It is possible to win a game show while not wearing any pants and sitting in a kitchen or living room anywhere in the United States.
“Let’s Ask America,” which has a new season launching Monday, features contestants who play via webcam.
“The great thing about ‘LAA’ is that it’s an interactive game show for the modern age,” said Cater Lee, senior director of program development for Scripps Media.
“We’ve had a nurse playing from a hospital ER, and a firefighter playing from the firehouse,” Lee said.
Contestants don’t have to travel to the Burbank, Calif. studio for auditions - sign-ups occur on the show’s website. Selected participants are contacted by producers, who vet their personalities. Lee said there are three more layers of auditions after selections are made.
“You have to have a big personality and great story to tell,” she said. “We’re not just interested in people who want to win money.”
The software application Skype serves as the video medium for the show.
There’s big money involved for LAA contestants. Lee said they have the opportunity to win up to $35,000.
“You don’t have to be a genius to play,” she said. “Our questions are based on polling of Americans.”
This season features a new host - actor and comedian Bill Bellamy, who was once a VJ on the MTV network and a host of “Last Comic Standing.” He currently headlines “The Standing Ovation Tour,” which is touring throughout the country.
“It’s a huge get for us,” Lee said of Bellamy.
What makes “Let’s Ask America” different from other game shows?
“There’s no other game show that has ever been done where the contestants are all playing from their own home,” Lee said.
“Let’s Ask America” airs on 13 television stations owned by The E.W. Scripps Company. It also airs on the Game Show Network, and episodes featuring Bellamy will begin to air there in January.
