Location: Los Angeles, California, USA
Address: 7800 Beverly Blvd.
Date: Feb 2014
Website: www.priceisright.com
"Whatever your name is! Come on down! You're the next contestant on The Price Is Right!"
If you have ever wanted to hear your name called on The Price is Right, then this post is for you. We attended the second taping on Feb 24th and the episode airs April 17th. It is episode 6704.
Get Tickets
The first thing to do is go online and get tickets. We had thought about going and one night we went to The Price is Right website and there were some Priority Tickets available. We booked it and then planned the rest of our trip around this date. This was about 2 months before the actual taping. Priority Tickets allow you to show up and walk right in, seats guaranteed. The next level is General Ticket and this means you have to line up and you should get in if you are early enough. On the day we went it looked like everyone who lined up made it into the show.
Arrive at the Studios
The Price is Right is recorded at CBS Television City. Just south of the studios is The Grove. The Grove is an outdoor shopping center with a Farmer's Market attached. This is where we enjoyed a meal both before and after the taping. We needed to arrive at noon for the 4PM taping so we were prepared for a long day ahead.
Forms, Name tags and Pictures
Once you arrive at the studios you go past the security into a covered outdoor area. This is where you get a number and fill out all the legal forms. Be sure to have your social security number and for Canadians bring your SIN. At this point you will also get your name tags shaped like a price tag. We were impressed by the skill of the name tag writer who managed to fit a 9 letter first name onto the tag and still make it legible. He laughed when we commented and proceeded to show us a picture from his phone of a 27 letter first name that was written over 3 different tags. After getting tagged we then stood in front of a green screen and whooped as if we had just won a big prize. Later we had the opportunity to buy this picture for $20.00 with the big wheel stuck in behind us.
Waiting and Interviews
The next part involves waiting your turn as audience members are interviewed in groups of 10 to decide who might be a good contestant. Some people chose to use this time running around and trying to draw attention to themselves. We were lucky enough to be seated beside a nice couple from Lompoc and their mother / mother-in-law. We spent most of our time chatting and the time went rather quickly. Finally it was our turn to be interviewed, and we were asked what we do for a living and a couple of other questions.
The Chosen Ones
It seems that in order to be chosen, you need to be one of the following.
A) In a large group all wearing the same t-shirt and go to the taping on one member of your party's birthday.
B) Have served in the army, navy. air force, marines.
C) It also seems they tend to choose an equal amount of men and women so your chance should be 50/50 there.
D) Lastly they tend to like loud over-animated people. We would best describe these people as a celebrity on a talk show. You know how the host may make a joke and the guest would slap their knees and fall out of their seat, when a normal person might just politely chuckle. Very exhausting to maintain.
Anyway we had the man and woman area covered, but did not get chosen as contestants for the show.
Entering the Studio
Next we went through a metal detector to one last outside waiting area where food and drinks ($$) were offered, while they lasted. Some people further back in the line either missed out on the chance to buy food or had the opportunity to wolf it down quickly as the studio doors opened. At this point all cellphones/cameras were taken away and we were given a ticket to retrieve them later. You can bring in purses and sweaters etc. and just keep them at your seat during the show.
The Taping
Finally we entered the studio and were directed to two seats. During the show George and Drew entertain the crowd during any pauses and the rest of the time it is very loud in there. A stagehand stands off camera waves and gestures numbers to get the crowd going when the contestants are playing. We were shouting out all kinds of random numbers as we lost track of what was going on. When it came time to spin the big wheel and decide who is in the showcase and Drew asks if the contestant would like to say hi to anyone we could not hear a thing. Except for the cheering and yelling that all blended into one big noise. We look forward to watching the taping to see if anyone said hi to their mother who really wanted to be there but couldn't make it, or all their friends back in Wisconsin.
The End
After the show ended, they called one more contestant to "Come on down!" and get a small prize. This was not part of the taping so it was kind of odd and would be difficult for the chosen person to explain. "No I wasn't on TV but I was in the studio and they did call my name and I ran down... No. I didn't get to bid on anything but... No. Drew Carey had already left..."
We had a good time and the day went by quicker than expected. We recommend the experience. Remember to have your pets spayed or neutered and we will see you next time on The Price is Right!
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The Price is Right
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