The Price Is Right

There are some shows that are simply iconic... and The Price Is Right is one of them.

Although, I have to admit, it's been awhile since I've watched the show on TV. College... I think. But that didn't stop me from potentially making a complete fool of myself on network television.

My worrying started several months ago when my mom informed me she had sent away for tickets to be in their live studio audience. Being in the audience is one thing, but it's any entirely different ballgame when the audience are also potential contestants. I'm horrible at guessing prices.

And so, I waited for January 4th to arrive... with baded breath.

The day started off kinda rocky. We woke up super early and hopped in the car, destined to make it to L.A. before 9am, that's when the producers suggested we arrive for the first taping of the day. Um...yeah. That didn't work out so well. We arrived in just enough time to get passes for the second taping of the day.

Fast forward four hours.

We're back at the CBS Studios and ready to wait in line... and we did. Three hours later, we had inched our way through the line and were about to head into the studio. But first, one of the main producers interviewed all 320 of us in large groups to determine possible contestants. Which is really weird when you think about it. It's kinda like interviewing for short-term employment. I mean, this guy could make or break your chances of becoming an instant celebrity with 80-year-olds!

We finally made it into the studio, about 15 minutes before the taping began. Holy cow! Walking into that studio is a major trip back in time. I didn't think anyone missed the 70s that much! But that's part of the show's charm, right?

You could tell these producers were working on the show for decades because they had the production down pat. It moved fast. The show is pretty much shot in real time. I was amazed at how smoothly everything went. Of course, that's probably because they never asked me to "come on down!" They knew better. After all, eliminating my long awkward pauses would have resulted in too much post-production editing.

But I gotta hand it to that producer, the guy that won was a real character... and it made for great TV. I mean who in their right mind bets $1 for their Showcase Showdown and WINS???

The episode airs Thursday, February 18th.