LADY RED CLAWS DANCER
GETS DEAL OF A LIFETIME

Chance Meeting Leads to 16 Episodes as Lucky Case #13 on NBC’s Deal or No Deal

PORTLAND, ME – Jenny Letendre may be small in stature, but the Lady Red Claws dancer is big on personality. It’s the reason the petite brunette gets noticed while performing at Red Claws games. It is also the reason she got plucked from the crowd by a Deal or No Deal producer during an open audition held last August at Quirk Chevrolet in Portland.

The Lady Red Claws attended the event to help raise money for the Maine Red Claws Foundation and to entertain the long lines of people waiting to audition for the popular NBC game show. During the Quirk event, the effusive Letendre found herself in a conversation with one of the Deal or No Deal producers.

“About 30 seconds before we were scheduled to dance, I introduced myself to someone who turned out to be the producer,” said Letendre. “He found it absolutely hilarious that I'm standing there talking to him while five of my fellow dancers are franticly yelling my name because we were about to dance. Of course, I politely told him I had to dance and ran away.”

After being encouraged to audition for the show by a news crew on hand to cover the event, three of the Lady Red Claws remained after their appearance and stood at the back of the line.

“The producer saw me in line, and he sent me upstairs. I thought I was skipping the line to audition, but he sent me right to the next round!” she said. “About three weeks later I got a call and found out they wanted me.”

Letendre will appear on 16 episodes, which were filmed in Connecticut in October. The first episode aired January 26.

The Saco resident and graduate of Thornton Academy, is currently completing a nutritional science degree at the University of New Hampshire while also attending the University of New England for Organic Chemistry II. She plans to continue her education, aiming ultimately for a master’s degree in chemistry or a doctorate in physical therapy. A dance instructor at Terpsichore Dance in South Portland, Letendre is the assistant rehearsal director for the Thornton Academy Dance Company and a personal trainer at 24/7 Fitness at the Sportzone in Saco. She can be seen performing at all Maine Red Claws games with the Lady Red Claws dance team including this weekend when the Red Claws will play the Erie Bayhawks on Friday, January 29 and the Springfield Armor on Sunday, January 31.