I won on The Price Is Right.
Here’s What I Learned.

Like most 90’s kids, my childhood consisted of listening to Green Day on my skip proof disc man while reading Goosebumps books and taking poor care of my Tamagotchi. There were, however, glorious days on which a holiday took place or I was able to convince my parents that I was too sick for school. And on those days, faithfully waiting for me promptly at 11am*, was Bob Barker and The Price is Right. The bright colors, the excitement of the contestants, the complete lack of decorum and caring for one’s own dignity among the contestants. It was a place of pure happiness and I needed to be a part of it some day.

A quarter century later, two close friends’ wedding provided me an excuse to spend some time in Los Angeles, and I knew exactly what needed to be done. I did my research, got tickets to the show in advance, and ended up fulfilling my childhood dream of winning on The Price is Right.

So let me take you through the entire process played out for me, and offer up a few helpful tips to increase your chances of being chosen.

The journey to Contestant’s Row becomes much smoother if you do a little preparation beforehand. First, you’re going to want to consider making yourself a customized shirt for the show.

Yes, it’s corny, but you’ve got to be all-in on this in order for these tips to work, so throw dignity out the window and do it – especially if you’re travelling a long distance. They look for people that travel for the show, and having it on your shirt is a good way to advertise that. Regardless of where you’re coming from, a corny shirt shows you’re a big fan of the show which always will help your chances of being chosen.

Clearly I was a bit excited about the whole Price is Right situation

Next, get tickets. The Price is Right actually makes it pretty convenient for people who have a planned trip to Los Angeles to make it into a taping of the show. All you have to do is visit The Price is Right Tickets Page at On-Air-Audiences.com.

Tickets are released up to 60 days before the show date, so don’t miss out. If your dates aren’t available 60 days beforehand, check back often because you will want to get Priority Tickets for your date. Why? Because Priority Tickets guarantee you a spot in the audienc whereas General Tickets (or stand by) means waiting in line for the chance to get in.

Not sure how many people you’re going to go with? These are free tickets. So if you need to grab a few extra in case some friends decide to tag along, do it. If you don’t use them, it just means people lining up for the taping (those without Priority Tickets) will get in. Win Win.

Once you arrive at CBS Studios for your taping, you’ll see the line and realize how great it was to get Priority Tickets. Knowing this, make sure to pay it forward and offer any extra tickets you may have to people in line. I’ll touch in this more later, but you’re going to want to “know” as many people from the audience as possible, so this is a good way to make early friends.

Upon entry to the Studios, you will wait for a while in an outdoor check-in area with a souvenir booth. Price is Right employees come around to check you in, give you a number, and take personal items such as your phone, larger bags, etc. You won’t get everything back until after the taping, and you’ll have to wait around 2-3 hours for the taping to start. So get ready for a little time without your phone, but this is valuable time that you can use getting noticed.

I had the opportunity to play Cliffhanger, which – fun fact – has the highest success rate of all Price is Right games. So that was lucky.

You may be asking what I mean when I say “getting noticed” if you have the impression that contestants are chosen at random. That is untrue. While they may claim to choose contestants at random, they – at the very least – chose a subset of people to pick from based on things like:

• Excitement Level
• Distance Traveled
• Are they a good story? (service member, engagement, birthday, etc)
• Will they make for funny TV? (AKA: Are they a little crazy, but in a fun way?)
• Likability

Basically, they want to make sure you won’t be a dud if you get up on stage. Therefore, from the moment you step onto CBS Studios (and even before, as in the case of my tip of giving out extra tickets), you have to turn it on, and you have to make sure you stand out from the bunch.

I thought I had spun 1 dollar on the wheel so I began my celebration…I did not spin a dollar. I spun 15 cents. It was embarrassing.

Before the taping, you will be shuffled between a few waiting areas, starting with the check-in area. Once everyone has checked in, they begin calling groups of 20 people to line up for a brief interview with one of the show’s producers. While this interview is taking place, you’ll notice a handful of assistant producers hanging out in the background taking notes. This is your first chance to shine.

The producer will ask you a few basic questions (What’s your name?, Where are you from?, What’s your favorite Price is Right game?, etc). Make sure to really ham it up when they ask you the first question. If you get a follow-up question, that’s really good news. If you get a chance to speak for a third (or more) time, you’re in great shape. I saw a lot of people who had longer interactions with the producer on Contestant’s Row. I guess this is The Price is Right’s version of stressing a good first impression.

