Your updated lede sentence is now insane.

The cars are delivered through dealerships. A new car loan of $5,000 is easy to cover taxes. Or, conversely, he could ask the dealership to buy the car from him there without taking delivery.

The cars are delivered through dealerships. Not through the TPIR production company. He easily could have taken out a small new car loan there to cover that... or asked the dealership to buy him out of the car right there.

His choice wasn’t between $1,500 or the car. The other possible rolls were $500 or $1000 or $1500 (again). His risk of going home with nothing was zero. After taxes let’s put the value of the car at $15,000. That means the average value of a roll is ($15k+$15K+$15K+$1500+$1000+$500)/6 is $8,000. And he had two rolls…

There are a couple of elements you didn’t explain about the reality of reality television.

Matt,

Go read the story. It puts the idea of reasons for being in context.

Go ahead. Call bullshit.