david j. garcia

My coworkers and I just got back from watching a taping of “The Price is Right” with Drew Carey. We didn’t get our names called to “Come on Down,” but we were on the front row (and I sat right next to the contestants).

Sitting in front meant we led the dancing before the taping, then spent lots of time on camera during the show. If you want to watch me make a fool of myself, tune in December 8th. I’ll be sitting on the left of your screen right next to the first person called down.

Want to know what it’s like to appear in the audience of “The Price is Right” and how to hopefully become a contestant? I’ll be happy to tell you:

• Step 1: Get tickets.
• Step 2: Show up early at the west entrance of the CBS lot on the taping day. If you’re attending the 1pm show, you’ll have to arrive significantly earlier than for the 4pm show. We arrived around 6:20am, and we would have been #126-129 for the first taping, but we were only #5-8 for the show we attended (and that’s how we ended up on the front row).
• Step 3: At 6am they start handing out “Place in Line” numbers. These show what order everyone arrived, so you can leave as soon as you get one.
• Step 4: Come back at 7:30am to trade your “Place in Line” number for numbers on your ticket. Audiences for both shows line up together up to this point. Here’s where we got our #5-8.
• Step 5: For the 1pm show you’ll have to be back pretty soon. For the 4pm show, you have a few hours until 12/12:30pm.

Back at the lot again, you’ll want to be in your show clothes. There’s lots of waiting, so it’s nice to get to know your fellow contestants (we met a lady who ended up winning a car). Staffers will pretty much walk you through everything else at this point, but here’s what happens:

• Everyone lines up by number. You’ll be accustomed to this from earlier.
• You show your ID and get your coveted “Price is Right” nametag with your legal name (not a nickname).
• You’ll fill out a card with your name, SS#, and signature agreeing to abide by the rules. The other half of this card is your number.
• They’ll take a photo with you wearing your tag and number. You’ll take the number off when you get in the studio.
• A staffer may take a brief survey about where you heard of the taping (remember: “DavidJGarcia.com”) and how you got tickets.
• Finally the producer arrives and 8-12 people at a time are called up. 
• A nice guy goes down the line for a brief “Where are you from; what do you do?” casting. This is where the decisions are made. The producer just quietly takes notes.
• Now you can just have fun! The set is exciting and comfortable, and they’ll play music to get everyone pumped up.

A couple more hints, tips, and tricks:

• Wear clean, neat, well-fitting clothes in solid colors. Plaids, dots, and other patterns often show up poorly on television, so they’re a bad choice if you want to increase your odds of being selected.
• Be your happy, excited self, but be yourself. They’re looking for a “cross-section” of society. You don’t have to be a ‘beautiful person’ but you do have to look like you’ll provide a good reaction on television.
• Have fun! I mean it; whatever happens, choose to have lots of fun. Go a little wild. Embarrass yourself a bit (I did). It makes good TV.

Afterwards, we met Fred Stoller, and a cross-dresser offered us a Cheeto. Oh, and I’ll be glad to answer any questions in the comments.