I was lucky enough to get tickets for the August 1st eviction live taping last week, and I thought it would be nice to share my experiences for those who are interested. A small reason as to why I’m doing this is because there has been claims that the taping was pre-taped, something I know that is definitely not true since I was there, and it was as live as live can be. I hope my detailed experience can dispel those rumors. If not, then oh well, since I mainly want this post to be about sharing my experience anyway!

GETTING THE TICKETS

I first signed up for the waitlist in June (possibly May,) at on-camera-audiences.com. I got an email three days before the taping, saying that I got tickets and that I would have to sign up via a link provided and select how many tickets (1-4) I wanted. After doing all that, I received a confirmation email with the ticket that I would have to print out and bring to the CBS Studios. Some of the more “important” points outlined in the email are listed below. I will address most of them throughout my post:

1. Dress nicely.

2. Fans who have not yet attended a taping will get priority over those who have.

3. Entire party must be together when checking in; bring ID.

4. No large bags allowed in the studios. Cell phones/cameras not allowed.

5. Everyone who attends must fill out a release form and have their photo taken by security.

6. Free parking at the studios. Enter at the multi-parking structure.

7. Arrive by 4 PM. Admission is first-come, first-serve. Ticket holders are not guaranteed entry!

ARRIVING AT THE STUDIO

Because I knew that admission was not guaranteed, I tried to get there as early as possible, which was 2:15 PM for me. My friend and I got to the parking structure, only to be told that parking for Big Brother did not start until 3:15 PM. We decided to roam around random stores in the area until 3 PM, when we would make another attempt to enter early. Upon returning, we were rejected once again, meaning that parking security was really strict on the 3:15 PM time. They asked us to park on the street and wait until then, which is when we noticed massive amounts of cars already parked on the streets waiting to get it. At precisely 3:15 PM, all of the cars rushed towards the entrance. Since I was unfortunately parked on the other side of the street, I entered the line at the very end, since I didn’t want to be a jerk and cut the line. As you drive past the security guard, you are handed a red raffle ticket, which I placed somewhere and never saw again (aka you don’t really need it for anything.) We were told to park on the fourth floor and above. After doing so, we went down the stairs (there are elevators too) and were directed to the entrance.

CHECKING IN

At the entrance, I handed the ticket over to the lady who looked like she was in charge, and she directed me into one of three lines. I went through the security scanners and emptied my pockets for security to check. They are very thorough with everything, and I saw them look through every nook and cranny of purses for cameras/phones. After passing that point, I got my picture taken, signed a form, and waited. A few points I want to mention here. The dress code is loosely enforced. As long as you are wearing a nicer top (something collared for guys; for girls…not sure how to describe it, but something nice!) I think they’ll let you through. I didn’t see anyone get turned away because of what they wore. They didn’t check ID either, which makes me wonder how they enforce the “fans who have not yet attended a taping will get priority over those who have” policy.

WAITING

Obviously, this was the longest part of the entire day. While waiting, they try to keep you in the order that you checked in, since everyone is assigned a number. There are cold water bottles that they provide, and you have access to the restrooms while you wait. By the time I went through all the check in procedures, I would estimate that it was about 3:40ish. Unfortunately, I didn’t think to bring a watch with me, so I couldn’t keep track of time since I couldn’t bring my phone in. I just watched everyone file into the waiting area, and at about 5 PM, we were led to the stage.

ENTERING THE STAGE

The walk took about 10 minutes from the waiting area to the stage, and along the way we passed by the soundstages where they film The Insider and The Talk, among other shows that I can’t remember. They collect your release forms at the entrance to the stage, but they don’t really enforce everyone staying in numerical order. I know some people who were in front of me in line were supposed to be way behind me, but I didn’t really care as long as I was able to get into the studio. We entered the stage and WHOA. The new set looks so awesome. Very modern and clean, and the lighting was great. The lady in charge directs you to sit wherever she wants you to sit, and I got placed in the fourth row (maybe the fifth,) on the very left side. I thought the location kinda sucked, but I was grateful to be there. I would also realize throughout the show that this location wouldn’t be so bad.

I looked at the clock after I sat down, and it was 5:15 PM, which meant 45 minutes to showtime. While waiting for everyone to settle down, the stage manager welcomed all of us there, and reminded us to be excited and clap, except for when the houseguests were casting their votes for eviction. We were to be absolutely silent then and only then. At about 5:30, a guy who’s sole job was to keep the audience entertained (referred to from this point forward as “excited audience guy”) came up on stage and reiterated what the stage manager said. He let us know everything about our job that evening, which was to clap when told to do so, and sit back and enjoy the show the rest of the time. He then threw out some t-shirts (one of which bounced off my arm and fell to the excited, screaming lady in front of me,) had some buff guys go on stage and dance embarrassingly to win a t-shirt, and did/said some other random stuff that I don’t remember. At about 5:45, Julie Chen came on the stage. She was very nice and welcomed all of us there, and wished us an exciting evening. While she proceeded to get final touches on her makeup, the screens on the background turned on, and we got our first glimpse of the houseguests. We couldn’t hear anything they were saying, but they were all getting ready for the live show and arranging themselves on the couches. At 5:55 PM, we did a run through of Julie’s introduction, which was super exciting. At 5:59 PM, the countdown to the live show began!

THE LIVE SHOW