The other day at work, Donna and I both noticed that the new Let's Make a Deal was being taped at the Tropicana Casino in Las Vegas. I went on the website and saw that they had free tickets for the taping to be contestants, all you have to do is sign up for tickets and you get an email confirming the tickets. On the website you can chose the date and time you want to attend. I signed up for a 2:30 taping on a Saturday. I signed up and called Andy. When I told him we were going to be contestants, he was like, I'm not going to do that! What a party pooper!
Why are husbands such a drag? So Donna signed us up, heck why not, we could both take off work, after all it's not every day you get a chance to be a contestant. We came up with the idea (don't know for sure whose idea it was) to be babies. The rules said that homemade costumes were "encouraged". How more homemade could a diaper be? We ran down to the local Halloween Mart and picked up some gigantic pacifiers and a bonnet (more in the Betsy Ross style). Donna had to buy sheets to make her diaper, me, I fitted into my king size pillow case, altho my ass was flat as a pancake (had to stuff my diaper with towels, very uncomfortable to sit! Nothing like walking with a wad between your legs!). We wore black tights and a pink top, fashioned bibs out of napkins and wore our famous purple/pink wigs. I looked like a cross between a scary baby and a scary french maid! Donna looked like she was was a baby swathed in a loin cloth. That diaper of hers looked like it had a load that kept wanting to migrate down to her knees. I thought we looked so scary and ridiculous. I told her why is it we can never be glamorous? The tickets said that the door opened at 10:00, and after hearing horror stories that lines for game shows can be crazy long, we decide to get there at 7:30 am. I was like thinking if there are thousands of people, I wasn't waiting, diaper or no diaper. We walked through the casino, people were staring, pointing and looking like they were watching a car wreck, (come on people, haven't you ever seen girls in diapers!). We get there and there is not a single person there. The game show people told us to come back at 9:30 which was just a well because I forgot our fantastic sign at home and Donna needed to make adjustments to her baggy, saggy diaper. We get back at 9:30 and stand in line. When the lane opens, we are contestants 1 & 2. We fill out the paperwork. One of the forms was tell us something funny or interesting about yourself. I was drawing a blank. Ya, I know there is something funny and interesting about me, I just can't think of it! After we make our way to the photo line where our pictures are taken, then past security to a second seating area. There a producer comes out and casually chats with each of the contestants while a second producer takes notes in the background. Donna and I being first, chat with her and then she moves on. Of course we were so fired up, we were chattering like two chipmunks, when the producers told us to shut up! Ok, so we were a little hyper! We were so funny, we could be our own comedy team, we could have our own talk show, we made them laugh and everyone like our costumes.
Next its on the the next holding area right before you get into the studio. There we waited about another hour. Donna and I had to go to the bathroom several times. Do you know how hard it is to take off a diaper?
Next they let us into the studio. By then there were about 158 total contestants. Donna and I were in seats 1 & 2 and prominently in the front row, how awesome is that? For the first 30 minutes, the stage director makes us go through a series of cues, laughter, shock, applause, hooting and shouting. And the Oscar goes to....Boy my throat was so sore. We're both sweating buckets in the chilly studio. I was getting pit stains! I could feel that my shiny face was blinding the camera. I must say it was about that time our energy started to wane, we were quickly becoming cranky babies, not to mention the fact that from 7:30 on we really didn't get to eat or drink anything.
