A tour to see the taping of The Price Is Right is one I won’t soon forget. Drew Carey made waiting in line for hours well worth it. Yes, it was probably the coldest day in Los Angeles and yes I had a tour of folks, many of them seniors, who were frozen solid by the time we got inside the CBS building to be seated. Buy hey, it’s TV Land!
The show quickly began once we were all seated in the theater. Drew came on stage and introduced all the cameramen, producer, director, announcer, and stagehands. You got a sense that they were not only his co-workers, but friends, and family. We had no idea that it took so many people to make a TV Game Show. His actual wife and young son were also there. The son took the opportunity to also work the crowd and definitely knows how to handle a mic like his dad. A Mini Drew!
There were cameras everywhere, moving overhead from right to left and back, as well as, all over the stage. Scene changes quickly transported the stage to the various Price Is Right Games. Many in my tour group knew the individual games backwards and forward.They were prepared to make the correct guesses closest to the actual price of luxury items, vacations, cars, boats, etc. They were ready to be called to “Come On Down!” but I wasn’t. My knowlege of pricing is nil (says my husband) so I prayed that my name would not be announced. We clapped and yelled out prices following the nonverbal commands of two young stagehands waving their arms dramatically to get us charged up and vocal.
But, the best part was watching Drew Carey work the crowd. He did his nightclub one man standup material in between the “scene takes” (including taking a casual, cocky stance, mimicking smoking cigarettes, as he questioned audience members about their hometowns, jobs, cars, and whatever else came to mind). The comedian is a master TV host/entertainer and a joy to watch. We laughed and laughed.
And did I say that entrance to the show is always free? If you get the chance to go, do! Just make sure the weather is perfect.
