Disabled Contestants

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bondguy007 · #1 Post by **bondguy007** » Mon Jul 21, 2008 7:09 pm

Hi all. First time poster, came here on the advice of my friend, the soon to audition chad1m. I just requested tickets for an August 26th taping / audition today and I have a few questions. I have cerebral palsy (only my legs are affected) and am in a wheelchair.

1. If I were to get on the show, how would I get in the "hot seat"?
2. Do I have an equal chance of getting "the happy card"?
3. How does the audition process work in NYC? Do you take the test in the studio following the taping of the show, or does it work another way? And if you pass, are you called back the next day, or do TPTB notify you at a later date?
4. Can anyone describe the overall studio experience? What is it like? It's been my dream to be on a game show!
5. I imagine all of you are nervous on the show to a degree. For those that have been there, what's the best way to calm down while at the studio? (Outside of getting high - j/k)
6. What does WE stand for? I can't figure out all the lingo here!

Thanks!
James (bondguy007)

themanintheseersuckersuit · #2 Post by **themanintheseersuckersuit** » Mon Jul 21, 2008 7:20 pm

bondguy007 wrote:Hi all. First time poster, came here on the advice of my friend, the soon to audition chad1m. I just requested tickets for an August 26th taping / audition today and I have a few questions. I have cerebral palsy (only my legs are affected) and am in a wheelchair.

1. If I were to get on the show, how would I get in the "hot seat"?
2. Do I have an equal chance of getting "the happy card"?
3. How does the audition process work in NYC? Do you take the test in the studio following the taping of the show, or does it work another way? And if you pass, are you called back the next day, or do TPTB notify you at a later date?
4. Can anyone describe the overall studio experience? What is it like? It's been my dream to be on a game show!
5. I imagine all of you are nervous on the show to a degree. For those that have been there, what's the best way to calm down while at the studio? (Outside of getting high - j/k)
6. What does WE stand for? I can't figure out all the lingo here!

Thanks!
James (bondguy007)

1. The producer of the show got sued in the early days of the show and lost at the early rounds. We do not know the final results of the ADA litigation, but the phone game went away. I suspect that the APs have been instructed to accommodate disabled auditioners. So good luck to you.
2. Who the heck knows? But there is no reason not to try.
3. If you audition at a taping of the show, the test is given before the show and the results are announced after the taping.
4. We share the same dream
5. I don't know
6. Where Else/What Else- This is a comment on the number of contestants from the New York Media Market and who are in the Entertainment Business.

ulysses5019 · #3 Post by **ulysses5019** » Mon Jul 21, 2008 7:26 pm

bondguy007 wrote:Hi all. First time poster, came here on the advice of my friend, the soon to audition chad1m. I just requested tickets for an August 26th taping / audition today and I have a few questions. I have cerebral palsy (only my legs are affected) and am in a wheelchair.

1. If I were to get on the show, how would I get in the "hot seat"?
2. Do I have an equal chance of getting "the happy card"?
3. How does the audition process work in NYC? Do you take the test in the studio following the taping of the show, or does it work another way? And if you pass, are you called back the next day, or do TPTB notify you at a later date?
4. Can anyone describe the overall studio experience? What is it like? It's been my dream to be on a game show!
5. I imagine all of you are nervous on the show to a degree. For those that have been there, what's the best way to calm down while at the studio? (Outside of getting high - j/k)
6. What does WE stand for? I can't figure out all the lingo here!

Thanks!
James (bondguy007)

Eddie T (I can't remember his last name, but he is blind) was on the show. And I believe there is a bb here who is in a wheelchair who was in the fastest finger round and I believe has auditioned since then.

bondguy007 · #4 Post by **bondguy007** » Mon Jul 21, 2008 7:32 pm

Ulysses - The Eddie T. you blanked on was Eddie Timanus, a sportswriter who was also on Jeopardy! Thanks for the help suit, and keep it coming, friends!

ulysses5019 · #5 Post by **ulysses5019** » Mon Jul 21, 2008 7:45 pm

bondguy007 wrote:Ulysses - The Eddie T. you blanked on was Eddie Timanus, a sportswriter who was also on Jeopardy! Thanks for the help suit, and keep it coming, friends!

