CBS Television City, California    (1494 Miles Total)     Smoggy - 80F

 Television City

The day began at 4:30 AM. Why would one get up at 4:30 AM on vacation? Why to fulfill the quest of being on The Price Is Right of course! What would a trip to Hollywood be without watching television being made (although I guess Amy kind of does that for a living so let's change that to television being taped) and what better show than everybody's favorite game show, The Price Is Right.

The TPIR idea kind of turned into an ordeal that started a month earlier when we wrote for "tickets" to the June 2, 2004 taping. The "tickets" are really worthless items that only give you a chance to get in line to get a number that gets you in another line to get a priority contestant number that actually gets you into the 315-seat studio to watch the show being taped and just maybe get called to come on down and chat with 17-time emmy winner and living legend Bob Barker. Confused? So were we.

At 6:10 AM we screeched to a halt on Fairfax Avenue and Amy bailed out of the bug. She scurried over to a CBS staffer who had started handing out order of arrival numbers at 6 AM. People had been camping out and lining up since 3AM in order to claim the lowest order of arrival number and get the best chance of getting into the show. We obtained numbers 194 and 195 and were told to return at 8AM. We walked to a nearby drug store and Starbuck's for breakfast before returning to CBS. At about 7:45 everybody was lined up on benches in order of their order of arrival numbers and the CBS staff began to assign priority numbers in order of arrival. The priority numbers determine the order in which one would be assigned a contestant number if they become available. In order to ensure a full audience, groups of 20 or more are booked into the show and can skip the priority number process. because of the groups, there are less than 315 priority numbers available for each taping. On this morning, the CBS staff ran out of priority numbers just as we were nearing the front of the line. *Insert big sign of disappointment here* At this point we were told that sometimes groups don't show up or don't come with as many people as they thought so there was still an outside chance that we might get into the show. We were pretty skeptical as we were assigned stand-by numbers 21 and 22 and were told to return at 11:30.

Driving around Hollywood we began hatching plans to try for the TPIR again on Thursday as we thought that there would be no way that 22 people wouldn't show up. Nevertheless, 7 hours into our odyssey we returned to CBS as the staff was issuing contestant numbers to the last of groups and early arrivers who had priority numbers. They were only at contestant number 260... so could it be... could there have been enough no shows? At 11:30 sharp the stand by people were lined up in order (how they so quickly get so many people in numerical order so many times I'll never know) and they began t issue the remaining contestant numbers to the stand-bys. Amazingly, I was handed contestant number 288 and Amy 289... we were in! *cue clouds clearing and sunbeam shining down on us* Then, in a moment of magic, a CBS staffer made our TPIR name tags (and yes the are all written by hand). By the way, about 30 people were turned away after the show filled up, al of them vowing to return the next day "at the crack of dawn". After getting out nametags it was of course, time for pictures!

Awesome!

Taping doesn't start until 2:30, so there was still more waiting while everybody was ushered into the studio in order of their contestant number. On the way into the studio, everybody stops in a group of ten to talk to the TPIR producers. They ask everybody where they are from and what they do, and then one of the producers makes a Bob Barker-like joke while the other gauges your reaction and makes notes on a clipboard. Based on this brief survey, they select the nine contestants that will be called to "Come on down!"

A good ten hours after starting out, we finally entered the TPIR studio. Like any TV studio, it is much, much smaller in person. What seems like a sea of people is actually a close group of 315. Because of our stand-by numbers, we didn't get the best seats, way over on the left side (from the TV perspective) behind the producers and directors so we didn't stand a good chance of being on TV. However, we still made a ton of noise as the taping started and the first contestants are called to "Come on down!". Actually, it's so loud in the studio that the announcer can't be heard and production assistants stand on stage holding cue cards with the contestants names written on them. Then Bob barker steps through the big TPIR doors and the place goes nuts. Before you know it they're bidding on the first item and sitting in the audience you become thoroughly confused because it's hard to hear and after 20 years of TPIR from the camera perspective, watching the proceedings from the audience side makes everything backwards. But you quickly snap out of it and start yelling out prices.

I was amazed to see that TPIR is taped entirely in real time, with all set-up being done during commercials out hurriedly out of frame. It's a captivating intricate four-camera ballet as the item up for bid is rolled away and the game is rolled out while contestants place their bids and the cameras are pointed towards the audience. After 32 years and 5000+ shows, it all moves like a well-oiled machine. Low-tech in some cases, but perfect.

Our show was scheduled to air on Tuesday, June 8th 2004. A girl from Colorado won the switch game. Another Amy won $10000 at the Punch Board. A police officer from Omaha won a Chevy Cavalier playing the Card Game. Some woman did terrible at the Race Game, a guy won a Pontiac Sunfire in a newer game I'd never seen before, a student from Cal Poly lost at the Push Over game. The girl from Colorado (who had never seen the show ever) won the showcase that consisted of a clear(!) kayak and a Ford Explorer. One person made a weird one dollar bid in contestants row that triggered a two dollar bid and a three dollar bid from the other contestants... a rather wild show.

Obviously Amy and I didn't get called to come on down... but we got nametags! Almost all of the contestants that were called were part of official groups or had a bunch of family and friends to serve as a cheering section. I think that the producers look for this and select accordingly so that there will be more contestant-audience interaction while playing the game and more of an excited group to go wild in the audience. Next time we're bringing a whole bunch of friends..

After TPIR drew to a close and Amy watched them re-record some audio, we grabbed dinner at an Italian Restaurant down the street from CBS and then went for a walk along Santa Monica Beach and pier, which just happens to be the traditional end of Route 66. Unfortunately, the sunset in the ocean was obscured by clouds.

posted June 2, 2004 by Tyler