First of all, if you are at all interested in watching the show we attended, mark your calendars for April 12th on CBS. In Arizona that's channel 5 at 9am. Check your local listing otherwise.
Here's our proof that we were really there.
So, here's how it went down. No we didn't make it up on stage. It was an engaged couples show and only engaged couples were selected. But we should have lots of camera time because we were in the 2nd row to the left of the contestants. Look for us in our red shirts.
I will start by saying, it was a lot of fun. Joe even admitted that he would go again some other time. That is saying a lot!
Our adventure began Sunday afternoon at the Phoenix International Airport. We were a bit slow getting to the airport. Our flight was set to leave at 2:25pm. We got to the airport around 1:00pm. By the time we checked in, the automatic check-in did not give us boarding passes. It printed out a ticket to get us through security and told us to go to the gate for our boarding pass. Joe started to get nervous about not making our flight right then. I was hopeful and hungry, so we stopped on the main concourse for some lunch. We made it through security and to the gate at around 1:40pm. We were told at the gate that the flight was overbooked and that we may not make the flight. They looked at later flights and found the same trouble, but took our names and said they would call us up. We sat and waited....
It was the most stressful 45 mins of my life! If we didn't get a flight out that day, our entire trip would be for nothing. We had prepaid our hotel and car and would lose that money. We got more nervous as we watched the airlines call up our flight and start seating. We were sure it was over when finally the ladies at the counter called our names and we went up. We were sure they were going to tell us that we could wait for the next flight as standby, but we were wrong! They had 2 tickets that had not showed up and they were frantically trying to secure those seats for us. They yelled at the attendant at the gate to wait for us and rushed us on the plane. We made it! By the skin of our teeth. I took this as a good sign of good things to come. Joe told me that I must be living right!
Nothing exciting happened on the plane. We didn't get to sit together but that was okay. I got to sit in the very first row between 2 very quiet people. Joe was the lucky one. He got to sit between 2 women! One of which as soon as they took off started applying the most makeup Joe has ever seen in his life. I guess I've spoiled him with my lack of makeup applying. He said it grossed him out.
We got our rental car & gps with no problems and headed to our hotel located across the street from the CBS Television City. I will not say this place was nice, but it was an adventure. We spent the evening exploring The Groves mall located next to the studios. We enjoyed dinner at Maggianos and even had a star sighting while there. I swear it was the guy from Reno 911 that wears the short shorts, but Joe doesn't think it was him. Joe did agree that he was a movie star, just not one we knew the name of. Whomever this STAR was, he was sitting at the table behind us with his family. I know, exciting!
We went to bed at 9pm with our alarm set for 3am. We were awakened at midnight by the hotel alarm clock that someone had set to go off. Not us. Just some funny person playing a great trick on the next poor soul that stayed there. I hate people who do that! Joe yanked it out of the wall. We got up at 3 and were in line by 3:30am with about 30 other crazy people and we sat and waited. By 4 am there were about 40 of us and more came as the clocked ticked on. Interesting people and interesting conversations on the streets of LA. There was an engaged couple from Orange County, the pregnant 30 year old with her mother and we will never forget "LOUD girl"! That's what I named her. She was there with 2 guys friends and had come up from San Diego at 2am. They had had no sleep and it showed. We all learned that they were preschool teachers and loved coffee! They kept us all awake! It was fun listening to their stories.
At 6am the red jacket pages passed out numbers for the 12:20 and 4:20 tapping's. We got number 15 & 16 for the 12:20 show. We went back to our hotel to shower and eat breakfast. We checked out of our hotel and moved our car to the $24 Grove parking garage. Yes, I said $24! It was crazy, but we knew our car would be safe.
Now this part goes fast, but takes long, all at the same time. We sat and waited...then they made our name tags and took our picture for an online picture thing. Then we walked around the corner and we sat and waited some more. They then took our picture for the producers. We sat and waited some more, then they took our picture as couples. You really get to know the people around you during this process. It is the same people you sat and waited at 3am with! Once the producers comes out, he begins interviewing groups of 12. We watched the first group go and knew exactly who he would pick! Our group was 2nd and we all felt it. No one from our group was going to be chosen. You could just tell. We then walked around another corner, went through security and sat and waited some more. At the this point they have tvs to watch old Price is Right shows along with a funniest contestants collections. That helped to pass the time.
At around 11:50 they began seating us in the studio. We had arrived at the studio at 8am and now it had finally come! Now people tell you that the studio is small and you will be shocked at the size. They are not lying. Take every idea you have of what the set should look like and throw it out the window. You are right there. Up close and personal. In fact, we couldn't even see some of the stuff due to the cameras and staging. We just yelled and clapped when they told us to. Drew Carey spends the commercial breaks talking to the audience and I'd say that was the best part. It was like having mini comedy shows. It was fun.
Before we knew it, it was done. The couple we had sat next to didn't make it up. But the couple from Alaska in blue, if you watch the show, was sitting 2 people down from us and passed in front of us on the way to the contestants row.
That's our trip! I hoping to do it all again sometime. I learned some things.
1. Stay in a nicer hotel further away, cause it's too easy to drive in that morning and park across from the 3am line.
2. Come up with a great opener for the interview process that sets you apart from everyone else there. Be exciting and happy and LOUD. I think that helps.
3. Bring a permanent marker and ask Drew Carey to sign my shirt. I wish I had thought of that.
4. Remember that it is all for fun and not everyone can win. It makes the whole experience that much better.
I can't wait to do it again!
