Many people ask what goes into planning a single episode of “The Price is Right”, and the answer is… a LOT! The genesis of a single episode from the day we start planning it to the day you see it on CBS averages about 13 weeks – pretty amazing, considering that taping the episode itself only takes about 75 minutes. So instead of taking you through the entire process, I’m going to start off with the small chunk that is merely a day in the life of taping two episodes of “The Price is Right”.

(The warehouse crew getting ready to send all the 'fabulous prizes' over to the stage.)

The taping day starts while most of the cast and crew are still sleeping. A set-up crew of five prop men start their shift at 12:01am and begin the task of assembling all the sets that our fabulous prizes will go on. They put together all the background pieces for every prize for both shows that are going to be taped that day. Around 5:30am, our set decorators arrive and take a look at what’s been done, make any changes, and then those guys leave around 11am – before we’ve even rehearsed. True unsung heroes of the show, and we hardly get to see them!

Around 8:30am the heads of the various departments begin to arrive: props, grips, electricians, audio, video, plus our Technical Director. All those folks get started by reviewing the rundowns for the day (the “master plan” for the show – in paper form), briefing their crews as they arrive, pulling props, games, pieces of scenery, and transferring the prizes that were set up early that morning to a location closer to the stage.

At about the same time, our models are getting into hair and make-up, which means our hairdresser, make-up artist, and wardrobe designer are all in long before that setting up their stations. The stage is really coming to life around this time, and that’s about the time that the Prize Department and the Production Staff are coming in. We stop at our offices first, check e-mail, return phone calls, and try to take care of any loose ends that may come up during the day.

At 10:30am, the Producers, Director, Associate Director, Stage Managers, models, and Rich Fields attend a production meeting where we go over the two shows we’re going to tape that day, and make sure everyone is briefed on any special things that might be happening.  After that, it’s time to rehearse – we have one hour to look at everything in the show. Rehearsing the showcases takes up a good portion of that time, as they are different every day – the games we’ve seen before, so we only look at the prizes that will be in them. The hour’s up in a flash, and it’s time for the audience to come in.

(Our morning production meeting - the empty chair on the right is mine!)

The show takes about an hour and fifteen minutes to tape – and it’s the fastest hour and fifteen minutes you’ll ever have! Before you know it, the show is over, the audience is heading out, and we’re headed to lunch. An hour later, we’re back for another rehearsal and another show. The taping day ends around 5:30pm, but for many of us, the day isn’t over yet. Prizes go back in their boxes, and head back to the warehouse. Set decorations get put away, and the crew tidies up and gets prepared for the next day of taping. The production staff heads back to the office to answer all the e-mail and phone calls that came in over the course of the day. Plus, we use that time to plan for the next week of taping. Our warehouse crew is busy putting all the used prizes away, and pulling out all the ones for the next day. It’s not unusual for many people on the show to be here pretty late into the evening.

(Lights are up... time to rehearse!)

So that brings me to the title of this post… and while we’re not here from midnight to midnight, it’s pretty close. But you’ll never hear a complaint – because there’s no better place to be, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

-Adam