Contestant Occupation Advantages/Disadvantages?

[Nate Powalie]

Hello again my g-r.net friends.

Okay, I have a question regarding contestants. Do you guys think a certain occupation for a contestant who appears on the show can play to an advantage or disadvantage? If so, what occupations do you think would have an advantage or a disadvantage and why? Let me know! Thanks crew!

[gamesurf]

Anything is an advantage as long as you can sell it in an interesting way when asked.

“What do you do?” “I’m a janitor. I’m here to make a clean sweep of the studio!”

If you can’t do that with your job, do it with something else.

“What do you do?” “I’m a janitor and I own over 200 kewpie dolls. I even have these ones shaped like Drew and George…”

[tpirfansince1972]

People who work at grocery stores, especially ones at the check out lines, I would think might have a bit of an advantage with grocery item pricing, especially if said employees live in California which is where the show is taped.

Ditto for car salespersons or people who work at retail stores for smaller prized prices, such as ones used in Bonus Game, etc.

Teachers might make for great contestants, e.g. Ted Klaussen.

I forget the one contestant's name, but I think he might have been on the autistic scale.  He had an exact bid of $2,148 for a scooter and then played Buy or Sell flawlessly, becoming that pricing game's biggest winner.  I do not know if this young man was employed or not.

I don't know how many, if any, professional gamblers ever make it to the show, but they are very in tune with statistical probabilities which might come in handy with certain aspects of certain pricing games.

Those who are not employed, be it college students, retired people, or those who simply are unable to find work and who are home and able to either watch the show when it airs or stream it at their leisure could make for ideal contestants too.  The basic premise of the show it seemed way back in 1972 was geared primarily for housewives of the era, but that is by far a bygone era.

[thatvhstapeguy]

Anything is an advantage as long as you can sell it in an interesting way when asked.

I can certainly attest to this. Interesting occupations help, but a quick wit is even better.

Drew had a lot of fun with what I do for a living, both during that first break and when I just happened to get on stage immediately afterward. Couldn’t have been timed any better.

At my first taping I blew the interview by trying to joke that I write emails for a living; my mother also once blew an interview with (probably) Phil in the mid ‘90s by joking she was a professional game show contestant.

[mrbrown2195]

If we're purely talking the ability to play the game, I'd chime in not so much an occupation, but being the person that does the majority of the grocery shopping for your house probably gives you a strategic advantage.

Living in California gives you an advantage since the prices are usually California centric.

Being involved in car sales gives you an advantage when playing a car game.

Maybe being a lawyer is advantageous if the host screws up the rules. 

[pannoni1]

They may not exist to the degree they once did, but travel agents for anything to do with trips. They understand high season prices (aka "rack room" rates and peak season airfare) that the show uses for its ARPs. Flight attendants and hotel check-in desk workers possibly to a lesser degree could apply.