The following is an article I contributed to for 360, a magazine designed for wheelchair users:
Arts & Entertainment
Wheelers Aren’t the Weakest Link
by Ron Bucco with Chuck Donegan
My first crush was on Diane from The Price Is Right. While most of my friends drooled over Farrah Fawcett’s famous swimsuit poster, I dreamed of my game show blonde. And Holly…my love burned hot for that redhead.
Alas, game shows no longer dominate daytime television. Mindless talkies like Sally Jesse and Jerry Springer pushed them off the schedule. How can cheating spouses compare with Joker’s Wild? Are “Teens in Trouble” really more riveting than the final round of $25,000 Pyramid? Talk-show brawls all look alike; but watching someone try to win “A new car!” never gets old.
Of the dozen cherished game shows from my childhood, only four are still going strong: The Price Is Right, Jeopardy, Family Feud and Wheel of Fortune. A couple of years ago, Who Wants To Be a Millionaire launched a daytime version, but it doesn’t claim a piece of my soul.
While game shows supposedly welcome everyone, when was the last time you saw a contestant in a wheelchair? It is a rare sight indeed. Of course, the disabled have never been particularly visible in primetime shows or movies. But game show contestants are supposed to represent the average American, right? Not quite.
“Game shows are show business. It’s about entertainment,” says Roger Dobkowitz, the producer of The Price Is Right. “I think our contestants represent a good cross section of our viewing audience. We don’t keep a running tally by gender or race. We’re just focused on finding contestants people want to watch.”
Considering the amount of money behind these game shows, it’s hard to believe producers don’t keep careful track of demographics. Contestants go through a competitive interview process. They are carefully chosen. So either wheelers aren’t seen as entertaining or they aren’t even trying out. Neither answer is acceptable, much less true.
Spinning Wheels
Paul Rossman is one of my idols. Supposedly, he was the first contestant in a wheelchair on The Price Is Right. It took about 25 years but finally a wheeler made it--and he did it in style. Rossman won a new Chevrolet Prism on the first try playing Cover Up, unusual in itself. He didn’t make it to the Showcase Showdown, however, and neither did the second wheeler contestant about four years later.
Most accommodations wheelers may need on game shows fall into the simple to moderate category. On The Price is Right episodes noted above: Steps were covered with a ramp, a show page held a portable microphone in contestant’s row, a model helped move items during the game and Bob Barker spun the $1 wheel. Very basic stuff, nothing that should scare show producers and contestant coordinators from selecting more wheelers.
Wheel of Fortune featured a quad in a motorchair along with his wife on the "Couple Shows" during Valentine’s Week in 1991. She spun the wheel while he called out the letters. They won and made it to the bonus round. No significant accommodations were necessary.
Playing Jeopardyis more complicated for wheelers since contestants must ring in. According to Maggie Speak, the show’s contestant coordinator, Jeopardy has never had a quad compete, but they have had wheelchair users with upper-body mobility. The competitors are supposed to stand on boxes, adjusted so all three appear to be similar in height. Wheelers are lifted into tall director chairs to support the equal-height illusion. During a past teen tournament, one contestant was unable to stand for any length of time, so a chair was provided.
Family Feud contestants no longer rush down stairs to the main stage area, but begin the show in position. Producer Gabby Johnston insists wheelchair users aren’t automatically placed at the end of the long podium.
“Ideally, show business determines the order. We want the best personality in the one or two spot, and we let our views be known,” she says. “But if the family has strong ideas about the order, we can’t overrule them because they may blame us if they lose.”
Come On Down
With the exception of The Price Is Right--where possible contestants are picked out of the line for the studio audience and interviewed--wannabe gamers go through a more formal selection process. Jeopardy has a written test, followed by a mock version of the game for those who pass the exam. Show personnel also talk one-on-one with possible contestants. Wheel of Fortune and Family Feud conduct a similar arrangement.
“During the test and interview process, we always ask people with a disability what they need, what will make them feel comfortable,” says Jeopardy’s Speak. “Folks want to be good contestants and we want to put on a good show. So far we’ve been able to work things out.”
The first step toward achieving your game dreams is to register at the show’s web site (see sidebar). Jeopardy, The Price Is Right and Wheel of Fortune hold auditions in Los Angeles year-round. For out-of-towners, be sure to note the dates of your L.A. visit on your registration form. Family Feud’s search season runs from July through February, also in Los Angeles.
Additionally, Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune conduct regional auditions in several cities nationwide. Jeopardy will soon announce specific dates for the following areas:
May
Miami, Nashville and Philadelphia
June
Albany, N.Y.; Chicago; Minneapolis; New York City; Norfolk, Virginia; and Washington, D.C.
So if contestant choices are based purely on show business concerns, what’s the best way to get on the list? Smile a lot, laugh and show enthusiasm. Even for a thinking show like Jeopardy, producers love people who look like they are having a good time.
That’s entertainment.
(Not bad, huh? - ed.)
Chuck Donegan (The Illustrious "Chuckie Baby")