A former contestant from Boston had a technique for staying calm. I'm not sure if it's in the archives or if it was published someplace. There are many people on the bored who have been on the show. Each probably has their own way of dealing with it. I know that if you are lucky enough to be in the hotseat you have to breathe.......and take your time. The production staff understands that contestants get nervous and they do their best to allay their fears. Good luck with the audition.

ulysses5019 · #6 Post by **ulysses5019** » Mon Jul 21, 2008 7:47 pm

The Boston contestant was Ogi Ogas. I think he won.....250 or 500K. My memory fails me.

sunflower · #7 Post by **sunflower** » Mon Jul 21, 2008 7:49 pm

themanintheseersuckersuit wrote:
bondguy007 wrote:Hi all. First time poster, came here on the advice of my friend, the soon to audition chad1m. I just requested tickets for an August 26th taping / audition today and I have a few questions. I have cerebral palsy (only my legs are affected) and am in a wheelchair.

1. If I were to get on the show, how would I get in the "hot seat"?
2. Do I have an equal chance of getting "the happy card"?
3. How does the audition process work in NYC? Do you take the test in the studio following the taping of the show, or does it work another way? And if you pass, are you called back the next day, or do TPTB notify you at a later date?
4. Can anyone describe the overall studio experience? What is it like? It's been my dream to be on a game show!
5. I imagine all of you are nervous on the show to a degree. For those that have been there, what's the best way to calm down while at the studio? (Outside of getting high - j/k)
6. What does WE stand for? I can't figure out all the lingo here!

Thanks!
James (bondguy007)
1. The producer of the show got sued in the early days of the show and lost at the early rounds. We do not know the final results of the ADA litigation, but the phone game went away. I suspect that the APs have been instructed to accommodate disabled auditioners. So good luck to you.
2. Who the heck knows? But there is no reason not to try.
3. If you audition at a taping of the show, the test is given before the show and the results are announced after the taping.
4. We share the same dream
5. I don't know
6. Where Else/What Else- This is a comment on the number of contestants from the New York Media Market and who are in the Entertainment Business.

1. I saw at least 2 people in wheelchairs at the tapings I was at - whether or not they auditioned or made it to the hot seat I don't know. But if it's like when I was there, the seating is not in the bleachers with other audience members, you will be seated in a different section with production staff.
2. I agree with above
3. In my experience, the test was after the show, the results were announced immediately, interviews were conducted on the spot and calls/post cards are made after that point. When the test is administered may depend if you're at the morning or afternoon taping.
4. The studio itself is rather non-impressive. Smaller than you might imagine, but the people are great and it's a fun experience. Smaller is actually better when you're in the hot seat, in my opinion.
5. It really depends on the person. My coping mechanism while at the studio (on my tape date - audition date I wasn't nervous, I was bored) was just to talk to the other contestants and remember I got on the show because I knew enough to pass the test...and I couldn't control what stack I would get so no sense worrying about it.
6. Explained above.

Good luck!!

silvercamaro · #8 Post by **silvercamaro** » Mon Jul 21, 2008 7:51 pm

Welcome, bondguy. Here's what I think. If you pass the test and charm the staff conducting the audition with your enthusiasm and personality, they will be delighted to put you on the show. If necessary, they will find big, burly guys to lift you into the hot seat. I suspect (but cannot verify) that a few previous contestants with non-working legs already have been in the hot seat. As I see it, they just didn't mention the disability on air, because it didn't matter in terms of playing the game.

After you pass the test and interview, you go home and usually wait about three weeks for a postcard specifying whether you remain in the contestant pool. They will call you when you are scheduled for a taping. The wait between a happy postcard and a call is torturously long, no matter what its length. On the appointed day, you then make another trip to the studio for taping.

The only word to describe the hot seat experience is "surreal." Time stops and speeds up without warning. Because the lights are so bright, you may literally forget for much of the time that you are not alone with Meredith. (If you don't think that's likely, I sincerely hope you can find out for yourself and report back.)

Good luck, James!

ulysses5019 · #9 Post by **ulysses5019** » Mon Jul 21, 2008 8:00 pm

The only word to describe the hot seat experience is "surreal."

Oh yeah, the hotseat is really hot. I think the producers have a thermostat that they turn up or down depending how much sweat and squirming they want to see.

bondguy007 · #10 Post by **bondguy007** » Mon Jul 21, 2008 9:35 pm

Thanks for all the advice guys. I think I should disclose that I'm going with my dad, grandmother and 88 year old grandpa, the funniest and most positive person in the world, for the "3 generations" week. My grandma watches the show every day; dad and grandpa have heard of the show, I'm sure; but have NEVER seen it. Of course we're all having separate auditions, but I feel comforted in knowing we'll all be together should my first trip to the "home of the hot seat" be too "surreal".

peacock2121 · #11 Post by **peacock2121** » Tue Jul 22, 2008 4:49 am

Welcome to the bored!

