My Day As A “Price is Right” Contestant – Part 5 (Entering the Studio)

March 28, 2013

Aurora turning to the side, happy to be on The Price is RightPicking up from yesterday

After the interviews, we went around the corner to another set of benches. We all had to check in our phones (and any other electronics that could take pictures and video (or could fetch secret pricing information for us)).

Then we sat around on for a while. As always, it’s really nice when no one has her or his phone, so people can focus on each other and the world around them.

(It makes it hard if you’re having a conversation and say, “Wait. What was the name of that one actor, or that one TV show?” But it’s fun to use your brain!)

Videos of The Price is Right started playing on screens above us. There was one that was really funny. It talked about going to the show, and some of the rules or suggestions. It said something like, “remember to act with grace and decorum.” Then it showed a montage of people making complete fools of themselves. (‘Cause that’s what they really want us to do… So, that was the joke… Get it? Hilarious, right?)

They also showed us a full episode of TPiR. This was actually super helpful. It got us really in the right frame of mine to go see the show – reminding us of the TPiR strategies. Of course there’s that whole thing in contestants’ row – if you’re one of the later ones, go $1 over someone else, or just bid $1. It was a good time to think of all that kind of good stuff with strategy/game play.

Before you knew it, it was no longer time to watch old episodes on screens, but be a part of our own episode in person! Time to enter the studio!

I’d been singing The Price is Right theme song all week whenever we mentioned taking our amazing upcoming adventure to the show. Zuri said she wondered if they played the actual music during the show, since they could so easily add it in post. I believed they would play the music. (It just wouldn’t feel like Price is Right otherwise.) Sure enough, they played my jam.

We walked through a door and all of a sudden there were just colors everywhere. Agh! Why don’t I have a picture taking device with me?!

The first thing we saw as we walked in was a board that said what show number we were attending, and what our air date would be.

Aurora De Lucia coming on down to contestant's row on The Price is Right

“Everybody remember March 18th! We don’t have phones to write this down on, so just remember it, y’all!” (Note: The episode ended up being changed to air on March 19, but at the time, they planned on showing it on the 18th.)

Then we entered the actual room. And you bet the theme song was playing. People were getting so pumped! You could not help but be excited there.

Ushers would ask “How many in your party?” and seat people based on – who knows – excitableness, good-looking-ness, wardrobe, group size? I’m not sure exactly what they seated by. But we were not directed to the center section. We were off to the side (in time out?), so I figured they didn’t love us – again, reinforcing the idea that this was probably not the day that I was going to get called down to contestants’ row.

But that was fine. I was happy to at least finally have the experience of going to The Price is Right. I could always try again another day.

If we were going to be seated in a place where we couldn’t see the stage very well, we got the best obstructed view scenario. We were close to George Gray (the announcer) who was lovely and hilarious. He kept interacting with the audience, and was so fun to be around.

And this is where I’ll pick up next time.

I'd love to hear from you! So whaddya say?