tv work is NOT glamourous

We went to our favorite park after our mother's day brunch today, and arrived to this:

While my husband and the Bean dug in the sand pit, my mom and I took the Boo over to check it out.

There was the host, his cooking team and a small army of people in blue t-shirts marked "CREW", grilling up french toast with blueberries for a small crowd. Apparently they were in the process of taping one of four episodes.

Here's my blow-by-blow account of the time I spent as an audience member.

The person I assume to be the production coordinator (or audience wrangler, take your pick) came over and gave everyone the run down on the shot schedule. Grill closeup, then crowd shot. She instructed us to "keep smiling really wide like you are totally faking it" because apparently just standing around with no expression makes you look angry on camera. After about a minute, my face began to ache and it really did become a fake smile.

They had to redo the grill shot because the piece of toast wasn't sitting properly on the grill. While one team member came over to expertly remove the piece of toast so it wouldn't stick to the grill or fall apart, a blue-shirted crew member scrubbed down the grill until it was spotless again to ensure continuity.

At that point I wimped out and had to leave the set, because the production lights and the sun were shining so strongly I was getting a headache. We weren't allowed to wear sunglasses (I guess squinting on camera is okay).

I may go back to see another episode, I may not. In my younger days, pre-kids, I definitely would have toughed it out, but now, I get so much more out of blowing bubbles or playing road hockey. And yes, even writing this blog.

But it's kind of fun to know that if we had cable, we could turn on the TV one day and see our little park serve as a backdrop for a food show on a national network.