By Kathy Brown.
Killingworth residents Matt Stoner (HKHS ’12) and his girlfriend, Drew Phelan, ended their road trip visiting national parks in the southwest last fall with tickets to a game show filmed in Los Angeles.
The tickets for “Let’s Make a Deal” were free, it sounded like fun, and their trip would end in Los Angeles, so they got their tickets online a few weeks in advance of the show. The show was taped on September 27, 2019 but it will be airing locally on CBS next week.
If you have watched “Let’s Make a Deal,” which started airing in 1963, you know that costumes are a big part of the show. Matt told us that while “costumes are part of the selection process, there is also a quick interview prior to filming where the staff makes decisions on who would be a good fit for the show.” Matt and Drew dressed as tourists “since we already had most of the ‘costume’ in our suitcases.”
He also said that it was a long process. “They make you wait a LONG time before the show starts, to interview and fill out paperwork (approximately 2-3 hours).”
Wayne Brady is the host of the current show, and has been since 2009. Matt told us a little about his experience on the show: “It was so much fun! Once you are in the studio, everyone in the audience is so excited, the atmosphere is electrifying. Everyone is hoping they will get called and win a new car or vacation. They don’t tell you ahead of time if you will be chosen; you find out when Wayne Brady calls on you. It is hard to describe the feeling you get when you are chosen — it doesn’t seem real. It was such a memorable experience, it was the great end to a great vacation!”
If you want to watch the show to see Matt’s appearance, it will be airing on CBS on Friday, June 5, at 3:00 p.m. It will also be available for people who subscribe to CBS HERE.
Matt does have some advice for anyone visiting Los Angeles. “Visit a game show — it’s free and tons of fun! They also prefer to pick people not from California, so being from Connecticut is a big plus if you’re trying to get on a show like this.”
Photos provided by Matt Stoner.
