Yesterday I took the 6:33 train into the city, met up with Lauren, and then we headed up to Rachael Ray’s studio. (Luckily, just a couple of blocks from Grand Central Station)
We waited for a couple of hours and got tickets #67 and 68. We finally made our way inside and found out that the colors that were highlighted on our ticket meant the order that we would go in. Blue was first, followed by Pink and then Yellow. Of course, we were Yellow, but at least we would be getting in the studio!
Once we got in, everything was so tiny. There was the kitchen set, couch with the TV, the larger couch where she sometimes interviews guests, and another set was set up with lots of groceries.
RC Smith was our warmup comedian – who had some audience members guessing the song or artist that the sound guy was playing to win a November issue of Rachaels magazine. He seemed to think that everyone from Pennsylvania was amish, but he was also a Yankee fan so really, that explained everything.
Then Rachael came out and told us that she had been up since 5:30ish and didn’t know how Diane Sawyer did it, waking up at 3am every day for Good Morning America, yet still managing to look like a movie star. The first thing she filmed was an intro to a video of her doing a cook off at NASCAR and riding in the pace car.
Next up, they were having the finals of the NY grocery bagging competition. Let me tell you that was really hard to cheer for. Especially since it took them so long to bag. After they bagged in paper, they then had to re-set and bag in plastic. While they were judging, Rachael went to the kitchen and made the chili that she had made in the NASCAR cooking competition. She couldn’t get one of her mixers to work so she was fighting with it.
After that, she did a promo about what was coming up to air during Regis and Kelly. And then recorded 3x a promo for how to switch your TV to DTV. First time she was over the time limit and then I think they did it 2 more times just to have a couple of choices.
She chatted a bit about how she was the last person she knew to get a color TV and that Nixon was her favorite president because her mom got pissed at him and threw her stiletto into the TV, thus allowing them to buy a new COLOR TV.
Then we found out the winner of the bagging competition, but you’ll have to watch on Friday the 14th to find out for yourself… the winner won a trip to St Lucia which Rachael pronounced “loo-chee-uh” and not “loo-sha” so she had to redo that take a second time, and said it wrong AGAIN so they did it a 3rd time.
Oh, and at some point they did snack of the day, which was Zebras – pecans covered in chocolate and white chocolate.
The highlight of the day was that her audience moves to her. Rather than fit a bunch of people in front of each set, so you can’t see her during some segments, the seats are on a big turn table and they turn you towards where she is, so you always have the same view of the show. (We were about 8 rows back and I think there were only 10 or 11 rows total)
After it was all over we left and got a copy of Rachael’s December issue of her magazine.
RC seemed to think it would be the most fun we’d ever have at a taping – but I’m sorry, $500 worth of stuff from the View kind of tops that list, RC. Nice try though.
Tonight is New Kids On The Block at the casino. Loved them when I was 5, but have never seen them live (though I have seen Joey and Jordan solo) so it should be interesting!
Katie 
