From Access Producer To Briefcase Babe?

First, however -- in our short skirts and sequined halters, we wait outside in a line that literally, winds around the block. Since I'm on the street corner, I can't help but get a flash of “Pretty Woman” in my head. Am I just out of my element, or are the other ladies equally as uncomfortable to be in public dressed like this? And hundreds of girls are here.

It is an open casting call, which began two hours before I arrived, and continued for at least another hour after I left. If ever a show is sure to find a bevy of beauties eager to smile and pose in front of millions of people, LA is the place to look. These opportunities are what cross-country moves are inspired by -- what dreams are made of.

Twenty minutes in to my wait outside, I notice that the women who have brought friends along to audition with them, as a support team, seem more at ease. The loners stand there nervously, with no one to talk to about their apprehensions. I feel their pain, but am certainly not a loner. I have a camera crew and one of my friends (a fellow producer) there with me, so I have plenty to keep my mind off of the impending audition. Nevertheless, I chat with fellow potential "babes" (as a side note, before I continue, let me point out that “Deal or No Deal” does not call their models "briefcase babes." That is the name they have come to be known by, being that they are all attractive and hold briefcases, but the show does not condone this term) as the line rounds the corner and we finally get inside.

More zombie-like shuffling happens inside as we zigzag through the line. Finally, the big moment comes. Almost. First, "Fill out this paper work, write your name in really big letters, and then smile as we take your picture." Done, done, and done. They ask for our measurements (of course they do) and I really have absolutely no clue what my hips and waist are. Hopefully when they are reviewing the stats, they won't be too tripped up by a 45-inch mid-section. But I digress.

Finally, time to go in for my interview. I am paired (tripled?) with two other ladies, and asked to tell JC, the casting director, something about myself. I give all the pertinent info -- name, city of origin, why there is a camera crew following me. JC says that yes, they are looking for gorgeous girls, but personality is just as important. As I try to digest that, she asks us to give her our best model walk. It was the first time I ever got to do my much-rehearsed-in-the-privacy-of-my-own-home-giggling-with-my-sister catwalk strut (you know you've done it too) and it was actually really fun!

In the end, JC wrapped things up by saying we were all great, and that she'd be in touch in a couple of weeks. Isn't that the same as "don't call us, we'll call you?"