This is an article I wrote for a edition of our student paper, the Semi, that was focusing on game shows. Enjoy!
My friends like to give me a hard time, because in the last four months I've been to 4 tapings of Dancing with the Stars5 of American Gladiators, and one of the Ellen Show. I love the whole process: standing in line, people-watching, the "warm-up guys" who try to get the audience revved up with everything from dance-offs to mini game shows, and, of course, being part of a live studio audience. I've gotten to see J. Lo, James Blunt, and Queen Latifah perform and I've sat across the room from the Spice Girls and Donny Osmond. In my defense, I come by my love of on-air competition honestly. My parents, aunt, uncle, cousin, great-grandma, close family friend, and my college roommate's mom have all participated in game shows over the years. I think it's my time...I'm just saying.
Back in the 80's, my parents, aunt, uncle, and cousin were contestants on the Family Feud. Richard Dawson, the host at the time, was notorious for always greeting the ladies with a kiss on the cheek. He was quite the charmer. Before going out on the stage, the families were given instructions along these lines: "Now one of the answers on the board might be something that's a little embarrassing to say, like sex, and you just need to say it." Prepped and ready to go, they took the stage. When my aunt went up for her turn, the question was "Name an activity that causes you to stop and catch your breath." She rang the buzzer and blurted: "Sex!" Richard Dawson didn't miss a beat and said, "You're husband's a lucky man." With a beet-red face, my aunt went back to her team absolutely mortified. Not only was her sweet and very conservative mother in the audience but her 3rd grade studnets from the Christian school where she taught would be tuning in to watch. She turned to my mom once they were in the huddle : "Charlotte, I cannot go back out there. I am not going back out there!" My mom calmed her down, and they went on to lose the game, but the laughs our family has gotten from that story made it more than worthwhile.
At the age of 93, my great-grandmother was a contestant on the Price is Right. At the time, she was the oldest contestant the show had ever had. She was hard of hearing, so she had to have Bob Barker repeat what the other bids had been each time. He could not have been sweeter. He'd stand closer to her and make sure she could hear everything. She did not take home any of the big prizes that day, but I think she enjoyed the consolation vacuum cleaner more than she would a new bedroom set or an exotic vacation.
Another favorite game show story of mine is that of our close family friend Jon Jones. He was a contestant on the Wheel of Fortune. I'll never forget watching him make it to the final round. With the clock winding down fast, he shouted out (in the strongest Oklahoman accent you can imagine): "It's a, it's a, it's a GOLFCART!" We were going nuts watching it. He walked off with $25,000 and a Mazda Miata convertible. And now, of course, he's teaching in Las Vegas.
This last tale is technically not a game show story, but I think it's close enough to count. Before coming to Fuller, I worked in Advancement for Wheaton College in the Chicago suburbs. Two of my close friends from work got tickets to be in the audience of the Oprah Show adn invited the head of their department along. The staff of the show gave everyone a small white box and said that someone in the audience had a key in theirs, but when they opened them up, they all had keys. It was the show were all 276 of the audience members got brand new Pontiac G-6's. Now I'm not going to lie. I was a teensy bit jealous. At the time, I was driving a car that leaked copious amounts of oil and the G-6 is a nice-looking automobile. But mostly, I got caught up in the excitement of watching them drive up in style to campus.
I love game shows. I love that even if the audience has been coached to clap and the contestants have been told how to react, there are still the moments you can't predict. Whether you win or lose, you know you're in for quite a ride. I love the excuse to express enthusiasm with abandon and be a part of a group of strangers doing the same. And if you are new to the L.A. area or even if you're not, I highly recommend the game show experience for a taste of the fun that Hollywood can offer!
