My Day as a Price is Right Audience Member

The Price is Right is almost as American as apple pie. You'd be hard pressed to find a person out there who doesn't recognize the theme music, know what "come on down" refers to, or doesn't watch the show in his/her underwear PJs while playing hooky home sick from school or work.

So when we decided that we'd be spending a little over a week in Southern California to start out our road-trip to Philadelphia, Joe and I KNEW we wanted to attend a taping.

The first step was to figure out how to get tickets. Since we are staying about an hour from the studio (lots more with the notorious LA traffic), we wanted to be sure that we'd be guaranteed admission.

I found a website called On-Camera Audiences where you can get tickets to several shows - Price is Right included. The key here is to get a Priority ticket. Those tickets are guaranteed as long as you don't show up late. If you get a general ticket, it's almost meaningless. You will still have to arrive as early as possible since admission is first-come, first-served (though, I suppose it's better than just showing up with your fingers crossed and no ticket of any kind). Joining the wait list is even more of a long shot (we joined the wait list 3 months ago for Tosh.0 tickets and never heard anything back).

The next step is to make T-Shirts. While not mandatory (you see several people on the show, even contestants, wearing regular clothes), it definitely makes the experience more fun. I made our shirts last week.

On the day of, it's tempting to arrive right at the time on the ticket (we did the show where you show up at 12 - not to be confused with the show that TAPES at 12 and you have to show up at 6 or 7 a.m.). However, we were concerned about the LA traffic, so we overestimated the time it would take and showed up an hour early at a little before 11 a.m. We were really glad we did. Despite being priority ticketholders (there is a separate line outside of the gates - be sure you get in the right line!) and arriving an hour early, we were still numbers 88 and 89 of about 300.

In line, around 11 a.m.

The line outside the gates is the toughest physically- no place to sit, and technically you aren't supposed to crowd the public sidewalk so you are instructed to stand in the dirt between the fence and the sidewalk. However, you are still fresh and excited, having not stood in line for hours yet.

There are also a couple people walking up and down the line with coolers selling cold drinks and snacks. They warn that anything inside the gates will be more expensive - they are right. More about that later. A CBS page (or producer? - he doesn't wear a red jacket but also doesn't look as important as a producer) collects our printed priority tickets and comes back about 5 minutes later with blue numbered tickets. As previously mentioned, I was 88, Joe 89. We are excited to see that they start letting people through the gates at 11:30 a.m. - not 12 p.m. as stated on the ticket.

Once we get inside the gates, we are told that photography of any sort is forbidden. Given that all 300 of us want to be contestants, we all follow any instruction to a T. This is a common trend - people are so desperate to be chosen that they are overly nice and enthusiastic. There are several metal benches under an overhang that we are instructed to sit on in numerical order.

At this point, we decide we might as well try to make friends. We had overheard our bench neighbors to the right say they had been to the show the week prior, so we decide to befriend them. It's a man and his son (the son is about 18 or 19) from Flint, Michigan. From these "insiders", we learn that this is just the first set of benches we will sit on that day (ugh). My immediate concern is that we will be funneled to a place without a bathroom. They assure me I will be able to use a bathroom up until we get in the studio. I stop drinking water anyway. If I do get called up, I don't want to pee myself.

This first session of bench-sitting lasts from about 11:30 - 1. We packed PB&J sandwiches for lunch, but I didn't even make it to noon before I had to bust mine out. Joe follows my lead in short order.

For those of us who didn't plan ahead and bring food, this first bench area has a large snack bar and small CBS store where you can buy shirts, buttons, hats, etc. with logos of TPIR and a few other shows. While the food is more expensive than the vendors outside the gates charged, it isn't ridiculously over-priced. There are also a lot of options - everything from breakfast burritos ($4.99) to chicken Caesar salads ($6.99), and veggies with hummus ($4.59) to a half pound burger ($6.99). You can also boost your energy - but anything with caffeine seems to be priced at a premium. The bottled sodas are $3 and the 5 hour energy drinks are $4.

Finally, around 1 p.m., we receive our yellow name stickers (legal names only. Ugh. I had to be Katherine the rest of the day). We have to attach our blue number to the bottom of the sticker when we put the sticker on our shirt. This way they can keep track of us as they decide who they want to be contestants. We take a few pictures (one to help them remember who said what in the interview and one they want to sell us) and are ushered to the second seating area. Here, there are more benches. We are also told that we are going to receive a menu with 5 lunch options that Drew Carey's chef will prepare for us. SCORE! Free food.

Except it's not. Upon looking at the menu I see that each dish is $10 each (and cash only). My heart sinks. My stomach growls (that PB&J was not enough, but since parking at The Grove parking lot cost $24 for the day, we aren't spending $10 each on a personal pan pizza). That's ok. Drew has lost weight, his chef can't be that great ;)

After sitting for 80 minutes, it is finally time to be interviewed by Stan the Producer. Stan is the man. Seriously. He decides who gets on the show and where the rest of the audience sits. We interview in groups of 20, and the interviews are only about 4-5 minutes in total. Since we can see him interviewing a few previous groups (but unfortunately can't really tell what he is asking), we are somewhat prepared.

Our group of 20 stands in a line and Stan is in front of us (assistant next to him with a clipboard) and starts asking questions down the line. I am person 5, and so I wasn't quite sure how long to expect to speak with Stan. He and I actually banter a bit back and forth. I try my best to be charming, and bring up our road trip and how Joe is starting dental school. Stan asks me a few follow-up questions, and then moves to Joe. He then says to us: "good luck." Rumor has it, if Stan tells you "good luck" - that is a really good sign. A better sign? Stan spent about 30-45 seconds talking with me, and spends less than 15-20 seconds talking with everyone else. Some, he only asks their name and where they are from. As we are walking away, Joe notices that Stan looks back at me and whispers something to his assistant.

