Chance to be part of TV game show draws hundreds
Deal me in: One of roughly 200 model hopefuls opens a briefcase at an open casting call held yesterday in downtown Vancouver for the game show Deal Or No Deal. The women lined up at 6:30 a.m. wearing cocktail dresses outside the Hyatt Regency on Burrard Street for their chance to wow judges — only one was chosen.
Two hundred women wearing cocktail dresses lined up in the cold rain in downtown Vancouver yesterday morning for a chance to join Howie Mandel as a briefcase-toting model on special Canadian editions of Deal Or No Deal.
"It was good — a little nerve-wracking, though," said Rupe Prasadi, 29, of Burnaby, after a 10-minute audition that included walking and posing with a numbered briefcase.
Prasadi, who was among those who converged on the Hyatt Regency on Burrard Street at around 6:30 a.m. to register for the competition, said her boss gave her a day off work and even a briefcase to practise with.
"We’re looking for great people, beautiful women with lots of personality, who will represent Vancouver really well on the national stage," said Mark Lysakowski, the show’s model-casting producer.
"It’s not just a woman holding a case, we want people that are smart, that know what they are doing, that enjoy the game and are happy for the contestants."
Only one woman was chosen from the two hundred hopefuls.
Several women were turned away because they did not meet the audition’s five-feet-seven-inch height requirement or were younger than 19.
The competition moves to Calgary tomorrow, followed by Winnipeg, Montreal and Toronto. In all, five women will be chosen to join 21 professional models.
Jennifer Ricci, 26, said a co-worker forced her to audition. "I’m very excited," Ricci said. "I love game shows."