Greeks bond on tapings of “The Price is Right”
By Maria Simpson
Oct. 11, 2012 11:34 p.m.
BY maria Simpson
The set is something out of the 1970s with bright, vibrant colors everywhere, down to the yellow nametags. The moment when an audience member gets called down to be a part of the row of contestants, everyone exudes excitement and anticipation for what prizes they might take home.
For students involved in Greek life, attending a taping of “The Price is Right” has become a popular sisterhood and brotherhood event. The show welcomes large groups to sign up for free tickets online which make this an economical group activity for college students on a budget. There’s also the added suspense of possibly playing as a contestant.
“The Price is Right” has entertained American television audiences for 40 years and counting with over 80 different pricing games such as “Plinko,” “Check-Out” and “Temptation,” bringing out the two best aspects of an auction: the shouting and the bidding.
With UCLA’s proximity to television studios, many students have taken advantage of this unique luxury by signing up to be a part of the studio audience for shows like “The Price is Right.”
Anthony Meyers is a fourth-year philosophy student who celebrated his birthday at the taping.
“I was a big fan in elementary school and middle school and then went through a period where I stopped watching daytime television. I remember watching it at my grandma’s house in the summer. But I’ve always really been a big fan so I brushed up on it beforehand,” Meyers said.
Announcer George Gray describes the first item up for bid while host Drew Carey utilizes his comedic talents to put contestants at ease. If a contestant gets the chance to spin the glittery big wheel, their goal is to get the closest to $1 without going over to earn a spot in the Showcase Showdown finale. Prizes have included vacations, cars and boats. All this and more can be yours, but only if the price is right.
Ashley Naff, a fourth-year anthropology student, attended a taping with her sorority sisters when she was a freshman. Naff had never previously been a part of a studio audience and had no expectations going into it. Naff had signed up to go with her chapter to spend time with her pledge class and simply go along for the ride.
The large group of Alpha Phis coordinated in brightly-colored shirts made to distinguish their chapter. All of the girls were asked to fill out a short form with a few facts about themselves and were filed into the producer’s trailer in groups of 10-15 to be interviewed. Naff, current president of UCLA Panhellenic, remembers the questions being very basic with her own question simply being, “What’s your major?”
Simple interviews are conducted to try and gauge if a person has a lot of personality, if they’re energetic, would be comfortable on camera and someone people would want to root for.
Kevin Magnuson, a fourth-year mathematics/economics student, had only seen the show once but knew that he and his friends had to stand out in the crowd if they wanted CBS producers to notice them. Magnuson and his roommates wore matching shirts and chanted to show their school pride, hoping to get some attention.
“UC Irvine had a group of 20. We knew we needed to rep UCLA. We did 8-claps while we waited in line and when we went through the photo booth they had, we spelled out U-C-L-A. We just wanted to be loud and have fun,” Meyers said.
Only six people out of a possible 300 are called down to participate as contestants. To Naff’s utter bewilderment, she was selected.
“They didn’t tell me upfront that I’d be chosen. When I heard my name called and the announcer called me up … I was not anticipating it,” Naff said.
The item up for bid was a special edition Beatles iPod and discography. Naff took a wild guess of what the price might be and ended up being the closest to the actual price. She then went on stage and played “Then and Now,” a game that asks the contestant to say whether they think the grocery item is the price from decades past or now.
She won that round and her prize was a furniture set made up of a couch, side table and coffee table. Naff then went on to spin the big wheel and became a finalist in the Showcase Showdown. She underbid and lost her showcase but still walked away with all of her earlier prizes.
Naff had the furniture set shipped to her home in Arizona where her parents incorporated it into their décor. Naff says she still uses her special edition iPod.
For sororities and fraternities, going to a taping of the show is a popular pastime among both genders of the row. A student from the school on the other side of town, the University of Southern California, was also lucky enough to hear the words, “come on down,” when he attended the show with his brothers of Beta Theta Pi.
Patrick Mazuka, a second-year public relations student at USC, attended a taping of the show in December 2011 with 13 of his fraternity brothers during finals week.
Mazuka was called up as a contestant during the first round. The item up for bid was a cell phone and a year’s paid subscription.
“I tried really hard to concentrate and think of the actual price. I got the closest and was called up on stage where I ran to hug Drew Carey. My Beta Theta Pi brothers were more excited than I was. They were surprised too but they were all laughing and cheering me on,” Mazuka said.
Mazuka then won his pricing game and walked away with a brand-new Chevy Sonic, which he still drives today.
Like Mazuka, one member among any group that attends the show, whether that be a sorority, fraternity, family or just friends, may walk away with a brand-new car.
“I would recommend it to any campus group that wants to get together and do something fun. Chances are that one person in your group will get chosen and it’s a lot of fun to root for that person,” Naff said.