Sorry there are not more pictures. As soon as I rewash the shirts I'll get pictures of us up here. We didn't take a camera cause we knew we couldn't take it in anyways.
Here's our proof that we were really there.
So, here's how it went down. No we didn't make it up on stage. It was an engaged couples show and only engaged couples were selected. But we should have lots of camera time because we were in the 2nd row to the left of the contestants. Look for us in our red shirts.I will start by saying, it was a lot of fun. Joe even admitted that he would go again some other time. That is saying a lot!
Our adventure began Sunday afternoon at the Phoenix International Airport. We were a bit slow getting to the airport. Our flight was set to leave at 2:25pm. We got to the airport around 1:00pm. By the time we checked in, the automatic check-in did not give us boarding passes. It printed out a ticket to get us through security and told us to go to the gate for our boarding pass. Joe started to get nervous about not making our flight right then. I was hopeful and hungry, so we stopped on the main concourse for some lunch. We made it through security and to the gate at around 1:40pm. We were told at the gate that the flight was overbooked and that we may not make the flight. They looked at later flights and found the same trouble, but took our names and said they would call us up. We sat and waited....
It was the most stressful 45 mins of my life! If we didn't get a flight out that day, our entire trip would be for nothing. We had prepaid our hotel and car and would lose that money. We got more nervous as we watched the airlines call up our flight and start seating. We were sure it was over when finally the ladies at the counter called our names and we went up. We were sure they were going to tell us that we could wait for the next flight as standby, but we were wrong! They had 2 tickets that had not showed up and they were frantically trying to secure those seats for us. They yelled at the attendant at the gate to wait for us and rushed us on the plane. We made it! By the skin of our teeth. I took this as a good sign of good things to come. Joe told me that I must be living right!
Nothing exciting happened on the plane. We didn't get to sit together but that was okay. I got to sit in the very first row between 2 very quiet people. Joe was the lucky one. He got to sit between 2 women! One of which as soon as they took off started applying the most makeup Joe has ever seen in his life. I guess I've spoiled him with my lack of makeup applying. He said it grossed him out.
We got our rental car & gps with no problems and headed to our hotel located across the street from the CBS Television City. I will not say this place was nice, but it was an adventure. We spent the evening exploring The Groves mall located next to the studios. We enjoyed dinner at Maggianos and even had a star sighting while there. I swear it was the guy from Reno 911 that wears the short shorts, but Joe doesn't think it was him. Joe did agree that he was a movie star, just not one we knew the name of. Whomever this STAR was, he was sitting at the table behind us with his family. I know, exciting!
We went to bed at 9pm with our alarm set for 3am. We were awakened at midnight by the hotel alarm clock that someone had set to go off. Not us. Just some funny person playing a great trick on the next poor soul that stayed there. I hate people who do that! Joe yanked it out of the wall. We got up at 3 and were in line by 3:30am with about 30 other crazy people and we sat and waited. By 4 am there were about 40 of us and more came as the clocked ticked on. Interesting people and interesting conversations on the streets of LA. There was an engaged couple from Orange County, the pregnant 30 year old with her mother and we will never forget "LOUD girl"! That's what I named her. She was there with 2 guys friends and had come up from San Diego at 2am. They had had no sleep and it showed. We all learned that they were preschool teachers and loved coffee! They kept us all awake! It was fun listening to their stories.
At 6am the red jacket pages passed out numbers for the 12:20 and 4:20 tapping's. We got number 15 & 16 for the 12:20 show. We went back to our hotel to shower and eat breakfast. We checked out of our hotel and moved our car to the $24 Grove parking garage. Yes, I said $24! It was crazy, but we knew our car would be safe.
Now this part goes fast, but takes long, all at the same time. We sat and waited...then they made our name tags and took our picture for an online picture thing. Then we walked around the corner and we sat and waited some more. They then took our picture for the producers. We sat and waited some more, then they took our picture as couples. You really get to know the people around you during this process. It is the same people you sat and waited at 3am with! Once the producers comes out, he begins interviewing groups of 12. We watched the first group go and knew exactly who he would pick! Our group was 2nd and we all felt it. No one from our group was going to be chosen. You could just tell. We then walked around another corner, went through security and sat and waited some more. At the this point they have tvs to watch old Price is Right shows along with a funniest contestants collections. That helped to pass the time.
At around 11:50 they began seating us in the studio. We had arrived at the studio at 8am and now it had finally come! Now people tell you that the studio is small and you will be shocked at the size. They are not lying. Take every idea you have of what the set should look like and throw it out the window. You are right there. Up close and personal. In fact, we couldn't even see some of the stuff due to the cameras and staging. We just yelled and clapped when they told us to. Drew Carey spends the commercial breaks talking to the audience and I'd say that was the best part. It was like having mini comedy shows. It was fun.
Before we knew it, it was done. The couple we had sat next to didn't make it up. But the couple from Alaska in blue, if you watch the show, was sitting 2 people down from us and passed in front of us on the way to the contestants row.
That's our trip! I hoping to do it all again sometime. I learned some things.
1. Stay in a nicer hotel further away, cause it's too easy to drive in that morning and park across from the 3am line.
2. Come up with a great opener for the interview process that sets you apart from everyone else there. Be exciting and happy and LOUD. I think that helps.
3. Bring a permanent marker and ask Drew Carey to sign my shirt. I wish I had thought of that.
4. Remember that it is all for fun and not everyone can win. It makes the whole experience that much better.
I can't wait to do it again!
Sorry there are not more pictures. As soon as I rewash the shirts I'll get pictures of us up here. We didn't take a camera cause we knew we couldn't take it in anyways.
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