Ever dreamed of being on TV and competing for cash and prizes? Well for one Sonoma State student, this dream came true.
Amanda Avery, sophomore, will be a contestant on the show “Let’s Make a Deal” October 28 at 9 a.m. on CBS. Avery is very involved on Sonoma State’s campus as a member of Alpha Delta Pi and the Nursing Club.
“Let’s Make a Deal” is a television game show that has been on the air for over 50 years. Audience members dress up in costumes to stand out in hope of current host, Wayne Brady, selecting them to be a contestant. The host makes deals with audience members who are then selected to play different games.
Avery decided to audition for the game show, after seeing the success of her friend and former Sonoma State student, Melody Forsell, on the show “The Price is Right.”
Avery and her two best friends from high school decided they wanted to be on “Let’s Make a Deal,” so they went online to see how they could audition. Because Avery is from Los Angeles, it worked out perfectly. She auditioned to be on the show over summer.
“The process was really easy,” said Avery, “we just went online and reserved a ticket. Then when we got to the studio, they had us stand in a line where a cameraman came around and filmed us, it was our initial interview.”
After the initial interview there is also a group interview where the potential contestants are interviewed with the people they came with, in this case Avery and her two friends.
They also watched a few episodes of “Let’s Make a Deal” so that they could understand the game and know learn game etiquette. They were given scenarios of different prizes they could win and were asked to show the face they would make if they won.
“Let’s Make a Deal” is known for the costumes. Each contestants chooses their costume and sometimes groups or couples decide to do matching costumes. People are given the opportunity to be as creative as they want with their costume.
“I love seeing people’s costumes,” said Avery, “there was one guy who was dressed as a coffee mug and a donut.”
Avery and her friends decided to dress as loofahs. Each of her friends used different color tulle to make their costumes, so they were each a different color loofah. Avery was the only one of her friends to get chosen to play the game.
“They didn’t tell us who was going be picked,” said Avery. “So we had to stay excited to make sure we would get picked. It was really cool.”
“Let’s Make a Deal” consists of numerous different games. Avery was selected to play the marble game, which is all about luck. The game works by having two contestants face off each other winning cash.
“The show was really fun but also tiring,” said Avery, “during the commercial breaks they made us dance and sing, to keep us pumped and ready if we got picked. It was a good experience. It was really fun and everyone should go if they get the opportunity.”
In the game there are five marbles: four blue marbles and one red. Each contestant secretly chooses a marble. If a blue marble is found, the contestant wins cash, but if a red marble is found, the game is over and the other contestant wins.
“I am having a bunch of friends and girls in my sorority over for a viewing party,” said Avery, “I’m really excited to watch and to not have to keep the results a secret anymore.”