The Price IS Right! (Just Not for Me)

Editor's Note: While reading this blog post, I'd love if you could please hum the Price Is Right theme music. Here, I'll get you started: Da-da-dadaaaaa, da-da-dadaaaaa... etc. Thanks.

Hi there! If you're in a rush, here is the abbreviated version of this blog post:

(1) I went to the Price Is Right on Monday.
(2) I was not selected as a contestant, but...
(3) It was still really fun, and
(4) The episode is airing on TV on December 8th.

Now, here's the long story:

Did you know that the Price Is Right is taped on the CBS lot right next to The Grove in L.A.?? I learned that on Monday morning when I drove over there with my fabulous southern girl, Heather, and her husband, sister, and mom. (Her sister and mom were visiting from Louisiana, and since her sister is hands-down one of the most devoted fans of Price Is Right EVER, they got tickets to go to a taping, and happened to have an extra for me. Yay!!)

I have to say, I jumped at the chance to go to the show, and thanks to Tim sacrificing a day of homework for a day of babysitting, I was able to. (Thank you, thank you, my darling!!) Although I haven't been a loyal viewer for a while, I used to watch the show all the time when I was younger. Actually, I was probably irrationally obsessed for a little while, and I went through a brief phase where I knew all the games and most of the right answers. (For Heather's sister, Kate, on the other hand, that was the bulk of her childhood. She actually kept a book of episode summaries. Yeah... HARDCORE.)

Anyway, Heather and her three family members picked me up early in the morning, and we got to The Grove by about 7:45 AM. (We played practice pricing games in the car. You have to be prepared just in case!!) We didn't need to be at the studio until 8:30, so we hung out at the farmer's market and chatted about how nervous and excited we were. When we headed over to the CBS lot, a security guard checked our ID at the front gate, and then we walked to a large waiting area (Waiting Area #1, the first of three) where Heather checked in our group. Then we stood around and waited, while the pages in the red coats called people's ticket numbers. I chatted with a few very nice people, including a lady in a pink "Survivor" t-shirt (who ended up being next to us in line) and a bald guy in a bright green shirt (who also ended up being next to us in line, and who was there for the 8th time!). Oh, and people had AWESOME t-shirts. I didn't wear a special shirt, but I saw some pretty witty ones.

Finally they called our little group to join the line, and we waited again. After a while, a page (Adam the Nametag Guy) approached us and wrote our nametags for the show. We peeled off the backs and stuck them to our shirts. Then we continued to wait. Eventually we got to the front of the line to get our picture taken in front of a Price Is Right themed background (which they said we could view and purchase online if we wanted).

After the fake photo, we moved to Waiting Area #2. There, a red-coated page handed us a number card. We had to fill it out and return part of it, but keep the actual number. (They told us to stick it to our shirts next to the nametag, and then we removed it once we were in the studio just minutes before the show started taping.) That number was basically our identification number as an audience number. They also handed us a white card, on which we had to write something "interesting" about ourselves. I assumed it was to help them pick their contestants, but I wonder if anyone ever actually read those cards. When we were done, we turned it back in also. Meanwhile, another page was walking up and down the rows, taking a photo of each audience member. Overall, it was all very exciting at the time, but in retrospect (having NOT been selected), it seemed like a lot of nerve-wracking hoopla.

We spent most of the waiting time chatting with the awesome people around us, while feeling more and more nervous. That's because we were waiting for our turn to be "interviewed" (for about 10 seconds) by a producer, who we could see at the other end of the waiting area. Finally, it was our turn, and about 13 of us walked over to the producer (Stan the Perky Producer), where he walked down the line and asked us questions. He was very perky. VERY perky. When he got to me, he asked me what I did, and I said, "I'm a real estate researcher and a SAHM!" He didn't know what a "SAHM" was, so I told him, and he said he'd never heard that before. He said, "Well, thanks for coming to the show, SAHM!" I laughed heartily as he moved to the next person. (Websites say that you're supposed to be really excited and outgoing when you meet the producers, because supposedly it increases your chances of being selected. But really, you're pretty much just sucking up the whole time. Stan has the best job ever. Two shows tape each day, so 600 people suck up to him every day and laugh at everything he says, in the hopes of getting on the show. AWESOME.)

