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Would-Be Stars Willing To Pay 'Price' Of Fame

Tribune photo by CLIFF McBRIDE

Germaine Gibbs shows off a product while auditioning for "The Price Is Right" on Wednesday at The Landy Center for Plastic Surgery.

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By WALT BELCHER

The Tampa Tribune

Published: August 14, 2008

TAMPA - Germaine Gibbs put her best smile forward, held up a tray of makeup and posed for the camera.

On Wednesday, the thin, graceful 33-year-old South Tampa spa owner proved she could walk forward, backward and display wide-eyed excitement while pretending to point at prizes like the ones up for bid on "The Price Is Right."

"Think of that wall as a Winnebago in the final showcase," instructed Lorraine Apperson, a producer from WTSP, Channel 10, who supervised taping more than 60 women trying out for a weeklong stint on television's longest running game show.

"I've been watching this show since I was 6 years old, and it would be a thrill to be on it," said Gibbs, a native of the Caribbean island of Curacao who earned an MBA at the University of South Florida.

Being a "Price" model also is the dream of Sarah Ravotta, 22, of Sarasota, a stay-at-home mom who runs an organic gift-basket business.

With an 11-month-old in the house, Ravotta said she hasn't had time to see the current version of the show with comic Drew Carey as host, but she remembers longtime host Bob Barker and his models, known as "Barker's Beauties."

"They were like icons," she said. "They could sell a can of soup with their smiles."

"Carey's Cuties," a term Carey dislikes, is the unofficial name fans have bestowed on the new models on the show.

A steady stream of wannabe "Cuties" came through the Landy Center for Plastic Surgery, 2835 W. DeLeon St., which was turned into a mini-studio for the auditions.

"I'm not getting much work done today because of all this, but it's been exciting," said Jennifer Landy, who opened the clinic in April. She signed up to sponsor the auditions for the exposure.

More than a dozen CBS affiliates, including WTSP, are holding auditions as a promotion for "The Price is Right." In other cities, auditions have been held at furniture stores, malls and restaurants.

Debbie Peterson, marketing director for Landy, says some people have laughed about the auditions being held at a cosmetic surgery center.

"These women don't need any cosmetic work, but maybe in 10 years they'll be back," she says.

WTSP producer Apperson said applicants have ranged in age from 18 to nearly 50. "One woman said she wants to prove baby boomers still have it," she said.

Auditioners included professional models, secretaries, doctor's assistants, college students and bartenders.

Christina Sztanko, a 30-year-old Realtor from Palm Harbor, joked that the way the real estate market is going, she might as well give it a shot. "But I have done some modeling, and it would be nice to get away for a change of pace," she said.

The brief audition tapes will be reviewed by "Price" producers, who will pick one woman from the Tampa audition for a trip to Los Angeles to try out again. Five finalists from throughout the country will appear on the show, and viewers will pick one to be a guest model for a week.

"I would love to be on the show, but just a trip to Los Angeles would be fun," said Tiffany Ross, 21, a Clearwater bar manager who tried out. "I think I did all right. I've been watching this show all my life."

Nicole Salce, 18, an aspiring actress, model and former Miss Wesley Chapel, said the audition was really easy. "I know I can do this. I just hope I get the chance."

"I just wanted to see what it would be like to try out because I wanted to do something out of the ordinary," said Jacquelyn Facey, a Hillsborough County sheriff's deputy who said she is in her 40s.

"I know some of the original models on the show also were in their 40s and so I thought I could have a chance," she said, referring to former "Price" model Janice Pennington, who was 58 years old when she left the show in 2000.

Reporter Walt Belcher can be reached at (813) 259-7654 or wbelcher@tampatrib.com.

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