So You Want To See A Taping Of ‘The Price Is Right’?

From the time I was in grade school, staying home sick or between classes at the Student Center at Temple University, I have been watching The Price is Right. I have always wanted to attend a taping and see if I would be smart enough under the gun, as I think I am while I watch at home.

During 2023 and into 2024, I was battling Stage 3 Colon Cancer. After my surgery and a grueling 7 months of chemotherapy treatments, the show was a constant companion. As I would lay on the couch or sit in the infusion chair, here was this madman arguing with the contestants on television, believing he had all the answers.

My wife and nurses would repeatedly say to me, “You know, John, they can’t hear you!” I made a vow that when I recovered that I would visit Los Angeles and try to fulfill a lifelong dream of being a contestant. August of 2025 would be that trip!

It all starts by coming up with your travel plan. You have to obviously visit Los Angeles during a time when they are taping shows. They tape episodes up to almost one year in advance of airing and usually multiple episodes in one day.

Visit the website and click on the GET TICKETS tab.

Find a day you are interested in attending and get yourself added to the mailing list. If you are traveling, make sure you get a Priority Ticket.

A Priority Ticket guarantees you a place in the studio audience. The crowd for any taping will only be between 160 and 170 people. Considering that 9 members of the audience will end up hearing their name called to be on TV, your odds are roughly 5.5% that your prayers will be answered.

The goal of the producers is to make good TV. What makes a better impression to them than appearing that you put some thought into it. My daughter Liv got to work as soon as I decided to make the trip. There are numerous easy-to-access websites where you can grab yourself a Price is Right-themed tee shirt or create your own custom shirt that allows you to display a personal message. Here was mine!

The Haven Studios are in Glendale, California. I booked a hotel stay in downtown Burbank and it was a short ten-minute Uber trip from the hotel to the studio. There are numerous restaurants and coffee shops within walking distance of the hotels, so I could settle in and be ready for an early wake-up call. My report time was 7:30 am, and I arrived around 6:45 am to make sure I would not be late.

By the time I got to the contestant tent line, I was given a sticker for my shirt as Audience Member Number 15. The line to the left is the Priority Lane. The right side is the people looking to be part of the stand-by crowd. Any priority ticket holders that arrive by report time are guaranteed seating, and that usually accounts for around 75% of the audience.

They take you in groups of twelve to sit at a bank of computers to fill out your legal paperwork. You show your identification to match the person who secured the ticket, and then give your permission via waiver for them to use your image and likeness on television. They also get your address and tax information, just in case you walk away with prizes, and the IRS will need to find you!

This is the table you progress to where you receive your name tag. As you can see the print master has to make the letters exactly as displayed. Your name tag MUST display your legal first name; no nicknames are allowed. You peel off the back and attach it to the left side of your shirt.

I gotta tell you, the minute I received my name tag and attached it to the shirt, I had chills, and we moved towards entering the holding room where we would wait for the contestant screening process.

Pack your patience! The first part of the day moves pretty quickly, but now things slow down a bit. Thankfully, they have a lot of things to occupy your time. You are now moving indoors to what amounts to the audience “holding center”. They have water bottles and snacks for you to enjoy as you pass the time. There are spots where you can grab a photo that might make a great Christmas card shot!

The cast of the show is displayed on the wall, and you don’t know which two models are working with Drew on that day. I was shocked at how many people stopped to get a picture, pointing at their favorite cast member!

You are going to wait in this room for about 90 minutes. They need to gather the entire studio audience here and complete the screening process. Who gets to “Come On Down” is NOT random. Every numbered audience member is interviewed, and you meet the producers in groups of 15. What are they looking for? I’ll tell you what I can about the process that may help you navigate successfully.

You stand in a room with two assistant producers sitting at a table and a lead producer in the center. Each person in order is asked a question or two. If your shirt has a creative message, that may be the line of questioning. Most are asked where they are from and what they do for a living.

They tell you that they are looking for audience members who are excited, engaged, and interesting. I wouldn’t go over the top trying to make an impression. Be genuine and show them how happy you are to be there. Remember this: everyone in that room is your competition to get called onto the show. See where you can differentiate yourself from the crowd!

After everyone has been through the interview process, they coach up the group on the next steps of the process. Then they unveil the board and tell everyone to take a photo of it on the way out. It gives you the show taping number and the “expected air date” of the broadcast. As you can see, we taped our episode on 8/8/25, and it won’t air until next June!

They give everyone a bathroom break because it is the last chance you will have before the show taping begins. This takes about another half hour! (Thanks, ladies!) They escort you from the studio, and you walk about 200 yards to a frigid studio where they host Let’s Make a Deal and The Price is Right. It’s 10:40 am, and more than three hours after your report time, it’s show time!

You remove your audience member number sticker once you are seated and your nerves are on edge! George Gray, the voice of The Price is Right, tells you to watch the guy at the center of the stage holding the giant white placards. The studio will be so loud that you won’t be able to hear George call your name! The first placard has a giant black X on it. He’s ready to drop it to reveal the first contestant's name after it is called. Everyone is seated and at a fever pitch of cheering and excitement!

Drew Carey is an incredible host on air and off. He entertained the crowd before the show and during all of the commercial breaks. He is kind and engaging. If you aren’t a big fan of his going in, you definitely leave as one. The entertainment value of the entire production is top-notch!

I’m sorry to do this to you, but this is where our journey ends! As part of attending the show, you agree not to reveal what happened until the show airs!

I’ll be holding my breath until Monday, June 29, 2026! If I have to wait that long patiently, you can too.

I encourage everyone who has ever considered making this journey to do it! A visit to The Price is Right is a bucket list item that you will never regret checking off the list!