A 'Deal' of a day in Vegas

Stasia Wiggin and her friend Julie Macalister were "bummed" that they were assigned seats apart from each other when they attended a taping of the television game show "Let's Make A Deal" at the Tropicana Hotel in Las Vegas this month.

Otherwise, the day couldn't have worked out better.

In an episode airing Friday on CBS (1 p.m. locally), Wiggin, a 1998 Flathead High School graduate now living in Bigfork, and Macalister, a 1998 Whitefish High School graduate residing in Las Vegas, are both seen onstage making deals for big prizes with host Wayne Brady.

"We said when we went to the Tropicana that we'd be stoked just to be in the audience, and it was really funny that we both got on the show," Wiggin, 29, said. "It's the most classic game show that ever lived."

Wiggin, who works as a loan officer at First Interstate Bank in Bigfork, said she had always enjoyed the program in syndication and was a longtime fan of Brady from his work on "Whose Line Is It Anyway?"

The original "Let's Make A Deal" was a television game show staple during the 1960s and '70s when it was hosted by Monty Hall from 1963-1977. While later versions aired in syndication and prime time, the game show is best remembered for the years hosted by Hall, who now is a creative consultant for the program.

Wiggin was unaware that a new version of the show existed, much less hosted by one of her favorite comedians. She was on her way back from a vacation in Egypt, and met up with Montana State University college roommate Macalister during a layover. They were driving on the Las Vegas strip, saw a sign advertising the taping, and decided to have a shot at it the next morning.

Every one of the audience members on "Let's Make A Deal" is a potential contestant, with one out of every 18 chosen to go onstage. Most dress up in crazy costumes to catch the producers' eyes.

Wiggin and Macalister raided Macalister's closet to create a "Xena: Warrior Princess" look for Wiggin, while Macalister went as a self-proclaimed "Jazzercise queen."

"We just have so much junk from college, so we always had costumes on hand," Wiggin said.

Those hoping to get into the studio audience for "Let's Make A Deal" line up at the Tropicana before each taping. Wiggin said each one of the roughly 200 audience members is assigned a number and is seated accordingly.

The next step is where Wiggin said she and Macalister must have gained an edge.

"Before they take you in the studio, they take you in a room 15 at a time, and they just talk to you, to see if you have a personality or if you're boring," she said. "This is where you can stand out if you want to be on the show.

"We have big personalities, and we made the producers laugh, which I think set us apart."

A few hours after the group interviews, the crowd was ushered into the studio and filming began.

Wiggin can't divulge the games she or Macalister played on stage (they were called up at different times) or the results, but she was impressed with Brady.

"He was very witty and super friendly, we just sat there and laughed at him," she said. "He really enjoys it, you can tell."

Wiggin said she sailed through the experience of being on television.

"I was so confident and just floored to be on the show," she said.

She urges anyone who's going to be in Las Vegas to give it a try, "if you have a good costume and personality," she said.

Free tickets for the show are available at http://www.cbs.com/daytime/lets_make_a_deal/ with details about tape dates also available. Information is also available at the Tropicana Ticket Office at 1-888-706-8767.

Reporter Heidi Gaiser may be reached at 758-4431 or by e-mail at hgaiser@dailyinterlake.com