MDP July Tryouts (LA/SD)

[peiboy91]

I believe they said at my audition that they would fly the people out from Chicago so I'm sure Atlanta would be no different. I just hope for those of us who may have to drive up from San Diego that they would give us a little gas money .

[bdatcf1]

[quote name=\'peiboy91\' post=\'191979\' date=\'Jul 24 2008, 03:02 PM\']
I believe they said at my audition that they would fly the people out from Chicago so I'm sure Atlanta would be no different. I just hope for those of us who may have to drive up from San Diego that they would give us a little gas money .
[/quote]
      I was selected as a contestant for the original taping in March in NYC, (but did not get on the show due to time constraints) For that taping they provided room and board...hotel and meals, but not transportation costs. I had to purchase my own airfare. Maybe they have changed the circumstances for taping in LA, but thats how it went the first round.
     On a side note, has anybody been contacted yet and given a bonafide offer to be on the new tape dates?

[LouKip]

Thanks to all for the info. I did end up going to L.A. and attending the 3:30 tryouts. The process was pretty much as Tim wrote, with the exception that there was an intermediary round of cuts between the 5-password quiz and the mock game-playing in a separate room. All the people who passed the initial quiz had to stand up and deliver a 30-second spiel (name, age, occupation, interesting factoid about yourself) to Carly and Matt, the main people running the tryouts. Evidently, my spiel was not fascinating enough to be asked to participate in the mock game. I got out of there at 6:00. The next tryouts were scheduled for 6:30, but who knows if they were able to start on time, considering they were just getting started on the mock game for the first round of folks at 6:00.

Congrats on a great performance, Chad. I really do hope they pick people who know how to play the game for the next set of shows. I wanted to throw a brick at my TV when Steve Schirripa and Sara Evans were on.

Lou

[Sodboy13]

[quote name=\'chad1m\' post=\'191966\' date=\'Jul 24 2008, 12:53 PM\']
/Probably just me wanting less people in the pool.
//Just waiting for that phone to ring. -_-
[/quote]

You and me both.  The Atlanta casting call gives me hope that the phone call could come as late as Monday (Tuesday?).

/Hopes his phone gets full service in Detroit/Windsor this weekend, regardless

[davidhammett]

[quote name=\'Sodboy13\' post=\'191496\' date=\'Jul 20 2008, 11:19 PM\']
The third honcho, a balding guy in his 30s whose name escapes me, was introduced as "the man responsible for taking the classic games from Fremantle and updating them."  
[/quote]
Chris Ahearn?

[trainman]

[quote name=\'peiboy91\' post=\'191979\' date=\'Jul 24 2008, 12:02 PM\']I just hope for those of us who may have to drive up from San Diego that they would give us a little gas money .
[/quote]

Amtrak is $34 each way -- that might be easier on Fremantle's budget than gas.

[Sodboy13]

[quote name=\'davidhammett\' post=\'192019\' date=\'Jul 24 2008, 07:36 PM\']
[quote name=\'Sodboy13\' post=\'191496\' date=\'Jul 20 2008, 11:19 PM\']
The third honcho, a balding guy in his 30s whose name escapes me, was introduced as "the man responsible for taking the classic games from Fremantle and updating them."  
[/quote]
Chris Ahearn?
[/quote]

That's the one.  Seemed like a really down-to-earth, cool guy.

[davidhammett]

[quote name=\'Sodboy13\' post=\'192043\' date=\'Jul 25 2008, 12:21 AM\']
[quote name=\'davidhammett\' post=\'192019\' date=\'Jul 24 2008, 07:36 PM\']
[quote name=\'Sodboy13\' post=\'191496\' date=\'Jul 20 2008, 11:19 PM\']
The third honcho, a balding guy in his 30s whose name escapes me, was introduced as "the man responsible for taking the classic games from Fremantle and updating them."  
[/quote]
Chris Ahearn?
[/quote]
That's the one.  Seemed like a really down-to-earth, cool guy.
[/quote]
He is.  He and Graham have been at Fremantle for at least a couple of years now, and have worked together on a variety of projects, most notably Game Show Marathon, Temptation, and Million Dollar Password.  However you feel about any of those shows, know that Chris and Graham are as familiar with (and fond of) what's gone before as many of us.  I would never fault them directly for a revival I didn't like, and I'm glad that they have a vehicle like MDP that is enjoying significant success.