Then the taping begins. Wayne Brady comes out. He is really cute but is slimmer than what he looks like on TV. The camera really does add 10 pounds! His legs are really skinny and his shoes were pointy and very shiny (I bet they were real patent leather!). Wayne comes out and asks for the first person to show him a nickel. A girl shouts and he gives her $500.00. The next contestant wins a golf cart. The taping is done in segments, with a couple of breaks. One time when Wayne came out, I happened to catch his attention and he said Hi to me! The next thing I knew, he was pointing to me, cute baby (cute baby?). Surely he wasn't looking at me (he had to be looking at miz boobs two seats away, but he was! OMGOMG! I go up and he offers up 70th anniversary edition of the "Wizard of Oz". He asks me, if I've seen the Wizard of Oz, of course! He asks me what is my favorite part. There I freeze like deer caught in the headlight? The entire studio waits for my answer. I meekly say, "The Woods". I couldn't believe my ears! Am I that lame? I was so frozen at that moment I couldn't think of a single thing! Wayne went on to make some jokes, of which I have no idea what he was saying, only that the audience was laughing ( at me or at him?). Next he says, he will give me the dvd which has money in it or I can trade it away to contestant Danielle, and play for what is behind door 3, which opens to a trip to Puerto Vallarta. I scream like I just won a trip around the world or something for heavens sake! Gwad, what a nit wit I am! At first I'm not understanding, I have to play for the trip? I ask Wayne what are the chances? Lame comment # 2! He says, what am I, a poker dealer? I give away the dvd to Danielle. Cut to break. Next they bring out a board with 6 cards on it. Wayne says I have to pick three that match. At first I'm thinking they are picture cards, you know horse, donkey, cow, but they are playing cards (uh dud!). I ask Donna for a number, she picks 3. I pick 5 and 1 and tell him that they add to 9 which is Chinese for luck, lame comment # 3! He turns over card 3 which is a 4 and then turns over card 1 which is another 4. Then he turns over a card that I didn't pick which is another 4. The audience is screaming. He then tells me, I can chose to continue or pick what's behind door number 2 which opens to a plasma tv, Beatles collection, PlayStation, electric guitar and drums. I'm stunned. What should I do, continue on for the trip or pick the sure thing. All I could think of, if Andy were here, he would have picked the correct cards. Sure thing, gamble, sure thing, gamble... Moments feel like hours, when I tell Wayne, I'll take door 2! The audience is clapping! He turns over my last card and it is a King. I jump up and down like some crazy whacked out contestant on some game show. I just won an electronic package!!! I scamper back to my seat, Donna and I hug! It is so hard to be in the moment, everything you learn goes out the window. I became jello, mush, a mind full of split pea soup and therefore the lamest contestant in game show history.
Danielle now has my dvd that I gave to her. Wayne sweetens the deal and gives her another dvd which has money in it. He tells her she can keep the dvd's or trade it for door 1. She trades the dvds, which he opens and both only held $1.00!!! We were so relieved, because if there were thousands of dollars in it I would have cried! Danielle gets a exercise package. And lastly, he ask Danielle if she would like to be the big trader of the game and give up her door for a prize that is worth $23,000! Who wouldn't? She goes for it and wins the car! Game over. All in all, it was fun, but a really long process that started at 9 and ended at 3:30. The chances of getting called on are pretty slim unless you can be the first with something that Wayne asks for. For the Donna's we got really lucky. Somehow the planets must have been aligned just right, the signs were all in the right place and we somehow Karma came to us, we got really lucky. The four people left the line and we moved into seats 1 & 2. We sat in the front row, we had our sign, and I caught the eye of Wayne who probably noticed our purple wigs. I'm glad Danielle, who was dressed like Pocahontas, won the car, she was standing in line with us, chatted with us and deserved to win (stay at home mom), plus she was really nice, good for her! The only thing is that I'm sure when I watch our show, I'm going to look like the biggest nerd on national TV. UGH! I'm so stupid-the woods!
By the way, you can't trade in your prizes for cash. All prizes are shipped to your address, so my daughter eagerly awaits her PlayStation, my husband and I will enjoy our plasma TV and Donna will get the collectors edition of the Beatles. All in all a good day for the Donna's!-Single D
Go to the Tropicana Casino (Las Vegas) website (link below)-click on the Let's Make a Deal banner and click the show you want to attend. After entering your info, you get an email confirmation stating what time to show up and the contest rules. You can also get paid to sit in the audience if they don't have enough to fill the studio at the rate of $40.00 for 4 hours. I believe there is a number on the website you can call if you want to be a paid audience member.
ps-our taping will air Monday, October 26-see us on the tube!
