The Price Is Right

Did anyone catch me on The Price Is Right today? 

^^ Here's me on the day of filming as soon as we got home. 

Here's some fun facts for all your Price Is Right Fans and my story. 

- My sister wanted to go on the show on her 18th birthday. When you get tickets for The Price Is Right, you either get Priority Tickets or Line Vouchers. Tickets are free but you should request them WELL in advance. Well we apparently didn't request in enough time to get priority tickets so we were given line vouchers instead. Priority means you are GURANTEED a seat. Line vouchers mean you get in IF there are enough seats. You want the priority tickets bottom line. I'll explain more on that later. 

-Get to the studio EARLY. We got there at about 7am and there was already a line. If you have priority tickets, you can waltz in at call time and don't need to bother getting there early. 

-There are usually ALWAYS empty seats. Once all the priority people are inside the studio, they go in order of the line formed outside (granted you have a line voucher) of who will get in. Let's say they let 500 people into the studio and 400 of those seats are priority. That means there are 100 empty seats up for grabs. Get it?

-Paige and I waited in line for about two hours with coffee in hand. I had to use the bathroom bad. No bathrooms outside. Paige also didn't have an ID (just a school ID and a birth certificate) so we were praying that would be ok. Once the line started moving we were praying there would be enough seats to get us in. 

-We JUST made it in. We were literally at the very very back of the pack. The school ID and birth certificate worked. Yes! We were in! We were so excited. 

-After everyone is in, you wait some more. They give you paperwork to fill out, they take your picture, they give you a name tag, they take a group picture with everyone you came with.. And you wait some more. At this point there's bathrooms to use and food and snacks to buy. Hooray. 

-Leave your cell phone in the car. We parked at the Grove and if you take your phone you have to hand it over to security. That means more waiting and more hassle. Bring cards or magazines to keep busy. 

-Affer lots and lots more waiting the interview process begins. Yes, every single person is interviewed and the producer HAND selects who is going to appear on the show. It is not luck. It is not random. Those 9 people are chosen by the Stan the Man himself. 

- You are interviewed in groups of about 12. We were the LAST group to be interviewed so we got to see every other group be interviewed. Most people are SO boring during the interview, of course they aren't going to be chosen. Basically it goes like this- "What's your name and what do you do?" Most people answer like this- "I'm candice and I'm a stay at home mom."  Really?! That's not going to get you on the show. 

My sister and I pepped each other up and knew we were going to nail that interview. Paige did a whole thing about looking like Taylor Swift, it was her 18th birthday THAT DAY, and she needed $$ to get a new car because she is headed to UCI in the fall. She wore a UCI tee. Then it was my turn. My interview went something like this- "Hi! I'm candice! I'm a stay at home mom and I'm an amature yodler so I need to get on this show and play cliffhanger so I can yodle!" I said this while jumping around, screaming, and clapping my hands. Then I began to yodle the cliffhanger game song as loud as I could. That did the trick. He loved it. Instead of going on to the next person like he had been doing.. He followed up with me- "What are your favorite games?" I rattled off about 10 different Price Is Right games (know your stuff!) and he said he was impressed and I must really love the show and then went on to the next person who was boring like 90% of the people there. 

The thing is, go crazy! Know the games. Love the show. Be creative. Make him laugh. Scream, clap, and go crazy! I am really good at making myself look like an idiot so this was a piece of cake for me. There were two cheerleaders behind us and they said- "were cheerleaders." Heck, I used to be a cheerleader for five years and I had more pep. It's all about that interview and selling yourself. When other people were answering questions I would clap, hoot and holler for them, I think I even threw in some high kicks. Who's the cheerleader now? 

-Also, they really don't care about your homemade tee or that you're from out of town. I live 20 minutes away and wore an Urban Outfitters top and they chose me. 

-Aftet we were done my sister and I were feeling great. There was no way one of us wasn't getting called up. 

-They play a funny blooper reel and then you go in the studio and get seated. 

-We were seated right behind the announcer George and he was hilarious. He interacted with us most of the show and made it really fun. Several times during the show the producer comes out and looks around at all of the audience. I made sure to really whoop it up to remind him to pick me. Remember those solo pictures I said you take? I could tell he was using those to see where people were sitting so the cameras knew where to zoom in at once people were called up. 

-So the show starts and four people are called down. And I'm not one of them. Paige isn't one of them. To be honest, I was a little ticked. Had the producer lost his mind? (That sounds conceited and terrible and I'm sorry but those were my thoughts!) 

--- Here's what I realized afterwards and why I stress to get a PRIORITY ticket. If you are one of the lucky nine chosen, IT GOES IN ORDER OF YOUR PLACE IN LINE OF WHEN YOU GET CALLED DOWN! Meaning this- if you were in the first group of people interviewed, you will be the first called down. If you were in the last group of people interviewed , you will be the LAST person called down. It's totally true. We saw every person interviewed and it was in the exact order of how they got called down. The first four contestants were at the front of the line with priority tickets And so on and so on until you got to me, who was the last person interviewed. 

-Bla Bla they keep calling contestants and I'm thinking WHAT THE HECK but were having a great time anyway. It's so loud in the studio that you really can't hear when people get called down. There's this guy who's job is to hold up a huge card with the names of who's getting called down so you can see... 

-"We have time for one more contestant..." And then I see the cue card flip to CANDICE WILLIAMS... Come on down! You're the next contestant on the price is right!

I was thrilled, excited, screamed, jumped, you name it. 

I had one chance to bid.. On video games none the less. I thought my husband would kill me if I didn't get this right. I bid 575 and retail was 630. Not a terrible bid! Who bids 630!? Well the girl next to me did and she got $500 for the correct bid and I was pretty bummed that I didn't get to go on stage.. But I had a front row seat for the rest of the show, talked to Drew and shook his hand, he went and chatted with my sister all about her going to UCI and I got cash money! If you're one of the three left on bidders row, you get a nice amount of cash that they don't tell you about. Paige and I split it (it was her birthday after all) and called it a day. Prizes roll in after your show date airs. 

-Honestly, I had a great time even if I DIDNT get to go on stage. Do I wish I would have gotten on stage? Ummm duh. But I was so ESTATIC that I got chosen as a contestant and I KNOW that I would have been one of the first four if I had a priority ticket. So GET PRIORITY PEOPLE! So many more chances to bid.. One bid is tough! 

And honestly, I don't need a brand new car, or money, or a TV, or a bunch of bags because I already have all of those things. I told my husband I was more disappointed that I didn't get more TV time. I guess I'm a camera whore? Haha. If you're a contestant they mail you a DVD copy so I can watch it every single day for the rest of my life... I mean... Maybe just once or twice more?

We had a BLAST and I really really encourage anyone who has ever thought about going to GO! It sounds lame and cheesy but it was one of the best days I've ever had. My sister and I had such a good time together and I would do it again in a heartbeat.. Only CBS won't let me for another ten years... So in ten years I will be back baby. I will be back with a priority ticket in hand and that showcase will be MINE.