I was going through my old reviews, trying to find something interesting for this week's flashback. When I saw this 'review,' I started cracking up and I knew I had to post it! I'm going to tell you a little secret here - I HAVE NO MEMORY OF ANY OF THIS! This entire day, except for maybe the car ride over to Kaufman Astoria studios, is gone from my memory. I have the vaguest of memories of watching the actual show. So I was chuckling as I read it. I hope you do too...
8/12/07: So, I don’t know if you all remember, but we Chain Reaction gals were called into service to be practice contestants for the new Drew Carey game show Power of 10. As it turned out, I was the only one who was free (why am I always the least busy GNO gal?!), so here is my Power of 10 report:
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I ended up taking the whole day off Tuesday (I was supposed to have another appt which got canceled, but I decided I didn’t want to go to work anyway ;) and was sitting in my somewhat air-conditioned apartment, watching tennis, when I got a call from a different Power of 10 PA. She wanted to fill out more about me for Drew’s “blue card.” So we talked for, I don’t know, a half-hour? About the synchronized swim team, my former acting career, my love for tennis, my nephew, everything. I’m thinking, are they really doing a version of This is Your Life? I mean, how would all that crap about me end up in a rehearsal of a show?! Whatever. They called me back five minutes later to tell me to come at 3:30 instead of 3. OK. More time to watch tennis.
I decided it was too bloody hot to walk over to the Kaufman Astoria studios, so I called my favorite car service, so I could arrive for my date with Drew in climate controlled comfort. Plus, my hair wouldn’t get grossed out.
I arrived at 3:30 and was taken up to a green room, where there were two other guys. We just kinda sat there, quietly, when one of them asked me, “Hey, were you on Chain Reaction? Did you tape near Valentine’s Day? Were you against the bowlers?” I’m thinking, omg, I have a Chain Reaction stalker, when he says he taped that day too! He was on the team that played against the gals from Baltimore! Obviously, I didn’t remember him. But he says “So, how’d you guys do? We got our butts kicked!” I said, “Oh, we won. We’re going to Italy.” Silence. Then we all talked about traveling in Italy, which was fun. Not that they’ve ever been, but they wanted to know all about our trip. The other practice guy was an actor from Hoboken who apparently was on one of the first episodes of Chain Reaction and his team got their butt kicked too.
After about a half hour of chit chat, they take me and the actor from Hoboken down to the studio to rehearse. We get down there, get miked up by a VERY CUTE sound guy (who is probably young enough to be my son, but still), and then go onto the set. It’s a huge set, with a lighted floor, tons of fog machines and seating for around 200 (I asked).
We then sat down in whatever seats the stage manager wanted to check out for camera shots. We must’ve changed seats ten times over the course of the afternoon. But for some reason, they were having a rehearsal before the rehearsal. All we did was sit (and change seats), while we watched other PAs be the rehearsal winner.
Finally, after nearly two hours of that, they let us be the “new” contestants. So we had to practice walking onto the set about twenty times. They are apparently changing the way they get the loser contestant off and the new contestants on. They’re also playing with the camera angles. I nearly got run over by the handheld camera guy and his cord-carrying pal. The cord-carrying pal nearly destroyed one of the fog machines, but hey, I’m not union. I just stayed out of the way.
So, we get out there and are waiting for Drew Carey to come out, but no, we had yet another PA be the rehearsal host. Apparently, Drew didn’t feel the need to rehearse. He wanted to stay in his hotel and watch the premiere of the show. Uh, ok. But I wanted to meet Drew Carey! And after watching the premiere of Power of 10, I can say with all truthfulness that perhaps Drew should rethink his disdain for rehearsal.
Oh, and the “blue card” stuff for my ‘contestant interview’? Here’s all that remained of the half hour conversation: fake host says, ‘so, Tari, you work with writers. What makes you feel you’re qualified to guess other Americans’ opinions?’ Whew. Good thing they knew so much about me!!!!
Before we officially got started, while they were trying to figure out a lighting thing, I looked up at the monitor and said, to no one in particular, “OMG, is that what my butt looks like?! Does anyone mind if I do this part of the show hiding my butt?!” The stage manager about laughed his head off and said boy, was I going to LOVE my first question!
Our first question was ‘What percentage of American women are happy with their bodies?” HA! But, I actually felt I was ok on this one (my personal butt worries aside), because they just did a survey like this in one of my magazines. I was going to choose 30%. But I couldn’t get my toggle thing to work right, so the computer locked on my (inadvertent) choice of 65%. All the male crew guys are like “What?!” I said, “Hey, I couldn’t get my toggle to work! Give me a break!” So I expected to lose that one. Imagine my surprise when I turned out to have won it, because the actual answer was 48% and I was closer than my opponent, who chose 8% (obviously a straight man)! Quel surprise!
Next question: “What percentage of Americans say they have read a book, cover to cover, in the last six months?” My mind is racing—oh, they did these polls before Harry Potter came out and before the summer—so I choose 40%. My opponent chose 45%. The answer was 60%! I said, “Excuse me, I think they’re lying!” So I got it wrong.
I completely forget the third question, but I got it wrong. So the actor from Hoboken needs to get one more right to go on to the money-winning round.
Last question: “What percentage of Americans say they have seen a UFO?” I say 25%. I mean, seriously. But the answer was 9%! Actor from Hoboken wins! I said, “Oh, hello, they’re lying again! I mean, I’VE seen a UFO!” The stage manager is laughing, saying “Uh oh, she thinks Americans are liars!” I said, “No, but I’m not sure about the truthfulness of these polled people!”
Oh, I forgot this before: So, anyway, before we got up there, we were told that if we lost, we were supposed to come to the middle, shake the hand of the winner, then walk off the way we came in. So I did that. The stage manager says “Whoa! Where are you going?!” I said this is what I was told to do! So another half hour was spent deciding what the loser should do after they lose. I practiced shaking his hand and walking off, shaking his hand and staying there. I pouted, I applauded, I shook my fist. It was all very entertaining I’m sure. Then they suddenly yell, “Break! Half hour break, everybody!” Actor from Hoboken and I are like, uh, are we done? He was very upset he didn’t get to practice winning ten million dollars!
The VERY CUTE sound guy came to take my mike back. Not only did I have to stick my hand down my shirt to give it back to him but somehow the cord got wrapped in my jeans button! I had to unbutton my jeans to get it out! I honestly HONESTLY have no idea how that happened! He laughed and said “That’s a first.” I’m sure he went home to his girlfriend and described the woman his mother’s age who had to unbutton her jeans to get the mike cord out. Extremely embarrassing.
And that was it! They gave me an envelope with $50 in it and I was done! Though I didn’t get to meet Drew Carey and tell him about the time he avoided me on an airplane, it was fun. And I watched the premiere when I got home. The very first contestant won a million dollars! I think the game could catch on. Drew is good with the people, not so good with the teleprompter. He definitely needs to practice. Hopefully, they’ll call the GNO team again to help him out!
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