After cheering and clapping (on Stan's command), we moved to Waiting Area #3 (moo) and finally exhaled because we had all been so nervous and giddy about the mini-interview. We checked in cell phones (if we had them), and then sat and chatted with the people around us some more. At one point, Bald 8th-Time Guy told us to look beyond the waiting area, where a little red Mini Cooper had just parked. He said that was Drew Carey's car, and sure enough, the door opened and out stepped Mr. Carey. (Of course we all screamed and waved, and he waved back at us several times before walking into the studio.) By this time, it was almost noon, and at precisely 12:00, the pages opened the doors and we started filing into the studio. And guess where I got to sit.... GUESS. Yours truly scored the BEST SEAT IN THE HOUSE!!! The very, very, far back corner on the left-hand side!!!!! WOOOOOHOOOOO!!!! Hahahaha. Okay, whatever. As it turns out, the studio and stage are actually much, much smaller than they look on TV. And it's very colorful and cheesy-looking in there, too. LOVE IT.

After we were all seated and situated, Rich (the announcer) came out and welcomed us and gave us a few tips. (For instance, if your name is called to "come on down," you might not be able to hear it because it will be so loud. So, look for the two guys on the stage holding signs, because your name will be written on them. Also, if your name is called and you're bidding on an item in Contestants Row, don't look back at the audience for help because that's annoying for viewers. Just bid and make it quick. Later, you can look at the audience for help during your actual game.) He was funny and friendly.

Eventually, Drew Carey came out, and of course he's hilarious and very nice. He chatted with audience members or contestants at each commercial break, and even poked fun at some of the products. The show started, they instructed us when to scream and clap (almost all the time), the contestants were named, and it all got underway.

Overall, it's really fun to be in the audience at the Price Is Right. You are standing and screaming and clapping so often that as soon as it goes to commercial, you need to sit down and take a break. (Seriously, it would get almost silent at those moments because we were all exhausted.) You get to yell price suggestions to the contestants on stage, and what I didn't know is that the producers encourage that. There was one guy on stage who kept yelling, "How much does it cost?!!" at us, so that we'd start yelling suggestions to the contestant. Another funny thing is just the stage itself. On TV, it looks like it's a big empty stage, but in reality, there are people ALL OVER the stage while they're filming. There are several cameras, and a couple people manning each one; there are producers holding clipboards; there are guys holding cords and wires; there are people trying to get the audience to be louder or happier... there are LOTS of people on stage at all times, but they just stay out of the eye of the camera. Because there were so many people blocking the actual happenings of the show from us, we in the audience spent most of our time watching the TV screens above us. Hahaha! It reminds you that it is not about the studio audience; it's really all about the viewers at home.

There was also a palpable electricity in the air because everyone in the audience was hoping to get selected to "come on down" and be a contestant. Unfortunately, I never did, but even so, I think I might've gotten on camera a couple times (waaaaaaaay in my waaaaaay back corner), which made it all worthwhile. Plus, it's fun to scream and yell and get excited, and it was really fun to see and hear Drew Carey, too.

Eventually, the final name was called to "come on down," and we all relaxed a little (and probably felt a little disappointed, too). We watched the Showcase Showdown, and then it was all over! The lights dimmed and we started filing back out again. It felt so quick! (Especially after all that waiting.) As we were making our way out, Rich asked us to be silent a couple times because he needed to re-record a couple of his announcements that he flubbed during the show.

All in all, it was a great time, that was made even better by the fact that I got to spend it with Heather and her awesome fam (Josh, Kate, and Darla). The only downer was that Heather's sister, Kate, didn't get selected. SHE SHOULD HAVE. But, hopefully next time. And maybe someday it will be me, too!! Until then, if you're interested, tune in to the show on Tuesday, December 8th. I'll be sitting in the far back corner on the left-hand side (if you're on the stage and facing out). YAAAAAAAAY!!!!!! The End.