked away with the most coveted prize of the night.  She spoke with News Five today about the big win.

Cynthia Yates, Gimme 5 Winner

Cynthia Yates

“I put in, I buy ten dollars first and then I buy another ten dollars on Wednesday so that’s a total of twenty dollars. I participated for a couple of years when they use to use the house phones and when they changed to you can use cellular phone I think. I never won before, never won anything in my life. I watched the entire show on Friday and tried hard not to fall asleep. And when the phone ring I couldn’t believe it, I was watching the TV and watching the phone. I answered the phone and when I heard Marleni’s voice I thought to myself Cynthia this is your turn. I am so excited for my trip to anywhere in the U.S.A. and I said to myself California here I come. I have family there. As soon as I get m y vacation sometime next year, I was hoping it was for Christmas but time is too short so some time next year. I woke up my kids and my daughter told me mom calm down, I said calm down I am on channel 5 I am on Gimme 5 and I just won the grand prize.”

Yates will be making use of her ticket to travel abroad as soon as she is eligible for vacation.