I’ve lived in northern New Jersey my entire life, which means constant access to pork roll and Bon Jovi some pretty cool stuff, like the myriad New York City happenings, a mere 25 miles away.
It’s easy to take this proximity for granted; I’ve only met a few other people who leverage one especially cool perk: Television show tapings!
Babs (my mom) is one of those people.
That’s right, Chipmunks! On Monday, Babs and I saw a taping of The Daily Show! Okay, The Daily Show Lite. While Jon Stewart is off coloring or basket-weaving or directing movies this summer, John Oliver, a Daily Show correspondent, is hosting.
“Nice!” you’re probably thinking. “Why doesn’t everyone do this?”
Hey, great question, you. Shows with studio audiences are usually desperate to fill the house 5 days a week, so tickets are easy to come by (with some exceptions).
But.
While the tickets are free, they still have a price: Shows overbook, so even if you’ve reserved tickets, you have to [take off from work and] arrive early to pick them up – several hours before the taping begins. Then you have to return later, get back in line, and wait some more.
In any kind of weather.
And there’s still no guarantee you’ll actually get in.
Which is why it’s important to get drunk resourceful. For example, find a mom Babs who won a poop-ton of lottery scratch-off tickets from a radio station:
I imagine this waiting game is similar to childbirth. You forget about all of that boring, painful, hot, sticky, gross stuff once you feel the love. (I bet it’s exactly the same, am I right, parents?) Cue the ice-cold studio and geeking out.
You also forget about all of that waiting when the audience warm-up act starts picking on your mother (note: the following is based on actual events, a la Rescue 9-1-1):
You DEFINITELY forget about that waiting when the host gives the audience a personal hello, sincere thanks, and answers questions.
And you totally, totally, TOTALLY forget about that waiting when you spot yourself on TV that same night:
Didja miss me? Okay, fine, that wasn’t really fair. Let me help ya out:
Psst: If you’re in the New York City area and would like tickets to a Daily Show taping, check out this page.
Have you ever been to a television show taping? If not, would it be worth all of that uncertainty and waiting to you? What show tops your list?
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Go Jules Go 