The Taping

We had an amazing, once-in-a-lifetime trip to LA, but what most people have asked us about is being on the show. We stayed in a hotel right around the corner from the studio, and mercifully we didn't have to be ready early in the morning for the taping. (Thank you, AFV producers, thank you very much!) We were given a few guidelines prior to our arrival about what to wear which posed a particular issue for me, as I was the one doing the shopping. The rules included things like: no polka dots, no bold plaids or patterns, and no outfits that were all one color. Here's a challenge for you moms: go out and try to find an outfit for a kid that fits in that category! It's harder than you think! Oh, and throw in something that is warm and doesn't itch, with no tag in the back!
I had us all dressed in black and grey for the last show, looking very chic and put together, or so I thought. My husband took one look at my girls' grey sweater dresses and said we looked like we were going to a funeral! Men have to wear a suit and tie, which my husband just loved. He immediately pointed out the first time around that the host wasn't wearing a tie. To which I said, "They are paying, and they said wear a tie!"
This time around, I found the girls some adorable pink sequined dresses, which they immediately informed me were "itchy." I could tell it was going to be a long day. How we all made it downstairs on time, I'm not exactly sure. The studio sent a van to pick us up at the hotel and we were off.
Television studios are cold. Really, really cold. We were told ahead of time that the studio was normally around 55 degrees, and they were not joking. When you see those audience shots of people laughing and clapping, it's because they are moving their arms trying to stay warm!
In the midst of our pre-taping potty breaks, it occurred to me that I should try to convey to Savannah what a huge moment this was in her life. I did my best to make her understand that this doesn't just happen to people - that this trip was something we would be talking about for the rest of our lives. We were about to have an opportunity that we would never have again. I'm not sure I got through to her at all, but hey, I tried.
I got to sit on the very back row with the rest of the finalists' family members who were over 7 years old. Children under 7 aren't allowed in the studio during the taping, obviously because they can't be quiet for that long. I have to say that the other families we met who were finalists were wonderful! They were all so nice to us, before AND after the taping. Several of them hugged my neck and were kind to my children as well.
I really felt for one of the dads, who was there with his best buddy and his three small children. His wife was at home on bed rest, pregnant with their fourth child. How those two guys managed those three little kids, I don't know. You could tell from looking at the kids that there wasn't a woman with them, but all in all I thought they did great and their dad should get an award for traveling cross country with them while mom was at home!
The show is filmed in the order it is seen on TV, so we really did have to sit there and wait until the very end of the show to find out who won. It was extremely nerve wracking, although all of the finalists breathed a collective sigh of relief when it was announced that the voting had already taken place two weeks prior in Disney World. Guess we figured we could all stop sitting there trying to mentally force the studio audience to vote for our videos!
 When the time finally came, it was like torture. We rehearsed the announcement, then had a bathroom emergency one on side and a puking baby on the other before it was actually time. I looked at Tom Bergeron and said, "This is deteriorating fast!" All through the day, we had been looking for an indicator, any indicator of how the voting had gone. We had no idea when we got to the studio that all of the producers already knew who won. Was this producer being extra friendly? Did the makeup artist spend a little more time doing my makeup this time? We were standing in the center of the stage. Was that good? Did it matter? Did the audience cheer just a little louder when the introduced our video? They all seemed to laugh when it was on. Was that a good thing? Did they already know who won? All of these things were rolling around in my mind.
When at very long last, the announcement finally came, we were completely shocked. I didn't even have time to be nervous about what Savannah might say if she got her hands on that microphone, which she tried her best to do! All in all, we had a truly wonderful and amazing experience. Each and every person associated with the show was incredibly kind to us and to our kids. Got a funny video at home? Send it in! You never know what might happen!