By Chad Mosher
The dream of most game show fans is to one day be on a game show. Whether it be trivia like Millionaire or Jeopardy, word games like Wheel of Fortune or even pricing and dumb luck like Let's Make a Deal and The Price is Right, all of us have at least one game that we say "Man, I would rule at this show" when we watch it. However, to be on any of those shows, you first must audition in front of producers and coordinators. Though some auditions are different than others (Millionaire and Jeopardy require passing tests; Deal and Price are quick interviews before the show), there are still three things that every prospective contestant needs. Some of these may seem obvious, but once you're in that audition room, it's very important to keep them at hand. We shall call them the Three Bes.
1. Be You... Just Turned Up! The biggest mistake any auditioner can make is to be phony and act completely different than the person they are in real life. It is the job of the producers and the coordinators to see right through you and if you put on an act, they will. Never act any different than who you really are. However, you must make sure that you always have your energy levels high and you sound excited when you speak. For a show like The Price is Right, there is little opportunity to show off your knowledge of prices in the screening interviews before the show, so your personality is all you've got. Even when you're not being focused on, an audition is a test to see how you'll act when you get on TV. Although you may have the best personality in the world, if you sound like Ben Stein on downers when you speak, you will not be cast.
2. Be Familiar with the Show! For most auditions, there will always be some form of test and/or mock game based on the show, or at the very least, questions about the program in the interview. Even if it's a brand new show, you should always have some knowledge for what the aim of the show is. If you're trying out for Jeopardy and you hit a Daily Double in the mock game, it won't bode well for your future if you stare at the board with a confused look on your face. And if you try out for a pilot called Strongman Challenge, your 5'6" 120 lb frame will likely not fit what they're looking for. Always make sure you have some familiarity with the content of the program before you set your sights on being part of it.
3. Be Calm, Controlled and Breathe! This is probably the most important of the Three Bes. The biggest mistake any auditioning contestant can make is to let nerves take over. Sure, it's quite alright to have butterflies in your stomach but in order to be successful, you've got to push that to the back of your mind and focus on the task at hand. It's surprising how many people in a nerve-wracking situation like this, forget to simply breathe! A planned inhale/exhale combination here and there will balance your body out and allow you to control your mind to keep working on your successful audition. If you let your nervousness take over, you're likely to forget things, stumble over your words and even come of sounding weak and less confident than you normally would. Keeping calm is very, very necessary.
Of course, being good at what you're auditioning for is also a nice plus to have, but once you focus on the Three Bes, that will flow naturally. I guarantee that if you remember these before and during your audition, you'll be on the fast track to fame and fortune!
Game on!
Chad Mosher is a past game show contestant, and has experience in many aspects of the game show industry. He contributes a weekly column here at About.com Game Shows, answering your questions and tackling all facets of the game show genre. If you have questions for Chad, you can post them here in the comments, or contact him directly through the link in his bio.
The dream of most game show fans is to one day be on a game show. Whether it be trivia like Millionaire or Jeopardy, word games like Wheel of Fortune or even pricing and dumb luck like Let's Make a Deal and The Price is Right, all of us have at least one game that we say "Man, I would rule at this show" when we watch it. However, to be on any of those shows, you first must audition in front of producers and coordinators. Though some auditions are different than others (Millionaire and Jeopardy require passing tests; Deal and Price are quick interviews before the show), there are still three things that every prospective contestant needs. Some of these may seem obvious, but once you're in that audition room, it's very important to keep them at hand. We shall call them the Three Bes.
1. Be You... Just Turned Up! The biggest mistake any auditioner can make is to be phony and act completely different than the person they are in real life. It is the job of the producers and the coordinators to see right through you and if you put on an act, they will. Never act any different than who you really are. However, you must make sure that you always have your energy levels high and you sound excited when you speak. For a show like The Price is Right, there is little opportunity to show off your knowledge of prices in the screening interviews before the show, so your personality is all you've got. Even when you're not being focused on, an audition is a test to see how you'll act when you get on TV. Although you may have the best personality in the world, if you sound like Ben Stein on downers when you speak, you will not be cast.
2. Be Familiar with the Show! For most auditions, there will always be some form of test and/or mock game based on the show, or at the very least, questions about the program in the interview. Even if it's a brand new show, you should always have some knowledge for what the aim of the show is. If you're trying out for Jeopardy and you hit a Daily Double in the mock game, it won't bode well for your future if you stare at the board with a confused look on your face. And if you try out for a pilot called Strongman Challenge, your 5'6" 120 lb frame will likely not fit what they're looking for. Always make sure you have some familiarity with the content of the program before you set your sights on being part of it.
3. Be Calm, Controlled and Breathe! This is probably the most important of the Three Bes. The biggest mistake any auditioning contestant can make is to let nerves take over. Sure, it's quite alright to have butterflies in your stomach but in order to be successful, you've got to push that to the back of your mind and focus on the task at hand. It's surprising how many people in a nerve-wracking situation like this, forget to simply breathe! A planned inhale/exhale combination here and there will balance your body out and allow you to control your mind to keep working on your successful audition. If you let your nervousness take over, you're likely to forget things, stumble over your words and even come of sounding weak and less confident than you normally would. Keeping calm is very, very necessary.
Of course, being good at what you're auditioning for is also a nice plus to have, but once you focus on the Three Bes, that will flow naturally. I guarantee that if you remember these before and during your audition, you'll be on the fast track to fame and fortune!
Game on!
Chad Mosher is a past game show contestant, and has experience in many aspects of the game show industry. He contributes a weekly column here at About.com Game Shows, answering your questions and tackling all facets of the game show genre. If you have questions for Chad, you can post them here in the comments, or contact him directly through the link in his bio.
Comments
Chad,
Excellent well-written blog about auditions, for anyone who may have their “big shot” on National TV! .
Nice first column Chad. I looked forward to reading your articles every week. As a person who has auditioned for game shows myself I’ve witnessed the types of mistakes that Chad mentioned. I auditioned with someone who would have done really well on the show (Millionaire) because she knows tons of trivia and is very well read but when the casting staff were interviewing her. She was herself but not “turned up”. Game shows typically don’t want soft spoken, introverts who will barely crack a smile.
It doesn’t hurt to be attractive, either. It is amazing how poorly dressed people are when they go to auditions. You should be groomed and polished, as if you were going out on a casual Saturday night with the most beautiful person you have ever met.
There are no Daily Doubles in the Jeopardy! audition mock game. A better analogy would be someone who consistently fails to phrase responses in the form of a question.