At one point in my life I lived approximately 4 minutes from the "Mall of America" in Bloomington, Minnesota. That place is intoxicating....unless you want to actually find something and have to schlep 30 miles between each store that carries it, but I digress.
Every day One day I was there with the King, Princess CoCo and Princess LuLu (Princess MiMi was still in the planning stages). I was approached at Tucci Benucci's restaurant and asked to come and interview for a game show. Flattered I skipped the heavenly Tira Misu and went to the interview. Long story short I was asked to tape the show.
That guy who is the host of the Bachelor,Chris Harrison, was the host (pre-reality t.v.). He was very nice to all of the contestants even as he pondered whether his career could survive this gig. Clearly he didn't know how low he could go.
The game was Mall Masters. I was eliminated in the first round -- before the Mormon lady who was wearing a table cloth style dress and before the kid who told us he was the University of Minnestota Mascot who, on this particular day, was dressed like superman (it was not a costume show). It was humiliating on many levels. What was the question that eliminated me, you ask?
What percentage of a watermelon is made up of water?
My quick as a flash answer: 100% Chris!
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This is exactly the look he gave me as he described the parting gifts.
Exactly. This. Look.
Thanks to my blogging colleague at Fun.Crazy.Life who gave me the idea for this post with her sad watermelon-dropping-on-newly-washed-floor incident. My deepest condolences to her and her very newly re-cleaned floor.
That's actually cool. Too bad it's not on YouTube. Did you wear your mask (author photo) to fit in with the other contestants?
Posted by: Daddy Forever | August 25, 2007 at 02:34 AM
Did you know that auditions for "Who Wants to be a Millinaire?" were held just a hop, skip, and a jump from us yesterday. Wanted to go, but it wasn't in the cards. Little did I know I had a famous gameshow contestant so close to me already!
Posted by: New Diva on the Blog | August 25, 2007 at 09:13 AM
I probably would have said something very similiar. I have a very "deer-in-the-headlights" response to high pressure situation ;-)
Posted by: girlymama | August 25, 2007 at 11:55 AM
You continue to bring a smile to my face on a daily basis. Love ya.
Posted by: Lady by the Creek | August 25, 2007 at 01:51 PM
These fleeting tastes of "the big time" are tantalizing, aren't they. This brings back "fond" memories of my "TV show" experience. As a high school sophmore in the 60's, I was selected to be one of 4 student panelists on a show provocatively titled "Communism Looks at Youth" moderated by a local judge. Only requirement - read J Edgar Hoover's book on Communism beforehand (I forget the title). Long story short -- didn't read the book -- it was me and 3 somber, bookish types -- my attempts at wit fell on deaf ears (there is NO subject that can't be made into a punch line, I always say) -- our "going away prize" was a piece of "art" made by the Judge from a gourd. What a hoot.
Posted by: Hoosier Mama | August 27, 2007 at 08:36 AM
Too funny. But being on a show that never was is better than nothing! And your story reminds me of the written part of my driver's ed test a bazillion years ago: I said that the best way to correct after missing your exit on the freeway was to just stop and back up...
Posted by: Christine | September 01, 2007 at 02:30 PM