My "Cash Cab" Experience

I don't know how many of you know this by now, but I did an episode of a trivia game show called "Cash Cab" that's currently running on The Discovery Channel as we speak. I wasn't allowed to blog or talk about the show until it aired, so I couldn't tell anyone about my experience....(lol...but you know I DID tell a few folks anyway!). But now that it's running I can speak freely.

Before I go on....let me just talk a moment about the love affair that I am currently having with Craig's List!!! Love Them, Love Them....LOVE THEM!!!!!

This (Craig's List) is how I wound up having my Cash Cab experience and meeting Bobby Flay!!!.....I was perusing through the casting notices on the site and came across one that was seeking an intelligent host for a new show about NYC on the Travel Channel. What caught my eye was the fact that they SPECIFICALLY wanted hosts who were in my age range. So I answered the ad, submitted a photo and got a call from the producers a few days later.

They set up an interview for me with a producer at of all places....The Barnes & Noble in the Union Square area. I thought that was a little weird but I figured they were trying to save money like everyone else. The guy I met seemed pleasant enough and as it turns out he was from the city of Binghamton, NY (where I went to college), I didn't "feel" like it was a scam or anything so I continued the interview process.

After the whole "getting to know you" phase (lol....to make sure that I wasn't insane or anything...I suppose) he explained to me that all of the segment hosts needed a deep knowledge of New York City, so the second half of the interview was to test my "knowledge" of NY - sort of like a "Trivial Pursuit" questionnaire. This was fine for me because I happen to LOVE Trivial Pursuit or for that matter any kind of game that is Trivia based.

So after pretty much acing all of the questions, choosing shooting locations as well as letting them know my availability, the interview was over. I was told that someone would contact me soon regarding the scheduling of my segment. So, needless to say....I left that B&N pretty much thinking the job was in the bag. What else could I possibly thinking - you tell me you're gonna let me know when you will be scheduling my segment....uh....doesn't that say...."the job is yours"???? lol....

The following week, I got several calls & emails from the producers looking to schedule my segment. We decided to shoot in the middle of the week (a Tuesday, I think) and after I got off of work. I was told to bring a friend, because it makes the segments more interesting and help it move more fluidly. So you KNOW I called Jacqueline as soon as I got off the phone. She agreed to come along and the following Tuesday we were told to meet the production crew down on 21st St & 6th Ave. It was cold as hell so I opted to wait in the Starbucks on 6th Ave. Jacqueline arrived first, followed shortly by the production crew.

Of course I cannot remember any one's name but the young woman who met us, rather frazzled, explaining that they had been having problems with the van that the crew was driving so, we'd have to flag a cab to The 21 Club (where we'd be filming the segment) and they'd follow us. She (the producer) gave me $20 bucks to cover the fare and I figured it was cool....I had been to the 21 Club many times during my Hearst Magazine/NY Magazine days so I'm thinking to myself....okay...."this is gonna be a piece of cake!"

There was a bit of a wait as we waited for the crew to arrive.....so the producer chick started asking a whole bunch of questions and that's when I began to get suspicious. Just then PA came and told us the van was here and we could head uptown. So we all exit the Starbucks and Jacque and I hail a cab while the rest of the crew heads to the van.

It didn't take long to hail a cab and lol...the moment I entered the cab - I knew something was up....I looked around and said immediately to Jacqueline "Hey! This looks like the Cash Cab"....lol...no sooner than that phrase came out of my mouth - did all the flashing lights come on!!! They set the Runway Diva up LOVELY ya'll......just lovely!

Needless to say, we left that cab a little richer and definitely happy! (Host/Driver Ben Bailey is WAY cool ya'll!...and VERY cute AND VERY tall....that's why it's so CRAMPED in the passenger part of that damn cab....lol).

Two words sum up my Cash Cab experience beautifully:

"SABADO GIGANTE"

And that's all I'm gonna say about that.

I won't detail my ENTIRE experience here but I am actually in the process of copy and uploading my segment to this blog....but you're gonna have to wait a second for that!

And oh yeah...Just in case you're wondering....the producer chick QUICKLY took back the $20 bucks she gave me for cab fare! Lol!!

But check it out family:

Cash Cab airs on the Discovery Channel (TWC-NY - Channel 66 check your local listings for other channels outside of Manhattan)....Monday through Fridays at 10:00am, 10:30am, 6:00pm & 6:30pm daily!

“Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.”