Local teacher's experience on "The Price is Right"
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| JONES |
The sixth-graders at Galloway Ridge Intermediate School were treated to a teacher themed episode of “The Price is Right” on Oct. 8.
What made this viewing special was their math and science teacher, Amy Jones, was in the television show’s audience.
The Westside Messenger spoke with Jones about her experience in California and the taping of the game show.
Sean Lehosit: How long have you been a fan of “The Price is Right?”
Amy Jones: I have been a fan of the show ever since I can remember. I like playing along with the contestants and because I’m a numbers person, I am more often right than not.
SL: How did the opportunity arise for you to attend a taping?
AJ: My daughter Emily and I have wanted to vacation to California for the last few years, so we decided to make it happen this past summer. I knew I wanted to attend a taping so I visited “The Price Is Right” website for dates. Once I saw the July 30 taping was a “teacher only” show, I knew that was the one for me. I immediately requested a ticket and booked my flight and hotel reservations. I was fortunate enough to find a hotel within walking distance of the CBS studio.
SL: What happened once you arrived at the studio?
AJ: They issue more tickets than there are available seats. So since it’s based on a first come, first served arrangement, I knew I had to be in line early. I walked a half-mile in the dead of night, from my hotel to the studio gate. Thankfully, I wasn’t mugged because it’s not the most affluent part of Hollywood. I ended up being the 13th person in line… At about 7 a.m. CBS pagers let us onto the studio lot and we began to fill out different forms. At the next stage we walked over to a spot where a producer interviewed us. I was in the first group to be interviewed.
Stacy, the “Showcase Showdown Winner,” who was the very first person in line, stole the show. She had the producer laughing and I could tell he had already taken an interest in her. Once my group was done talking to the producer we went to an area to wait on the rest of the contestants.
SL: What was Drew Carey like? How does he compare to Bob Barker?
AJ: Drew Carey is quite a character. He told a lot of funny jokes. He even shared a true story about his elementary school years. He said that his report cards always noted, “Drew has such potential, but he socializes and talks too much,” and then he laughed. Drew is a fabulous host, but no one can ever fill Bob Barker’s shoes. Bob is a legacy. At the end of every show Bob would sign off by saying, “Help control the pet population, have your pet spayed or neutered.” I’m glad to see Drew has kept that tradition. In fact, I wore a shirt I specially made that said, “I got my cats spayed/neutered because of you, Drew.”
SL: What did you do after the taping was over?
AJ: After the taping of the show, I asked a security officer if I could bring my daughter back on the lot so we could check out the little gift shop that sells souvenirs. He thought about it for a moment and then agreed it would be fine. When we both came back 30 minutes later he had another security officer escort us to the gift shop. I’m not exactly sure why we needed a personal escort, but we did get some mighty nice looking earrings.