35 Behind-the-Scenes Stories from People Who Were on Game Shows

‘Regis is dumb’
35 Behind-the-Scenes Stories from People Who Were on Game Shows

Ever wonder why Jeopardy! contestants seem to be constantly pressing their buzzer in a state of panic? Apparently, just off-camera, there are tiny lights surrounding the game board that light up when players are allowed to ring in. If anyone presses their signaling device before the lights go on, they get locked out of buzzing in for a few seconds. I honestly just thought everyone was really excited to be playing the game.

Redditors have revealed more behind-the-scenes stories from the times they were on game shows, and though this really takes the luster out of some of the programs, it’s good to know the real way to make it on Wipeout.

JLR2016 5mo ago I was on The Price is Right. Never expected to be picked and ended up winning the showcase. There is no trading your prizes for cash, it's take it or leave it, and you have to pay sales/income tax on the winnings. 138 Reply ...
4y ago e Fun fact: you get $300 if you get called down to contests row on the price is right and don't make it to the stage + 8K ...
froglover215 4y ago I was on a trivia show and the game was over but the other two players tied, so we had to do more questions until one of them got one wrong. That way the final scores would have a clear 1st, 2nd, and 3rd. 337 ...
Mouseearedrugbyguy 4y ago . Edited 4y ago LOCAL You don't collect any of the prizes until that episode aires. It can be many months. A friend made it to the showcase showdown and lost on PIR. I did get a shout out when he spun the wheel. 483 ...
wingnutzero 10y ago . I tried out for Jeopardy once. They said they deliberately make the qualifying questions much harder than what you see on the show because 1) they want to find people who are actually smart and not just lucky, and 2) people get kinda stupid when you put a TV camera on them. + 5.5K ...
PaydayJones 10y ago I will never forget this. Regis is dumb. Regis does not have the answers until we show them after you've locked in your answer. If you are working through an answer and you think he's making faces to 'guide' you, remember, there's as much chance that he's going to help as there is that he's making that face because he's relieving himself. Regis. Is. Dumb + 3.5K ...
kingbrassica o 10y ago . Edited 10y ago - I won $100 cash on Let's Make a Deal. They give you cash then cut to commercial and take the cash back. Then after the show I had to fill out a huge packet of legal stuff. A little over a month later I got a check in the mail.
deadly_creampuff e 10y ago e If you get called up for a game on the Ellen Show, do not pick her up out of excitement or give her a bone- crushing hug. We were told she has a bad back. 194 ...
natureruler 10y ago A I auditioned to be on the show Wipeout. I found out they specifically look for people with something extremely unique about them and/or people who are willing to make a fool of them self on TV. They are not interested in athletic people who might actually have a chance of completing the course. + 4.9K ...
meghonsolozar 10y ago . Edited 10y ago I auditioned for Wipeout. They were only interested in people that acted literally insane Are you ready to go crazy?!? IM ALREADY HEARING VOICES!!!! You're hired 3.8K ...
FinitoHere 4y ago I was in the audience of Polish versions of Who Wants to be a Millionaire. To prevent cheating you have to pass 2 metal detector Gates before entering studio. No phone or other electronic allowed. Everything takes SOOO long here. Episode lasts around 30 minutes, but recording it - 2-3 hours, there are only 3 episodes recorded every day. Once the big screen behind host back broke and we had to sit for 4 hours until it was repaired. At least we got paid extra. Friend you phone in one of the lifelines is sitting in the same building
legofduck 4y ago . In Deal or No Deal only the interesting people get picked, if you are outgoing and excited you've got a high chance of being selected. Also, if you appear to be their target contestant, but turn out to be a dud, then I think they have the option of not putting you on air and no prize for you (whether that is a threat they follow though with or not I'm not sure). 2.3K ...
Epic-Hamster 4y ago I auditioned for X-Factor. You don't go to the celebrity judges first you go in front of some off camera judges. So every terrible and horrible singer you see on the show has already been told they are better than the many talented ones not deemed tv worthy which makes it a lot more disgusting to me. + 10K ...
CamembertlyLegal 4y ago Edited 4y ago Had a teacher in middle school who won full carpeting for a house on the price is right when he was in grad school. Не did not own a home in grad school. Не also said you could see which games were coming up in line off on the side, and literally everyone was trying to hold out winning the first game for plinko lol
JackRabbitSkimzzz 4y ago Was on a MTV game show called fist of zen on MTV. Basically a group of people subjected to painful and nauseating tasks for cash. We won every round but the producer asked us to purposefully fail one to change things up. Despite losing one round we were still paid the full prize money. 6.9K ...
Pickitline 4y ago . I was on Wheel of Fortune. You have to get there at 5 AM where you draw straws with other contestants to decide when you will film. They film the entire week of episodes in 1 day. Pat Sajak is incredibly friendly and interacted with us on every break. The wheel is HEAVY + 21K ...
byfuryattheheart 4y ago My wife got a tattoo on a tattoo competition show. They gave her headphones to wear while she was being tattooed, but she wasn't allowed to actually plug them in and listen to music. Pure product placement lol Other than that it was a really good experience! Producers worked with her for several weeks leading up to and made sure she got a tattoo subject and style that she wanted. + 6.4K ...
dpchemd1 4y ago I was in the audience at the price is right. You wait like 4+ hours just to get into the taping. They come by and give you a short interview to see if you are a good prospect to make it to contestant row. I was with a group of 4 and none of us made it. The studio audience is significantly smaller than it appears on tv. Drew Carey told jokes between filming. The set is tiny. The wheel is tiny. No secrets to reveal except that they must use some serious lenses and angles to
