Toronto TV audience : CityLine, Steven & Chris and The Marilyn Show

I’ve always wanted to attend some our local TV  shows here in  Toronto. Ofcourse work got in the way since most of them film early in the mornings. Well hello maternity leave! I jumped on that like me on a British Cadbury bar. No it wasn’t just the freebies that lured me in, it was a genuine interest to sit there and soak it all in… What? Serious. I like clapping and smiling ear to ear for no reason. Yes I do have some tips on how to be front and centre!

First on the list was The Marilyn Denis Show. Less than two weeks after putting in my request I received tickets for me and three other fabulous ladies  (yes I reconnected with a BFF from Bahrain! This show is super  organized and sent us detailed instructions on what to wear, when to get there e.t.c. On arrival they ask you to stand outside the Queen St. building until about 9:15 when they take you  inside to a holding room. Here we checked in our coats and then listened to the animated young lady who told us not to chew gum and filled  us in on the deets.  Since it’s filmed live this was  the most efficient of all the shows. Everyone was on cue and Marilyn did a fab job. Unfortunately for us, the topic wasn’t all that interesting (weight loss) but despite that we had a great time. There was a great energy on set and the young lady did a great job pepping everyone up. Marilyn was quite lovely, speaking with the  audience and then taking pictures with us at the end of the show. All in all…we were in and out in two hours. Despite there being no giveaway on the show we each received a loot bag. Each one was slightly different. I scored some green nail polish (in time for St. Patty’s!), a swiffer, vitamins, Hugo Boss  cologne and a face wash pack. At one point Marilyn looked at the audience and said “and  you all get a year’s membership to GoodLife fitness”…she meant the weightloss contestants, not the audience. BOO! It’s  okay.. I  have my Curves. We were in the front row and on TV a couple times…you can watch it here.

Next  up I  received an email from Steven and Chris, stating that I have three tickets in total for their show. Alright then!  Again this was  just a week after I put it my request online. Once again, they make  you stand in line downstairs at the CBC  building till about  9:30 when they took us up and allowed us to hang our coats before entering the set. It was gentlemen who got us revved up…and told us not to chew gum (okay really.. is it THAT big of a problem that even these  guys mentioned it!?!!). This was not a live segment and they were actually filming another episode later that afternoon. Good thing too because Chris had some bloopers in there! I must admit that this was my favest show and not only  because the topic was fun (beauty, decor and nutrition). Chris was absolute jokes and had us all laughing with his randomness (read forgetfullness). Steven looked daper and they both greeted us after the show and took pictures with the audience. It took a bit longer here, about three hours in total and we left with a discount towards an online  purchase from a beauty store as well as a tube of dragon’s blood mask. During the breaks there were questions asked and prizes awarded as well. Definitely a fun morning to be had here if you ever get the chance. They don’t pan the audience all that much, but you can definitely spot us In the front row again! The show aired on April 3rd and you can watch it here.

Cityline has a long wait, about two to three months and at the end of that they delete their database so you have to go in and re-register. We had no hope of getting in here as I really wanted a Wednesday (babies allowed)  or Fashion Fridays. That said, it seems that they were having issues filling seats and sent out a request on Twitter. My fabulous friend (who attended the previous two shows with me as well) jumped on that and sure enough…there we were on set again! They seemed to provide the least amount of information (not even location!) in their emails and this might have been because we were last minute additions. They invite everyone in at 9:30 and then assign a ticket to each person (for a  raffle at the end of the show). You are then taken upstairs to a holding room where you hang your  coats and chill till it’s time to come back down again. Once on set there’s a lot of action here, with various setups and many things happening at once. Tracey Moore  is absolutely fun.  She’s down to earth and engaged with the audience throughout. There was a genuineness  to her and it definitely came through. There was actual cooking on set, we were taught about gardening and given some great tapas and entertaining solutions. The swag here was announced during the show (gift card to HomeSense and some ceramic dishes featured in the cooking  and entertaining tapas  segments). This was not live but there were no re-takes and we were out within two hours, after our pictures with Tracy ofcourse! The show will be aired on April 10th 2012.

So three shows in. Front row on all three shows. How did we do it? Here’s our tips.

1) Provide a compelling story when they ask you why you want tickets. Come on… you can come up with something good I’m sure. Maternity leave always works!

2) Arrive about 15 mins early to be the first in line (this applied for Mariyln Denis and Steven and Chris but not so much to CityLine as they take you upstairs and allow you to sit around, does help to sit towards the front of the room!)

3) Dress in bright colours! This is the most important factor I think. We wore bright blues, fuchsias, salmon pinks, ravishing purples and electric greens all to our advantage. I think it was our colours that got us the great positions as nearly every seat allocator mentioned how they loved our bright colours. Yeap…Marilyn and Tracey noticed them too!

4 ) It definitely helps if you’re on the younger and ‘ethnic’ end of the spectrum. Lets face it, most of  the women who come out are the older, stay at home varietals. So if you’re young you definitely have an up there. Just saying. I know it’s not fair.

Go on.  Do it! It’s a fun morning at no cost! A big thank you to my brother who babysat for me while I smiled ear to ear and clapped to my palm’s content and cheek’s ache!

p.s – Since this post I’ve had the chance to have makeovers done on CityLine and Marilyn Denis. And be featured on a new mom segment with Breakfast Television.