OMG - did I nail it? Am I going to hear "Katherine (ugh) Brier - come on down?!" Previously, I was cautiously optimistic. Now I am really feeling it. I make a note to fix my make-up in the next bathroom I see. Gotta be prepared for national TV - right?!

After the interview, we are ushered to metal detectors and have to give up our phones. Once we do, we can sit on the final set of benches. We ask our friends from Flint how much longer we have before we get to go inside. They inform us that we have 2 more hours of bench sitting ("Why the heck are these guys subjecting themselves to this again?", I wonder for the umpteenth time). But the powers-at-be do play an old episode of The Price is Right for us while we wait, so that "kills" 40 minutes. It's followed up with a 5 minute video of George (the announcer) trying to pump us up. Apparently, he thinks the best way to pump us up is to show us video clips of past contestants acting like morons.

This is also when lunch is delivered to everyone who ordered from Drew's chef. It smells great. They also have a beverage and snack cart they push around. My stomach is growling at this point, but I am too cheap nervous to eat.

Meanwhile, Joe and I agree that this is a really long time to be without our cell phones. He is forced to resort to checking the time on his watch ;)

Finally, at 4:10 we are allowed to go inside the studio! We walk through the doors and are shocked...

IT'S SO SMALL (twss).

Like, seriously. The stage is so small I can't imagine how what we see on TV can be shot on a stage of that size. Everything is also very bright, and very cheap looking. Think high school theater production cheap.

But who cares? We are in TPIR studio and Stan the Producer talked to me for a whole 30-45 seconds, wished me luck, AND looked back at me. As we enter, a page looks down at his seating chart (as I mentioned, Stan - probably with help - determines where every audience member sits). He tells Joe and me to follow him, and leads us closer and closer to the stage until we are front row center. Seriously? Are you kidding? This is really happening! If I am THIS close, of course it's because I am going to be called.

But then he looks down at his sheet again and apologizes because he mis-seated us.

Darn.

He leads us up a few rows, and then seats us absolutely dead center stage. UM. Is this real life? This is absolute PRIME seating. While I am concerned about the number of people I'll have to trip over to get to an aisle when I "come on down," we are high enough that you will be able to see us on TV over the contestants' heads every time they bid. We are going to get A LOT of screen time. The theater geek in me squeals. I am going to be on national TV!

During seating, everyone in the audience is going nuts. There is a DJ in one of the upper corners and everyone is dancing and trying to get Stan's attention. That's right, Stan the man is back - he is on stage watching us all and looking down at his clipboard a lot. I can't decide if he is second guessing some of his choices of contestants (making sure that the personality we showed in our interviews was legit) or just making sure that we are all in our correct seats. Of course, I dance along (despite the fact that I am an awful dancer). I worry that my lack of dance skills may make him change his mind about me.

Finally, the show is about to start. George comes out, and we are introduced to the various crew members we need to know (director, etc.). Then Drew comes out, cracks a few jokes, and the camera is ready to roll.

I'll save the specific episode details since I am pretty sure CBS will sue me if I give away what happens before the air date, but I am not called as one of the first four contestants. I am bummed, but still hopeful. As the contestants go up and are replaced, I am still not called up. They do the first round of spinning the wheel, and I know that I only have a few more opportunities to get chosen.

Despite the fact that the only part of me "coming down" are my hopes, I am still having a really good time. I am going crazy in the audience. When people lose, my mouth drops and I hang my head and shake it in sadness. When people win I actually scream at the top of my lungs and jump up and down. (This should be real interesting to watch on TV, I am starting to second guess my excitement at those prime seats). I'm not faking - these are real emotions. There must be something about all the fluorescent colors in the room...

I also quickly realize that when the audience is yelling advice at a contestant - THEY ARE ABSOLUTELY FULL OF CRAP. It is so deafening loud in there and the TV cameras block so much of the stage that it is very difficult to fully see or hear what is going on. If you EVER get on the show, do NOT trust the audience. Joe is pretty sure he is to blame for making someone lose out on a new car...

There are breaks for "commercials" between some of the segments. During that break time, Drew jokes around with the audience. He is really nice and personable, calling people by name (good ole name tags) and even inviting a few people on stage to hug him / shake his hand / etc. because their shirts say things to the effect of: "I want a birthday kiss from Drew" and "Bucket List: Meet Drew." I've never had strong feelings about Drew Carey one way or the other, but I really like him after this. He seems incredibly down to earth.

When we get back to the second half of the show, I start to get nervous/excited again. Four more shots! The first new contestant is called, the second, and finally the third:

KATHERINE BRIER COME ON DOWN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Was never said.

Stan - you tease!

Oh, well, we still had a great time. My only regrets were not getting called (obviously) and Rob not being a model that day! Boo. I really wanted to see the first TPIR male model in person. If you are a female, have a pulse, and watch the show, I am sure you agree.

Even though Joe and I didn't make the show, it was really cool to see who did. We recognized almost everyone from line (FYI - a lot of them were near us - in the first 100 people - so priority tickets and arriving about 1 - 1.5 hours or so earlier than your scheduled arrival time seems to be a good strategy). One guy won a car and his wife (who was sitting one row up and a few seats over) started sobbing with happiness in the audience. The person who won the showcase seemed to be a genuinely wonderful person, and (I won't reveal gender to keep it secret) gave his/her big prize to his/her elderly mother.

Joe and I had such a great time that we plan to go again someday. Though with that 5+ hour wait, we'll probably hold off for a while.

Until then, if you want to see Joe and I go crazy in the audience, tune in on May 9!

Here's us with our stickers:

If you have any questions about my experience - especially if you plan to go to a taping - leave a comment! Though certainly no expert, I'll be happy to answer if I can.

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