How to Apply for Game Shows: My Tipping Point Experience

I’ve been sitting on a secret for the past year! The week we went into the first national lockdown I also filmed one of the very last Tipping Point episodes before production was temporarily halted. It was a very surreal Tipping Point experience but one I thoroughly enjoyed. It has given me a thirst for being on another TV game show and I thought I’d share my experience of being on a TV quiz show and how to apply for game shows in the UK.

Have you considered going on a UK gameshow or quiz show?

There are a number of game shows on TV that are frequently recruiting for contestants because they are on so frequently. Gameshows are great fun to be on and in this post, I am sharing my experience of being on Tipping Point last year. It would be a great thing to add to a lifetime bucket list or things to do in a big birthday year!

I have always loved playing on the 2p machines on holiday and therefore thought going on Tipping Point would be great fun. I saw that Tipping Point was looking for individuals to apply to be on the next series and I completed the online application form. My top tip here is to take your time, answer each question with as much detail as you can and give examples. The advantage with applying for Tipping Point is that it is on daily and needs four contestants 5 days a week, which means your chances of being picked are high.

I have always wanted to be on a game show and thought it would be a great experience to apply to be on Tipping Point.

How to apply for game shows

There are three stages to be selcted for Tipping Point nd I know that it is a similar process for most including The Chase.

1. The online application form
2. A telephone interview
3. The group selection

Online application for my Tipping Point experience

Take your time filling the application in, include details that will help you stand out. Add details to your examples and consider the types of people you have seen on the show previously. Once I had completed the online application form I was contacted by a researcher within a few days which was a great surprise. Over the phone she asked me a few more questions about myself – this is to see how chatty you are, so be engaging and bubbly. The researcher then asked me 10 general knowledge questions which I had to answer. These were nice and easy and I’m pretty sure I got at least 8 out of 10 correct.

Attending the group selection

I was then invited to a further screening process taking place at a hotel in Bristol. Again this all happened quickly and just over a week later I found myself driving down the motorway to Bristol.

This stage of applying for Tipping Point is held in a hotel conference room and there were about 30 of us invited to this stage. Once there were we introduced to some researchers who explained the format of the afternoon. We had been asked to take photographic ID with us which they took a copy of. I had forgotten mine but it wasn’t actually a problem!

We were then taken into a large room where we all sat around a conference table. Next, we were then given a general knowledge test of about 50 questions which we had 20 minutes to complete in silence. These were a mixture of the type of questions that would come up on the game show. I answered them and felt like I had done quite well but these are not marked or given back to you so I will never really know!

Next each applicant had to stand at the front of the room and talk for five minutes on any topic of their choice. This was filmed and we were encouraged to talk to the camera and be engaging. I spoke about me and blogging as it’s a subject I know that I could talk about for ages on and it is interesting to others who always want to know about blogging! I also thought talking about it would stand me out as it gave me a chance to say that I had been on TV before and done a fair bit of media stuff. Some people talked about their hobbies, others jobs and a couple tried to stand out by reading a poem or retelling funny experiences. I honestly don’t think it matters what you say it is all about being confident, engaging and smiling lots and lots.

Once I had done my talk we all listened to each other and gave encouragement with positive body language, clapping etc. This helped the researchers understand and see what each person would be like on TV if they had a Tipping Point experience. Once everyone had done their talk we were then told what happens next.

Standby contestants

We were asked if we were prepared to be a standby contestant. This means that you are the reserve player. You attend in person for a day of filming and if anyone couldn’t take part you are the stand-in. They explained that they then look favourably on you and will try to give you a slot towards the end of the series. I agreed to be a standby as I thought it could increase my chances of being picked to go on Tipping Point.

I got selected for Tipping Point

Just a week or so later I answered a phone call from the Tipping Point team who asked if I could be a stand by in a few weeks and I said yes. I was initially a little disappointed as thought that meant I hadn’t been successful enough to be a ‘real’ contestant. However, I thought at least I would be in their good books! Then just two days later I was called again and asked to go the following Tuesday, to the filming in a Bristol location. You are reminded not to tell anyone about going on the show and are informed that even afterwards you cannot talk about your experience and especially the outcome until the show has been aired.

At this stage rumours of lockdowns and people not working was happening and everything was very up in the air and we were not sure what interaction with others we should be having. The day before I had a final phone call and I was asked to be on location at 7am and told what clothes to bring with me. I checked that I was still on standby to be told no I had been bumped to a contestant. This was good as I didn’t have time to get nervous but I also had no time to prepare! The whole applying for a game show had taken less than a month at this point!

My Tipping Point experience

Once at the studios we were welcomed into a holding room and given some light refreshments and I met the three other contestants and the standby. We just sat and waited in a green room before being called through to get hair checked. The make up and hair teams had already been sent home and there were very few staff about – it was very strange as we had no one to do our make up and hair because we were trying to socially distance and not really feeling totally comfortable. So we just had one make up person look us over and tidy us a little bit but this was not like the usual hair and make up I have had when doing other TV or photo shoots.

We got dressed and were taken down to the studio and to meet Ben. We unfortunately couldn’t shake hands or have many photos as everyone was a little apprenhensive about how close we should be getting to each other and so on.

We then took our places on the stage, where we had been told exactly how to introduce ourselves. This follows the exact same format and then it was straight into our game. It all happens very fast and there is no practising. You literally run the game through exactly how it appears on our TV screens. We are not stopped at all and what we say is totally unscripted which means that aswell as playing the game you have to be mindful of what you are saying and nothing gets a reshoot! I didn’t expect this and thought there would be stops and starts.

I can’t tell you how I did – you’ll have to watch the show for that!

Once the episode had finished being recorded we were able to have one photo with Ben and we were then ushered out as they prepared to film the next session. We were given our travel expenses as we left, mine was just the cost of driving there and back but those from further away had come on the train and two had stayed overnight which was all covered. Being on the game show shouldn’t cost you anything at this point.

My experience was probably a little different to filming in more normal times. As I drove home I had decided to pull Erin out of school which I did from that day and the following day the national lockdown was announced with schools closing on the Friday of that week. Since then I have sat on my secret of applying to be on a game show as you cannot tell anyone about the show until it has aired. We were told it would be about a year as they film a year in advance.

My tips on how to apply for a gameshow

I had the best time on the day despite filming just as we went into lockdown. I would encourage anyone to have a go and apply to be on Tipping Point. We were treated relly well and it is great fun to see and be part of.

Be really chatty and smile lots during the application process, as the researchers are looking for entertaining people who are engaging. I would definately now apply to be on other game shows and now that my episode has been aired I can apply for more.

If you have any questions on how to apply for game shows do leave them below and I will try to answer them the best I can.

Sharing is caring!