Unlike winter break, summer offered me enough time to create a comprehensive bucket list. For this article, I want to discuss my experience with something that I love, television! I want to share my experience for anyone who has ever wanted to be in a live studio audience, or simply for my fellow media majors!
The Ellen Degeneres Show
In the land of daytime talk, Ellen is the reigning queen, and she doesn't let that crown's weight inhibit her energy in person at all. I got a text from my friend asking me if I wanted to accompany her to the Ellen show, and I called her to confirm what my eyes registered. I have an astigmatism, but in this moment, I thought my eyes had finally failed me.
Let's skip the part where we waited for several hours, moving from parking lots, to hallways, to finally the studio lounge!
Along with the hours it takes to wait, an hour long show takes three hours to film! We had to turn off our phones in front of a staff member, and if our phones were seen, we would be escorted out. I was in a party of three and we were dispersed across the set. When I asked why, one of the staff members said, "We need the audience to look equal on all sides. Can't have all the youngsters on one side."
After being seated for hours, I cringed when I saw the chair that coincided with my number. The audience seating was the comfiest seat I had ever sat on in my life! Because you're seated for hours, shows with an audience invest in furniture better than any memory foam you can find.
The executive producer strode onto the stage and began to describe the day's structure, and he stressed every sentence. "We will shoot out of order and edit later, every time Ellen comes out, clap. If you hear music, stand up and dance. Don't scream at Ellen or guests and make sure to follow our instructions or you'll be dismissed," said the producer.
For nearly 15 minutes, we filmed standing up, cheering, and even laughing on cue. Even for someone who laughs at simply hearing the word pineapple, it got hard to keep a smile unless you were the Cheshire Cat.
The DJ screamed, "Get up for Ellen!" I cocked my head across the set and saw one of my friends crying as Ellen danced out of center stage. As the cameras raced around the audience catching our reaction, the camera crew ran to set up Ellen's signature seating. To my surprise, the furniture seemed to only weigh a few pounds as couches and tables were moved with ease.
As Ellen sashayed to her seat, the writers rushed to her. She began talking about the guest of the day and before I caught my breath, out came Kanye West! If you saw this episode, you'll know that he went on a tangent. What you don't know is that it was a full on rant! What viewers at home saw was five minutes of a twenty minute interaction. Honestly, I was on the edge of my seat and my hands were curled around the arm rests, as I could not believe what I was witnessing.
The show continued with Ellen taking breaks to review the script, producers running to switch our furniture, and the make up team giving Ellen a matte finish. When an audience member was called up, Ellen invited her to spin a wheel. It was funny to see the wheel land several spaces away from the "All Audience" mark, only to have the wheel turn a full 180 to there. We were told to scream as we all had won 200 hundred dollars!
My Overall Thoughts
I chose to write about this experience because, as someone who aspires to work in entertainment, I thought that being part of a live studio audience was a great behind the scenes look at the industry. I have a greater appreciation for the endeavors of producers, writers, set designers, and all the individuals who work in front of and behind the camera. So while my current address is New York, hopefully one day I'll make my mark and come back to claim Hollywood as home.
