Wow. Before attending the taping, I just couldn't wait to get inside. Boy, I think the wait was worth it. And we get to see Drew after his little sick spell. Entering the studio, there were cameras all around the stage. Me thinks it's paparazzi or press cameramen for the ACMAs or whatnot.
We're seen in the first few seconds? Nice.
I honestly did not know in advance that Joe the horse was opening with Drew. Kinda felt like I was on the stage of Let's Make a Deal.
One Bid 1: I am so close to being a fan of Heidi Newfield, and I never even heard any of her music. I think they played "Five O'Clock World" during one of the breaks.
Money Game: Oh, I kept shouting 52 at first for the ol' FnB. Since it wasn't, I went with 87 (or maybe 75). You can tell I was into the game--I couldn't stay down.
One Bid 2: Delores, the only lady with a red hat. When I saw her in the Promenade, I was looking for the rest of the Red Hats. Nope, she was the only one.
2 For the Price of 1: I am still not good when it comes to video game packages. I'll just play the game like I normally would. In the words of Drew, classic game play.
One Bid 3: Jason, the guy next to me, ahead of me gets picked. He brought Stan's book at the gift shop, had Stan autograph it, tells Rich in the warm-up that he wants to be an announcer, ends up on stage with him for a few seconds, now becomes a contestant. I think there was some -nosing or -kissing going on. (Sorry, a little bitterness came back. You can see it in my face.) AND BIDS 420 and WINS?? I inhale very deeply.
Secret "X": Just like Plinko, the prizes were a little tricky to me; so I didn't volunteer. Hey,
a shot of Jacob.
And a shot of me making the right choice. From those two shots, win or lose, I feel totally better.
Showcase Showdown 1: The first time I actually see somebody win money on the Wheel. Now some of us notice sometimes that Drew may forget that the contestant has a Bonus Spin; well this time he was well aware of it.
One Wrong Price: With the frequency of games like this, I was expecting this to show on one of the tapings I attended. I couldn't recall what I said. But now I probably would not have picked the luggage.
One Bid 5: Man, Stan's been picking all around us...
Jacob and/or I must have said something good by the way I got up instantly after Drew said the ARP.
Stack the Deck: The only thing I did good was picking the $3.19 price. I knew it couldn't be the price of the Hot Pockets value pack. That must be a big can of chili because I only pay a dollar for a can of that brand. The second number was a total crapshoot for me. The whole audience and Delores went wild after that.
One Bid 6: Once again, a contestant gets picked with something related to spay/neuter. Maybe I'll do that next time, reminding myself to get my old copy of Stan's book and do some kissing/nosing.
NO. I'm just gonna be the ever-loving LFaT I have always been. I am having an awesome time as it is.
When I saw Larry Mitchell for the first time, I thought either that was Buddy Guy or Rick James. It definitely wouldn't be Rick James.
Did I do 1200 or 2100? I can't recall, but I do know I gave a hook gesture for Manuel's knocking-out-Joshua's bid. I must have been on a high by the way I let my arms out, probably because I think I said 1200 and that would've also been a winning bid. Did Jeff point at me?
Range Game: Wow! I get more face time.
I move my thumbs up to the cadence of the Rangefinder. My guess was around $8499. When it was at that range,
I gave the signal to get ready to stop; you're good. But it seems he went over.
I was part of the crowd yelling, "STOP!" with all of our hands raised. Drew was right: We had it.
Instead of a few seconds of some instrumental, we get a few moments of that good ol' jam session. Sweet!
Showcases: For a few days, I was telling my friends that I saw Taylor Swift on the show. I was so wrong; it was Heidi Newfield. This is where I kept thinking about Taylor Swift. I didn't know until today that we had a Showcase of four trips. Haven't seen that in a while. I kinda don't get a country music concert in Australia.
During the final break, Reba walked on stage while the crew was covering her with the red drapery. Plenty of the people in the audience knew it was her. As a result, they reacted as loud as they did if Bob Barker was on stage doing a regular episode. She was not exposed until Drew introduced her. Nice fly away effect away from Jacob.
Once again, a close up of us (me coughing of joy). Believe me, before, during, and after Reba's appearance, Hali and Valerie could NOT keep their eyes dry, especially Hali. That was a terrible heartbreak for Hali. I can understand her kneeling on the floor. Yes we have another wild bunch of supporters. After taping, a few stayed around for one reason: Reba.
I can honestly say that this was the second best episode I have ever attended. Second only to Bob Barker's ninth-to-last episode. I had a very surreal and awesome time. I don't even care if I was picked as a contestant or not. Maybe Stan felt I would have a great time even if I don't get picked. I sure hope so. I would love to do it all over again. Even I couldn't stop crying inside.
Excellent times.
Side note: After reading the posts as to how fast the game went, I think it's because they were really behind schedule. We had to wait over a half hour to get into the studio and to get everything set. I also think they were trying to accommodate time for the 4pm taping. I don't really know; I'm taking a guess on that. Didn't seem fast to me, though.