CBS is very clear about no cameras / phones during this process so unfortunately no pictures, which is sad but I had to follow their rules to get anywhere near the studio.
If you ever plan on attending The Price is Right be prepared to do a lot of waiting around before showtime.
We arrived about 8:30 and checked in with the Price is Right staff; because we were part of a large group we were guaranteed seats for the morning taping. If you are not part of a large group; the seats are assigned on a first come / first serve basis and some people had arrived at 2 AM that morning. They were prepared to wait over 12 hours for the chance to be on the Price is Right; which seemed crazy to me.
After waiting around for an hour, our group was told to sit on a bench in a specific order and we were given paperwork to fill out. We had to provide our name, contact info, and social security numbers to CBS in the even we won, because income taxes are required on anything you win. We also had to fill out a questionnaire telling the show about us, what we did, why we wanted to be on the show, etc. Basically it was your pitch about why they should pick you to be called down to Contestants Row. I was surprised to know that the people were not picked at random to be on the show and instead are screened by the producers.
After going through a couple drafts of my pitch to the producers, I finally got the card filled out and the waiting continued. Eventually our group reached a Price is Right team member where I got my official Price is Right name tag, hopefully they would be calling my name soon!
After some more waiting we eventually reached the producers where, 10 people at a time were lined up and the producer talked to us each for about 30 seconds. Quick question like what do you, why do you want to be on the show, etc. After waiting for nearly three hours, those 30 seconds flew by and I enthusiastically answered his question hoping it would be enough to get me on the show. After meeting the producers we were ushered through security where we had to empty our pockets including cell phones which were left with the security personnel.
The waiting continued but now they had flat screen TV's playing Price is Right reruns which just ramped up the energy level even more. Our entire group was practicing our pricing skills and getting ready to win big on the show. About 1 PM nearly five hours after arriving we began walking into the Bob Barker Studio. Music was blaring, people were dancing, and it was one of the most surreal experiences I've ever seen. Walking into a place I had never been before but it seemed so familiar and comfortable at the same time. It was the Price of Right for crying out loud, an American institution, and I was about to be part of that for the next hour or so.
The studio was much smaller than I had anticipated and only held about 300 people, with a small stage, and three doors where the prizes / games would come out from behind. I was not allowed to bring my camera inside but found a few pictures online that show the inside of the studio.
After everyone was seated the producer came out and gave us some details on the show, which the main one was have fun and act crazy excited, which wasn't a problem for everyone in the studio. He also mentioned that we have a 1 in 29 chance of being called down into contestants row and a chance to win thousands in prizes, best odds of any game show on TV. This had the crowd going nuts, screaming, clapping, cheering, etc. Our entire group made a pact that when someone from our group won the showcase showdown, everyone in our group would come streaming onto the stage and get some national tv exposure.
The show started shortly there after with Drew Carey coming out and calling the first four people down to contestants to row. The show moved quickly with pricing game after pricing game with no one from our but no one from our group was called down to contestants row until the very last slot. Suddenly the announcer called out Nicholas from our group, who I had spent the last few hours talking to and was sitting next to at the taping. He jumped up / screamed and our entire group did the same! I'm not sure what my reaction was but suffice it to say it was capture and will be on national TV at some point.
Sadly, Nicholas didn't make it on stage and before you knew it the show was over and we were filling out of the studio. The show will air on October 12th if you want to check it out, our group is in blue in the left / rear section of the studio and keep an eye on the last contestant called to contestants row, you will clearly see me in light blue polo shirt.
Overall, the Price is Right was a great experience and if you ever find yourself in Southern California with half a day or so free, check it out. It's an American institution and something you will never forget, even if you don't make it on stage. After leaving the show I decided to head south down to San Diego after a quick bite of lunch at a local diner.
Part of the reason for the trip was to see various parts of the country to see about moving if the right opportunity presents itself. Southern California was quickly eliminated off this list because the traffic here is AWFUL. The waitress at the diner where I had a late lunch though it would take a couple hours to get from Long Beach to San Diego but it turned out to be nearly four hours of stop and go traffic with no apparent reason for the slowdowns. No wrecks, no construction, nothing just constantly going from 70 down to 20, rinse and repeat a few dozen times over a few hours.
Finally, I made it to San Diego and made plans for the following day which includes hitting the San Diego Zoo! Thanks for reading my blog and as always any questions / comments please post below or email me at chris@pricelessperspectives.com
How did you get the pictures of the Price is Right id they did not allow any cameras ?
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