[chad1m]

[quote name=\'LouKip\' post=\'191995\' date=\'Jul 24 2008, 04:35 PM\']Congrats on a great performance, Chad.[/quote]Thank you so very much. =)
So, anyone go to the Atlanta auditions or plan on going to the (another) L.A. audition tomorrow?

[colonial]

I had the opportunity to participate in the Atlanta auditions Saturday.  Here's a brief overview...

-- The auditions were held at the Marriott Midtown Suites in Atlanta.  A nice hotel where parking was a pain -- you could park in the hotel's underground lot for $18, a next door lot for $10, or park at a nearby Starbucks or Einstein Brothers and see if you'll get towed.

-- I did my application online via CBS.com, and printed it out to bring to the audition.  I was told the application handed out this past weekend was different than the online version, but I saw no differences.

-- Turnout for Saturday was about 200, while Friday was under 100.

-- In my audition group, the contestant coordinator (a nice man named Anthony) asked us how we heard about the auditions.  Four people (myself and three friends from quizbowl and trivia contests) mentioned we heard about the auditions via an e-mail from a casting director for other shows.  About half the group (there were 35-40 people in my group) saw an ad on Craigslist.  The rest heard about the auditions from V-103, an urban music FM owned by CBS, which started promoting the auditions Friday afternoon.

-- Anthony mentioned the V-103 ads, claiming he called the station and asked about promoting the auditions, only to get blown off the first time around.  CBS Corporate then contacted the station, who started promoting the tryouts at will.  Also, Anthony claimed that a caller describing the auditions on the afternoon show proceeded to give away SOME OF THE ANSWERS DURING THE INITIAL TEST before getting cut off.

-- We had the five-question initial quiz.  We were then photographed, paired into teams of two, and played mock MDP before producers.

Total testing time: 15 minutes.  Amount of time I was at the hotel:  EIGHT HOURS

It was somewhat disorganized -- I have a feeling the casting directors didn't think so many people would pass the initial test (Of the 35-40 original test-takers in my group, only 5-6 failed).  Add that with the callbacks from Friday, and it was a pretty busy scene at the hotel.  

In the end, I had a decent audition, but I didn't receive a callback for Sunday.  Oh well -- probably couldn't fly to Los Angeles this coming weekend anyway, so no loss.  It also didn't help that I complained about a glare during my mock MDP round (I wear glasses, and the glare from the lights prevented me from seeing a word for a few seconds).

Good luck to those who did reach the final stages!

JD

[bdatcf1]

So has anybody been contacted about being a contestant? Any one? Buehler?

[chad1m]

Nope. And another L.A. audition tomorrow seems to make The Call(tm) prolonged, if it's coming at all.

[chad1m]

Anyone know if the earthquakes today will have any immediate impact on the audition today? Also, since it appears no one has gotten a call yet, does anyone else think that a possible four-day spread between notification and tape date is kind of short notice? Is that commonplace with today's shows?

[SRIV94]

[quote name=\'chad1m\' post=\'192631\' date=\'Jul 29 2008, 02:28 PM\']
does anyone else think that a possible four-day spread between notification and tape date is kind of short notice? Is that commonplace with today's shows?
[/quote]
Wasn't it a real short timeframe between notification and tape date for Regis' WWTBAM?

[tvwxman]

[quote name=\'chad1m\' post=\'192631\' date=\'Jul 29 2008, 03:28 PM\']
Anyone know if the earthquakes today will have any immediate impact on the audition today? Also, since it appears no one has gotten a call yet, does anyone else think that a possible four-day spread between notification and tape date is kind of short notice? Is that commonplace with today's shows?
[/quote]
Okay. Serious advice time. Stop looking at the phone.

You're waiting for a call that odds are is not going to come. If you took and passed the test, and interviewed for producers, then you've done everything you possibly can to be a contestant on this or any other show.

If they are interested in you, if you fit the bill based on your intelligence, your looks, your personality, or your ability to know the alphabet backwards and forwards, they will call you and you will be a contestant on the show. If the call does not come, do not look at it as an invalidation of your dedication to the game or ability to play.

They're going to interview hundreds of prospective contestants for roughly 24 spots. Relax.