sfn81 4y ago Producers keep an eagle eye on contestants throughout the day, even escorting you to the bathroom. This is because of the quiz show scandals of the 1950s. And because the whole week tapes in a day, you have to bring 4 changes of clothes with you. All in solid colors so the patterns don't bleed on camera. (This was the 80s, so recording technology may have improved since then) + 5.7K ...
DobbyDun 4y ago My teacher was on wheel of fortune Australia and he won a life supply of wd40. It turns out with average usage a can of wd40 lasts twenty years, so a life's supply is four cans. + 6.8K ...
gambalore 4y ago Was in the audience at a Food Network taping and Iron Chef America really is a 60-minute competition. That's not fudged. The judging on the other hand takes foreeeeever. + 8.6K ...
Corn_Boy1992 5mo ago I was on Slime Time Live as a kid in the early 2000s, back when they filmed it at Universal Studios Florida. They picked the contestants that are going to play in advance and then put us in the crowd and announced us on air and told us to act surprised. The host was a jerk and wouldn't talk to the contestants off air. The two cohosts were a lot nicer though. Also the slime is cold and takes multiple washings to get out of your hair. 360 Reply ...
Ollie286 5mo ago Tried out for Who Wants to be a Millionaire years ago. Had to be in Manhattan first thing in the morning to take a test in a room of maybe 50 people. They quickly grade the test while asking who had the longest drive in, who's the youngest/ oldest. Results come in and probably 35 people are out the door not scoring high enough. Myself and everyone who stayed back are told we would meet with the producers of the show, pretty sure they were just interns, and our pictures were taken. During the interview I talk
Wonder_woman_1965 . 5mo ago I was on Jeopardy a looong time ago and two of my BTS memories are: the production team was so supportive and kind, and I had to stand on a box. I won the last two games of the day, returned a couple weeks later after a tournament, and tanked hard. + 908 Reply ...
Monoplex 5mo ago I was in the audience for Deal or No Deal once. There were a couple running gags that didn't make the TV cut. They also took the secrecy of the briefcase contents very seriously. One of the briefcases got dropped and it opened. I don't think anyone saw the number inside but that was enough for every one of them to be taken back behind the stage and re randomized. + 1.9K Reply ...
5mo ago . No one hails the cash cab. It's all a setup Though the contestants don't necessarily know they're about to be one cash cab. They also pull you out of the cab after the initial scheme, set everything up then send you on your way. You also get a cheque, not the actual cash. + 1.5K Reply ...
Kahzgul 5mo ago - I was on a show where someone in the audience blurted out the answer before I could. They stopped production, removed the audience member, took me off stage, reset the entire round and started over. The kicker is I knew the answer anyway, and the new round had a category I knew absolutely nothing about. Audience member cost me $30k. + 1.4K Reply ...
Tjobi 5mo ago Edited 5mo ago I had a cousin win my country's version of survivor. Не finished the final competition about 45 min before everyone else but the producers cut it in a way that made it seem like he barely won with just a few inches ahead of second place. But I guess that's to be expected with reality tv. Another fun fact - the host of the show tried to get all of the women to gang up and get my cousin voted out, and it was so bad that the producers had to step in and tell him
5mo ago 0 Not me, but an acquaintance was taped for Are you Smarter Than a Fifth Grader? Не was definitely smarter than a fifth grader. That doesn't make for good television. It never went to air. 934 Reply ...
throwawaymyanalbeads 5mo ago I dated a guy who was on Chopped. Не said it's not as rushed. That they are allowed to have sips of alcohol if they're using it in the food. The one that bothered him was that they were super encouraged to take swipes at each other and he's a really nice guy. + 3.7K Reply ...
Jacsmom 5mo ago Edited 5mo ago I was on The Price is Right. The stage is much smaller and the colors (including Bob's makeup) were much brighter than what you see on TV. They took my SSN in case I was picked for tax purposes. Everyone said to act enthusiastically to get picked, but I couldn't fake it- not my personality. Despite that, got picked. I must have been wearing a good outfit for TV or something. I ended up winning a lot of $ on Plinko. Yes, the spinning wheel is heavy! Edit - I did NOT kiss Bob. They kinda
Toastwaver . 5mo ago As a phone-a-friend on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, there is no rule against googling. Instead of studying, I practiced googling all kinds of esoteric subjects for a few weeks. I helped my friend win $50K. + 11K Reply ...
Bigtits38 5mo ago On Jeopardy, there are tiny lights surrounding the game board that aren't visible on camera. You can't ring in until the lights flash and if you try before the lights flash, you get locked out for a couple of seconds. That's why you see people rapidly clicking the signaling device. + 922 Reply ...
CallMeGabrielle 5mo ago I won the Showcase Showdown on The Price Is Right back in 2012. The day is LONG. Started standing in line around 6am, then you're put through quick interviews. They ask what's your name, where you're from, and what do you do (work). I have no idea why they picked me because my answers were pretty unenthusiastic as I was just happy to be in the audience. My guess was that I was an young 23 year old woman with okay legs. You truly do not know if you will be called to come on down until
beejers30 5mo ago I was on Love Connection decades ago. They did keep us separated from the guys we dated before we revealed if we wanted a second date. They choose three guys and you have to pick one to go on the date. Plus they give you a long list of things you can't do on the date, like go to the movies. They want you to interact. They give you notes on what to say based off of what you told them after the date. Chuck Woollery had cue cards. And it appeared he was looking at you

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