Coooooooooommmme On Down! You're the next contestant on....
THE PRICE IS RIGHT!
I grew up hearing those words as watching The Price is Right was a staple during the summertime. It looked like so much fun to be jumping around and acting a fool on camera. I never realized it could be a possibility.
Until now...
That's right! On January 15th, 2014 I took my Mother and two friends to a taping of The Price is Right with Drew Carey. "WOW" is how I would sum it up.
TICKETS:
Tickets can be obtained via
http://on-camera-audiences.com/shows/The_Price_is_Right
up to 60 days in advance. It'll say right on the website if tickets are available and they are ready to print as soon as you put your information in. You may request up to 4 tickets.
There are two types of tickets:
Priority tickets are guarantee admission into TPIR. They hand out about 200 of these bad boys.
General tickets are standby seats. This means that once Priority files into the studio, then General tickets will be admitted. All in all they allow around 300 people into the audience.
***TIP***
It was our experience that no one in the General Ticket status was picked to bid on items. Everyone that was selected was ahead of us in line with Priority Tickets.
LOCATION:
CBS Television City
7800 Beverly Blvd
Hollywood, CA 90036
PARKING:
We had the luxury of having my mother with us, who is disabled. That handicap parking is THE BOMB as you're able to park right inside the studio on Genesee Ave. The tickets indicate that parking should be done at The Grove Parking garage, which is a few blocks down.
LINE:
We had tickets for the noon show so we arrived at approximately 9:20 am and were numbers 8-12 in line. There is nowhere to sit so standing it was! And strangely enough, it was HOT that day. Yes, in January it was hot. No shade + no sitting = hot.
The line began at the guard shack on Genesee. At around 10am, the line was split into the two ticket holder categories: Priority ticket holders were to the left of the guard shack on Genesee Ave and the General's were to the right of the guard shack. Once the Priority Ticket holders moved, we were numbers 3-6 in line for Generals!
(Bonus- you can see the Hollywood sign from here. Sweeeeet)
They began admitting Priority around 11 am and they had until Noon to check in. Once noon hit, the staff began to process the general ticket holders in. I received number 207 so we knew they were letting around 93 more general ticket holders in.
ENTRANCE:
Once inside the studio, you enter the line near the studio under some shade (YESSS!!!!) and keep moving up in line for about the next 45 minutes. This is where you fill out paperwork in case you win, receive your name tag (YAY!!!) and take photographs for the producers and for a souvenir.
The souvenir photograph is $20. It's in front of a blue screen so don't wear blue or you'll be "see-through".
After the photographs, you sit on a different side of the building and wait for the interview. During this time, a waitress comes by and offers food to be ordered for a nominal fee, such as burgers and pizza.
THE INTERVIEW:
The producers interview you in groups of 10-20 people so it's imparitive that you stick out and shine! Be prepared to answer questions about what you do, your favorite game on the show, if you watch the show, etc. Make Stan and the other producers WANT to pick you! Remember, dramatic personalities make the show ;)
After the Interview, you're lead to the backside of the studio where there are more benches. (Time: around 3 pm) Here is where you'll walk through the medal detector, they'll search your bags and will confiscate your phone. There are television screens playing TPIR and the staff delivers the food that people ordered from the other waiting area. This is relax time! Take a break, make sure to use the restroom and EAT. For the past 2-4 hours, everyone's nerves have been in bundles because of the process. Then before you know it, it's time to enter the studio.
GAME TIME:
The studio is SMALL! Not like the big room you see on TV. They must use a fish eye lens to give the illusion of space!
Remember how we were numbers 207-210? The Studio was full so we were seated in the very back row in the folding chairs. No studio seating for us! UGH! Others who had smaller groups could fit in the crowd in other places.
The announcer (George) comes out, Drew Carey walks out and it's GAME ON! It happens EXTREMELY FAST. (Time: around 4 pm)
Everyone is screaming and clapping and it's SOOOO LOUD in there. They call the first four players down and because you can't hear, they also write the names on cue cards for the audience to see. The games are played, the set is redone during commercial breaks and Drew talks to the audience. The game starts playing again and there are cameras EVERYWHERE. More games, more cameras, more clapping and hollaring. Then it's the last person to get called to "COME ON DOWN"! Is it you? Is it me?
