So, talking about these two game shows, I probably sound pretty lucky.
And I won’t fight that.
But you should know that for every game show I get on, there were more I didn’t.
I adore game shows. They’re totally my jam. So, I try out for them basically any time I can.
I find out about them by network websites, Craigslist, word of mouth. I also follow two casting directors on twitter. Now that I’ve been in L.A. for a bit now, I’m actually just on some random lists in some places.
I got a call the other day saying they’d seen me in 2010, asking me if I still lived in Los Angeles! So, those lists seem to last forever. On the one hand this is wonderful. On the other, let’s hope I don’t ever screw anything up in case that’d last forever as well.
By the way, the one who called me said, “We gave you a practically perfect rating when you auditioned for Minute to Win It. So, I had to call. Did we use you on the show, by the way?” He mentioned twice how highly I was rated and how he felt that meant he had to call me. No, you didn’t use me on Minute to Win it. But thanks for rubbing it in that you should’ve!
(In all seriousness, though, no hard feelings at all. I don’t know that Minute To Win It is really my kind of game show anyway. It’s not one for which you can study at home and figure out your strategies. That one seems to be more coordination based (which still could be fun) rather than mind/puzzle-based.)
I tried out for syndicated Deal or No Deal. I got to the final callback where you open the case and everything. (In the syndicated version, possible future contestants were also the models.) I thought it went well, but alas, nothing happened with it.
I tried out for that show (that I think only lasted a season), where you fall through holes in the ground when you get things wrong. I made it all the way to having to fill out practically a book of paperwork with medical waivers and stuff. Yet, they never called me for a tape date.
(That’s actually probably good, because you don’t necessarily want to waste your game show shot on something that has so many people vying for a not huge prize. I think it’s better if you get to play a more individual game. But more on this in a second.)
I tried out for “Oh Sit!” and even got invited to come play a practice game (’cause this is when they were still coming up with the show). At the time, I was in Florida at the Disney Princess Half Marathon week.
It didn’t seem smart to interrupt my 52 half marathons like that (especially when I would’ve just had to fly right back for the next one), especially for a practice game. I was still delighted to be invited, and had I been home would’ve been over the moon for a practice game. But I didn’t want to cut the trip short over one.
(Side note: It’s better I didn’t get on that show, ’cause had I gotten on, I wouldn’t have been able to do Price is Right for a few more months. More on that tomorrow.)
I tried out for Millionaire, but didn’t even past the test. (Yikes.)
I did get to help producers as they were building Million Second Quiz. I came in and played trivia for a couple of hours, which was wildly fun. (I was just on a casting person’s list from some past tryouts, and they invited me.)
Though I’ll admit, I was nervous, ’cause they said the game was very “serious,” and “Don’t have too much fun/be too lively.” And I just thought, “I am SO the wrong person for this. But I’m up for the challenge!”
I’ve been emailed about a few new game shows here and there that didn’t pan out either because I wasn’t in the city at the time of the audition, or I couldn’t secure a partner, or whatever.
Anyway, I just thought I should point out that if you think I have some kind of amazing luck because I’ve been on two game shows – it’s a whole little world out here. I’ve gone in for plenty of things that came oh so close within grasp, but in the end I did not get. So, yes, I am lucky for sure. But I’m also definitely not batting anywhere close to 1000.