Most of your questions have been answered by someone else.

I am not clear about what you were saying about the three generation show.

I understood that the three of you have to take the test at the same time and get a cumulative passing score (which we have decided would be 75 out of 90 correct) and then you are interviewed as a group. I can't imagine they would interview the three of you seperately and then put you together on the show. I bet they want to see the inter-play in order to decide if you would make great TV or not.

bondguy007 · #12 Post by **bondguy007** » Tue Jul 22, 2008 6:49 am

peacock2121 wrote:Welcome to the bored!

Most of your questions have been answered by someone else.

I am not clear about what you were saying about the three generation show.

I understood that the three of you have to take the test at the same time and get a cumulative passing score (which we have decided would be 75 out of 90 correct) and then you are interviewed as a group. I can't imagine they would interview the three of you seperately and then put you together on the show. I bet they want to see the inter-play in order to decide if you would make great TV or not.

Ah - OK, makes sense. I thought we had to audition separately. I guess you do learn something new every day!

MarleysGh0st · #13 Post by **MarleysGh0st** » Tue Jul 22, 2008 6:51 am

bondguy007 wrote:Thanks for all the advice guys. I think I should disclose that I'm going with my dad, grandmother and 88 year old grandpa, the funniest and most positive person in the world, for the "3 generations" week. My grandma watches the show every day; dad and grandpa have heard of the show, I'm sure; but have NEVER seen it. Of course we're all having separate auditions, but I feel comforted in knowing we'll all be together should my first trip to the "home of the hot seat" be too "surreal".

Others have already addressed your other questions, so let me start by talking about the Three Generation Week. From what I've heard, if you're interested in trying out for this theme week, your family will need to choose who's going to be part of that team, i.e., you'll have to pick either your grandmother or grandfather to be part of that team before interviewing as a group. All four of you can still be considered as individual contestants for regular episodes.

And, since you mentioned cerebral palsy in another thread, you should know that summer auditioners have been given a "supplemental" application form that includes the question "If WWTBAM matched your winnings for charity, which charity would you choose?" You might want have this in mind, when you audition. (From the phrasing, it sounds like this is a theme week they haven't definitely decided on, yet.)

bondguy007 · #14 Post by **bondguy007** » Tue Jul 22, 2008 6:53 am

Marley - Already have a charity in mind

(See my signature or the other post I made to learn more)

sunflower · #15 Post by **sunflower** » Tue Jul 22, 2008 7:01 am

bondguy007 wrote:Thanks for all the advice guys. I think I should disclose that I'm going with my dad, grandmother and 88 year old grandpa, the funniest and most positive person in the world, for the "3 generations" week. My grandma watches the show every day; dad and grandpa have heard of the show, I'm sure; but have NEVER seen it. Of course we're all having separate auditions, but I feel comforted in knowing we'll all be together should my first trip to the "home of the hot seat" be too "surreal".

I wouldn't expect your audition to be too surreal. You don't sit in the hot seat or anything that day. You are ushered in like cattle, watch a comedian and then the shows tape....then you are ushered out to the ABC cafeteria for your test and, if applicable, your auditions.

It can be a boring experience...I know at least personally, the audition experience and the actual hot seat experience were like night and day. On audition day, my boyfriend was excited and was taking pictures and I just wanted to get out of there and see sunlight again!

I guess what I'm saying is don't set expectations too high to be wowed on audition day, the test/interview portion of the day is almost an afterthought (although it is your main purpose for being there) as the test takes 10 minutes and the interview may last 5 minutes (plus waiting time).

MarleysGh0st · #16 Post by **MarleysGh0st** » Tue Jul 22, 2008 7:01 am

bondguy007 wrote:Marley - Already have a charity in mind (See my signature or the other post I made to learn more)

Right. I mean that you should have your talking points ready for the audition. Those auditions can go extremely quickly and start off with some questions that aren't leading where you want them to, so you need to be like a politician at a debate, turning any question into an opportunity to deploy an irrelevant sound bite.

Marley <---- Very bad in the sound bite department.