Damn it. It's neither.
Everyone's dreams are crushed that they didn't get picked but the announcer claims that if you just keep that energy level up, they'll pick another person to "come on down" to get a "$100 prize". So people do- and you do... Unfortunately.
GAME OVER:
We exited the studio at 5:30 pm.
OVERVIEW:
People are hopping up and down and yelling. You seriously are so amped up that you could either pass out or vomit. I was on the verge of blacking out myself. A day in the heat and sun with emotions on high, acting bubbly for hours straight then had a huge finale like this? It's overwhelming.
And I can't wait to do it again!
***TIPS***
*Bring cash with you for food
*Take some type of Upper before you come (KIDDING! Just kidding! I don't condone drug use!)
*The more "quirky" or unusual you are, the more the producers will remember you. Be charasmatic and speak as soon as you're spoken to. If you're going to be on TV, they need a person who can think quickly on their feet.
*Bring your friends!
Once inside the studio, you enter the line near the studio under some shade (YESSS!!!!) and keep moving up in line for about the next 45 minutes. This is where you fill out paperwork in case you win, receive your name tag (YAY!!!) and take photographs for the producers and for a souvenir.
The souvenir photograph is $20. It's in front of a blue screen so don't wear blue or you'll be "see-through".
After the photographs, you sit on a different side of the building and wait for the interview. During this time, a waitress comes by and offers food to be ordered for a nominal fee, such as burgers and pizza.
THE INTERVIEW:
The producers interview you in groups of 10-20 people so it's imparitive that you stick out and shine! Be prepared to answer questions about what you do, your favorite game on the show, if you watch the show, etc. Make Stan and the other producers WANT to pick you! Remember, dramatic personalities make the show ;)
After the Interview, you're lead to the backside of the studio where there are more benches. (Time: around 3 pm) Here is where you'll walk through the medal detector, they'll search your bags and will confiscate your phone. There are television screens playing TPIR and the staff delivers the food that people ordered from the other waiting area. This is relax time! Take a break, make sure to use the restroom and EAT. For the past 2-4 hours, everyone's nerves have been in bundles because of the process. Then before you know it, it's time to enter the studio.
GAME TIME:
The studio is SMALL! Not like the big room you see on TV. They must use a fish eye lens to give the illusion of space!
Remember how we were numbers 207-210? The Studio was full so we were seated in the very back row in the folding chairs. No studio seating for us! UGH! Others who had smaller groups could fit in the crowd in other places.
The announcer (George) comes out, Drew Carey walks out and it's GAME ON! It happens EXTREMELY FAST. (Time: around 4 pm)
Everyone is screaming and clapping and it's SOOOO LOUD in there. They call the first four players down and because you can't hear, they also write the names on cue cards for the audience to see. The games are played, the set is redone during commercial breaks and Drew talks to the audience. The game starts playing again and there are cameras EVERYWHERE. More games, more cameras, more clapping and hollaring. Then it's the last person to get called to "COME ON DOWN"! Is it you? Is it me?
Damn it. It's neither.
Everyone's dreams are crushed that they didn't get picked but the announcer claims that if you just keep that energy level up, they'll pick another person to "come on down" to get a "$100 prize". So people do- and you do... Unfortunately.
GAME OVER:
We exited the studio at 5:30 pm.
OVERVIEW:
People are hopping up and down and yelling. You seriously are so amped up that you could either pass out or vomit. I was on the verge of blacking out myself. A day in the heat and sun with emotions on high, acting bubbly for hours straight then had a huge finale like this? It's overwhelming.
And I can't wait to do it again!
***TIPS***
*Bring cash with you for food
*Take some type of Upper before you come (KIDDING! Just kidding! I don't condone drug use!)
*The more "quirky" or unusual you are, the more the producers will remember you. Be charasmatic and speak as soon as you're spoken to. If you're going to be on TV, they need a person who can think quickly on their feet.
*Bring your friends!
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