Once you complete the first interview, you will stand in line for a while, then will move to a sitting area where you will wait to enter the studio. Throughout this time, you are not interviewed directly, but you may notice staff members (and some of those assistant producers) wandering around and taking more notes. You should be interacting with as many people as possible at this point. Personally, I saw a lot of the assistant producers checking in with security staff, so make sure to be nice to them, too.

The entire pre-show process takes about 2-3 hours and involves shuffling from place to place, but it isn’t completely uncomfortable and boring. Everyone around you is excited about the show so people are generally excited to talk about where they’re from, how much they love Bob Barker, and what they’d do if they won a car – so the time goes by quickly if you play it right.

Also, there are bathrooms available most of the time (with the exception of when you’re standing in line) and food is for sale at the area where you sit and wait for entry to the studio. Note: The food sells out very quickly, so if you are hungry, make sure to line up as soon as they announce it or you’ll miss out on the good stuff. I had to settle for a cheese quesadilla. One star.

There is a common myth that you have to be part of a big group to get called down. This is NOT true. While being in a big group may help, becoming a contestant is about selling YOURSELF.

There were many large groups at my taping (with matching outfits, the whole deal) and only a few were were represented on contestants row because a majority just chatted amongst themselves. If you are successful in standing out, you have a good shot no matter how many people you came with. For me, I found a couple other groups of 1 or 2 people and started talking with them. I met a woman by herself, a Mother and Son, and an older couple – and they became my group. However, I still talked with everyone I could: If they were dressed up in any way, I asked them about it. If they came from an interesting place, I talked to them about their hometown. Anything to spark up a conversation. In a way, you can think of it as a networking event, but in this case, you’re a salesperson selling excitement.

After more covert observation by producers and a short video on how to be a good contestant (basically just show clips), you are taken into the studio. And it’s glorious. It’s as bright and beautiful as you’d imagine. It’s a surreal feeling being there. It’s a place that you spend a majority of your life seeing on television and then you’re just in it. To say I was excited would be an extreme understatement.

To get people even more pumped for the show (not that anyone really needs it), they have a playlist of pump-up music (think Jock Jams) going when everyone walks in. For about 20 minutes, the music continues and everyone is encouraged to dance and scream. It’s an infectious atmosphere and you see just about everyone dancing like fools.

And at this point, you can relax and let loose, too. The show taping is right around the corner and you will have done everything possible to help your chances of getting chosen for Contestant’s Row. So sit back and enjoy. No matter what happens, you’ll leave knowing you had a really good time.

If you do have the good fortune of being called down as a contestant, here are a few things I felt noteworthy from my experience:

Wanted that Rolex. Got that Rolex.

While the tips in this post mostly relate directly to success on a specific game show, there are lessons for the real-world, as well. The ability to walk into a room and stand out from the crow in a positive way translates to good outcomes in so many situations. In professional networking, dating, politics, and apparently even in getting chosen for a game show.

Having the confidence to put your personality on display in front of a large crowd can be scary, but if done in the right way, it makes you memorable to many. In this case, I was able to stand out and become one of the nine contestants chosen out of 250, which gave me the opportunity to win a pretty unbelievable prize package. A chance I would have never had if I hadn’t made “getting noticed” a priority.

So good luck to all of you! If you have any questions for me or would like to know more about my Price is Right experience (or chat about your own), shoot me a message or hit me up on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or LinkedIn.

The moment before my premature celebration.The moment before my premature celebration.

I'd be lying if I said I didn't regularly use the memory of this very moment to cheer me up when I'm down.I'd be lying if I said I didn't regularly use the memory of this very moment to cheer me up when I'm down.

Tallest one on Contestant's Row. No big deal.Tallest one on Contestant's Row. No big deal.

Wanted that Rolex. Got that Rolex.Wanted that Rolex. Got that Rolex.

I had the opportunity to play Cliffhanger, which - fun fact - has the highest success rate of all Price is Right games. So that was lucky.I had the opportunity to play Cliffhanger, which - fun fact - has the highest success rate of all Price is Right games. So that was lucky.

Been a fan of Drew Carey since the early 90's so this was a big deal for me.Been a fan of Drew Carey since the early 90's so this was a big deal for me.

Very concerned about hurting yodeling guyVery concerned about hurting yodeling guy

Clearly I was a bit excited about the whole Price is Right situationClearly I was a bit excited about the whole Price is Right situation

I thought I had spun 1 dollar on the wheel so I began my celebration...I did not spin a dollar. I spun 15 cents. It was embarrassing.I thought I had spun 1 dollar on the wheel so I began my celebration...I did not spin a dollar. I spun 15 cents. It was embarrassing.

Doing my impression of the little girl eating cotton candy meme.Doing my impression of the little girl eating cotton candy meme.