MarleysGh0st · #17 Post by **MarleysGh0st** » Tue Jul 22, 2008 7:06 am

sunflower wrote: I wouldn't expect your audition to be too surreal. You don't sit in the hot seat or anything that day. You are ushered in like cattle, watch a comedian and then the shows tape....then you are ushered out to the ABC cafeteria for your test and, if applicable, your auditions.

It depends what taping session you go to. If they do it like past seasons, the 12 pm group gets let into the studio and takes the written test first. Then the let in the rest of that audience (who didn't want to audition) and you sit through the taping of the episodes before they announce the test passers. Those folks stay in the studio for their interviews while the rest of the audience leaves and the next batch of audience members start filing in.

The 3:30 pm group is led into the cafeteria after those episode tape, for both the written test and the audition.

NellyLunatic1980 · #18 Post by **NellyLunatic1980** » Tue Jul 22, 2008 7:28 am

One contestant in a wheelchair has made it to the Hot Seat, so to speak. Her name was Santina Muha. She was on the show during Pop Culture Week in November 2006.

bondguy007 · #19 Post by **bondguy007** » Tue Jul 22, 2008 7:40 am

Thanks Bo. I "Youtubed" her, but there were no clips of her on the show.

Also, for the benefit of others, I got an e-mail this morning saying it's the 12:30 PM taping on the 26th. Dad and I are excited (and going), we just have to figure out who'll replace Grandma (she didn't tell me she had cataracts) and Grandpa (feels it's too risky for him, but is EXTREMELY happy for me.)

peacock2121 · #20 Post by **peacock2121** » Tue Jul 22, 2008 8:17 am

bondguy007 wrote:Thanks Bo. I "Youtubed" her, but there were no clips of her on the show.

Also, for the benefit of others, I got an e-mail this morning saying it's the 12:30 PM taping on the 26th. Dad and I are excited (and going), we just have to figure out who'll replace Grandma (she didn't tell me she had cataracts) and Grandpa (feels it's too risky for him, but is EXTREMELY happy for me.)

I looked at requesting a slot for my dad, brother-in-la and nephew. The request asked for info on the three people. If you think you are auditioning for the three generation show, I suggest you make sure they have you registered for that audition.

Also - regarding grandma's cataracts. I assume she thinks she won't be able to read the test and that is why the cataracts have been used as a reason. She can request that one of the 'helpers' read the test to her. I know it has been done for other visually impaired people.

If grandma is using as an 'excuse', that is a whole other thing.

bondguy007 · #21 Post by **bondguy007** » Tue Jul 22, 2008 8:23 am

Question - Maybe I read this wrong on their website - is there a place for NYC auditioneers to make it clear they want to be on 3 Generations Week? I didn't see one, only for the traveling auditions.

peacock2121 · #22 Post by **peacock2121** » Tue Jul 22, 2008 8:25 am

bondguy007 wrote:Question - Maybe I read this wrong on their website - is there a place for NYC auditioneers to make it clear they want to be on 3 Generations Week? I didn't see one, only for the traveling auditions.

There was prior to the day that was set aside just for them - I think that was for July 12th.

Are you certain they are still auditioning for that series?

bondguy007 · #23 Post by **bondguy007** » Tue Jul 22, 2008 8:27 am

I guess not because here's what they say about that:

Quoting:

"You can audition for 3 Generations at any of our road auditions. We'll be traveling to Minneapolis August 11th, Detroit August 13th and Washington, DC August 15th. There's NO sign up for road auditions."

On the other hand, it DOES NOT say "All New York City auditions for 3 Generations Week are booked to capacity."

MarleysGh0st · #24 Post by **MarleysGh0st** » Tue Jul 22, 2008 8:27 am

bondguy007 wrote:Question - Maybe I read this wrong on their website - is there a place for NYC auditioneers to make it clear they want to be on 3 Generations Week? I didn't see one, only for the traveling auditions.

No, just mention it to the producers when you're getting ready to take the written test, if they haven't already discussed that already in the briefing.

PlacentiaSoccerMom · #25 Post by **PlacentiaSoccerMom** » Tue Jul 22, 2008 8:28 am

bondguy007 wrote:Question - Maybe I read this wrong on their website - is there a place for NYC auditioneers to make it clear they want to be on 3 Generations Week? I didn't see one, only for the traveling auditions.

I think that New Yorkers could audition for 3 Generations week only on July 12th. I think that everyone else could audition at the road auditions.

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