the price, is most definitely, right

what i love most about my job is that every time i think things are getting a little 'routine' something comes along to shake things up.  in this case, a visit to a taping of the price is right.

my team has had an unprecedented amount of success this year.  we are collectively responsible for the company's traditional media, social media, and event presence, and we've hit some major milestones in 2012.  my boss wanted to celebrate, but with some restrictions coming from our parent company --the insurance company that is on the side of you, always (can't decode that? i'm happy to disclose in a less public forum), we weren't allowed to go to disneyland.

we were however, greenlighted for a trip to tpir.  admittedly some were more excited than others (i like disneyland!), but all were down to make it a positive experience.

the 12 of us met at a diner near the studio and enjoyed a delicious breakfast before heading over at about 10:30am. and thus began the waiting.

at 11:30, we were allowed inside the gates, sat down on benches, and handed some forms to fill out.  we followed instructions, being careful to stay highly energized and excited, as we had been told that 'they are always watching'.  we turned in our forms, did some more waiting, got a group photo taken (below) did some more waiting, were ushered to a different area, did some more waiting.  all the while being 'pumped'.

in this second to last 'holding area', we were told that the producer was going to come out and interview us in groups, and finally it was our turn.  we were pretty certain that someone from our group would be chosen. there were a lot of us, wearing cool matching tees, and we had a high enthusiasm level.  the only question was who.

this photo was taken in a
bathroom stall, since we
were supposed to have
ditched our cameras!

and during the interview, it was pretty obvious to everyone in my group that it was going to be me.  he started by greeting me as darlin' (which further proves that i am one of those people who strangers must refer to as honey, sweetie, sugar, darlin', etc.) and he asked me about a dozen questions when everyone else in my group got one or two.

usually when cool things happen to me, it's a total surprise. but i saw this one coming...or so i thought.

At nearly 4pm, we were finally taken in to the studio and the taping began shortly thereafter.  and lo and behold, it was not my name, but my boss' name that was called out to 'come on down' to be the third contestant.  for reasons i discovered later, my boss had made an unexpected connection with the producer as we were being ushered out, at which point, he was pretty certain it would be him.

i was of two minds. on one hand, my boss loves the show.  he watches it regularly and he's good at the games (which we discovered during our many hours of waiting as they played old episodes). on the other, of all of us, he was least in need of a new car.  i tried to push the thought about how much i'd like one out of my mind and celebrate the genuine joy he was feeling at having the opportunity.

and boy did he make the most of it.  he ended up winning a car in his game, AND in his showcase. and in fact, he was only $34 shy of winning both showcases.  he truly was an exemplary contestant.

and we were exemplary audience members!  in fact, sitting in the second row behind the bid podiums, you could see me in almost every audience shot there was.  and of course, the whole team had to rush on stage at the end of the show to congratulate him.  i got my drew carey hug, and all in all, it was a good day!

i made my own 'highlight reel' of the episode by videoing my tv with my phone, but if you missed it and you're interested, you can check it out here.