Lanisha Diane Cole (born February 13, 1982 in Pasadena, California) is an American model and actress. To TV game show audiences, she is best known for her stints as a rotating model on The Price is Right during the eras of former host Bob Barker and now-current host Drew Carey and as Briefcase Model #15 (Season one) in the NBC game show Deal or No Deal. Cole is of Panamanian descent.
Lanisha's first TV appearance was appearing as substitute Barker's Beauty on The Price is Right beginning in late February, early March 2003, she was brought in as a temporary replacement for Claudia Jordan (then with Price at the time) and appeared off and on until Claudia departed from the show that December as Lanisha's role as Barker's Beauty expanded.
In addition to her appearances on The Price is Right, Cole soon switched gears as she went from being a Barker's Beauty to a briefcase model on Deal or No Deal reuniting her with Claudia. Lanisha joined the ranks of the briefcase models after it's season one premiere week in 2006, she stood beside Briefcase #15, where she would remain until after the first week of the show's second season as Briefcase #15 was first taken over by Keltie Martin for several weeks before Brooke Long took over the spot permanently.
Cole parted ways with Deal or No Deal after the first week of season two and a few short weeks later, she was back to being a Barker's Beauty on The Price is Right as the show soon went into a new transition: the departure of 35-year veteran host Bob Barker and the arrival of current host Drew Carey.
But while still appearing as a model on Price, Lanisha sometimes pulled double duty as she returned to opening briefcases on Deal or No Deal during it's third season on NBC. This time around, she appeared as a substitute briefcase model, subbing at six different briefcases - she subbed at Briefcases #2 for Stacey Gardner, #4 for Keltie Martin, #5 (briefly) for Ursula Mayes, #6 for Megan Abrigo, #10 (briefly) for Anya Monzikova, and #16 for Krissy Carlson. She also seen briefly as a Banker Model.
In 2010, Cole abruptly walked off the set The Price is Right for good after being sexually harassed by the show's executive producers Mike Richards and Adam Sandler (not the actors). She stated that she noticed the changing environment behind the scenes when Richards began showing favoritism for fellow Price is Right model Amber Lancaster, whom many believed has been involved in a romantic relationship with Richards and began shunning Cole and the other models. Sandler accosted her nearly nude (she was only wearing thong underwear) as he barged into her dressing room without knocking and began berating her for not wearing a microphone, deliberately humiliating her in front of her peers.
Upset, distraught and embarrassed by the incident, Cole decided that she could no longer be a part of the show after almost nine years as a model on The Price is Right, Lanisha departs and shortly afterwards, she filed a lawsuit against Richards and Sandler as well as FremantleMedia North America (host Drew Carey was not named in the suit) and the case was rumored to have either gone to trial or settled out of the courts.
After her stints on The Price is Right and Deal or No Deal, Cole joined the cast of the television series Fact or Faked: Paranormal Files.
She has also appeared in several hip hop and rap music videos and had a minor part in the 2004 movie Soul Plane where she played a bartender.
As of today, Lanisha is an accomplished photographer and opened up an art gallery. She is also engaged to be married to her now husband Rick Licht, who is non-black but the engagement didn't come lightly as she found herself on the receiving end of vicious backlash because of their interracial relationship prompting Lanisha to fire back at her haters on a very personal blog.
Cases[]
- Case 15 - Season 1~2 (until the Episode S2 E5)