How Ellen DeGeneres Helped Publish My Children’s Book
From Game Show Champion to Self-Published Author: My Unconventional Path to Writing a Children’s Book.
Do you remember the board game Life?
It’s a game where a player suddenly wins a bunch of money in some random, unrealistic way. Then, as the spinner spins perfectly in your favor, everyone around the board would begrudgingly yell, “Are you kidding me?” So you laugh and move up a couple of spaces while collecting your winnings, taking joy in the fantasy because there’s no way this could ever happen in real life, right? Well, let me tell you about when my wife and I won Ellen’s Game of Games.
I had always been a fan of the show. Early in its run, it typically aired before NBC’s This Is Us, another favorite of ours. Allie and I always got a good laugh out of the show. Ellen’s Game of Games, that is, not This Is Us. This Is Us made us cry on a regular basis.
The games were insanely big and outlandish, and when it came down to hot hands, the final event where the contestant could win some money, I’d yell my answers at the tv, feeling like I was in the game, too. Most of the time, I’d do pretty well. I mean, I wasn’t on national tv nor in the hot seat in front of Ellen and millions of eyes. Still, I’ve got some useless pop knowledge rolling around my head, so from the comfort of my couch, I felt like if I had ever gotten into that hot seat, I’d do pretty well. Doesn’t everyone?
In June 2020, I received a message on Instagram that said, “Hey, would you ever consider being on Ellen’s Game of Games?” The message was sent to my message requests folder on Instagram, a section I hardly ever check.
When I saw it, I thought, “Hmm… that’s random.” I checked out the sender’s profile, and she seemed legit. Lots of info about game shows and a few photos of her personal life sprinkled in. I was skeptical, but I was pretty sure she wasn’t a robot. I replied, “Is this for real?” She responded, “Yes! Would you want to hop on the phone to talk about it?”
The following week while out for a walk with my dogs, the casting director called, and for 30 minutes, we chatted about my life, the show, and what they’re looking for in contestants. At the end of the call, she said she’d love for me to apply and interview with one of her colleagues to see if I’d be a good fit. I then asked if my wife could interview as well. “Is she fun?” she replied. “Yeah, she’s probably more outgoing than me.” So with that, Allie and I were set up for another interview.
Two days later and over a two-hour Zoom call, Allie and I shared stories with this casting director about how we met, what we liked, who was more competitive between us, etc. My understanding is that from our Zoom call, that director would create a highlight reel of us to share with the NBC network, building a case for why we would be great on the show. Because of this, they would coach us as we answered questions by providing hand signals, encouraging us to give more energy or wrap it up, depending on our answers.
At the end of our call, we had to play Ellen’s Heads Up game and answer questions as enthusiastically as possible. It was so much fun but super exhausting. At one point, I had to mimic riding a horse, and I accidentally knocked Allie and myself to the ground as I jumped on her back. She never saw it coming. We wrapped up the interview, and he said they’d be in touch!
Maybe a week later, Ellen was in the news. There were rumors of potential workplace issues on the set of her shows, and in the midst of it all, a few executives from her team stepped down from their roles.
As we watched the news, Allie and I sat at home reading rumors claiming her shows were being canceled. But in August 2020, we got a phone call from a member of Ellen’s team saying, ‘Congratulations! You’ve been selected to play Ellen’s Game of Games!’
At the end of August, Allie and I flew from Sacramento to Los Angeles to participate in the show (Thank God for Nana, who graciously watched our girls!).
Since this was during the early-ish stages of covid, we were asked to fly in three days early to covid test each day. In short, to participate in the show, we needed to have three negative tests in a row before we could go on set.
Since there was a possibility that some of us could test positive, they flew down extra contestants as backups, meaning there was a real chance that we could fly down to LA and not even make it on the show.
To keep movement contained, they put up all of the contestants in a beautiful hotel in Studio City, where we had a food allowance and an outdoor pool to visit every day. So even if we didn’t make it on the show, we figured we could get a sweet vacation out of the experience! After three consecutive days of poolside food and drinks and a couple of negative tests, we were good to go!
All the contestants that day met in a large ballroom in our hotel. We received instructions on what the day would look like, what games we could play, etc. Group by group, we took a bus to the Warner Brothers studio lot, where we’d get into our trailers and await further instructions. The wardrobe department eventually brought our outfits for us to try, and before we knew it, we got the knock on the door to say, “You’re up!”
We were taken to a bigger trailer next to the studio along with the couple we played against (Shout out to Tom & Terry!). That’s where we’d receive further instructions, including informing us which game we would play. Once we knew, Allie and I had about 15 minutes to strategize how we would play the game, and as we scrambled to strategize, the final knock came. It was game time!
We got to the set, and it was a wild experience. First, because of covid protocols, everyone except for the contestants, Ellen and tWitch, were in full PPE gear. It looked like we were talking through the Stranger Things lab with all staff members in white gowns from head to toe.
Second, there was no studio audience. We were in this enormous studio fit for hundreds of audience members, and not a single seat was filled. Before we knew it, we were taken to our marks and out walks Ellen DeGeneres. Ellen gave us a smile and a wave, and then within a minute of her hitting her mark, we started filming.
We played a game called Danger Word, where one contestant is given two words, one winning word that you need to get your partner to say to win and one danger word that you need to have your partner avoid saying, or else you lose. Check it out, the game is hilarious.
I was given the clues to relay to Allie, and I only had one word to nudge her toward the winning word. It’s one of those games that seems easy but was honestly pretty tricky. Not to mention, if Allie said the danger word, she’d get blasted with slime and colorful powder (which was amazing to witness, lol).
The couple we played against was a blast, and our game came down to the wire. Thankfully, in large part because of a giant inside joke that allowed us to win a round, Allie and I came out on top! This meant we were moving on to round two, plus another guaranteed three days of vacation!
Two days later, I was back. This time by myself, as covid protocols prevented anybody other than the contestants and crew from entering the set. All along, Allie and I said if we won the first game, I’d go on to the next round due to my random knowledge of unimportant pop culture events. We were repeatedly told to have fun and enjoy the experience because only 20 people out of the 300 or so who participated would win any money. My hopes were low, which kept the experience fun.
Finally, after another negative covid test, I was in my tiny trailer, waiting to be retaken to the set for Know Or Go, a game where Ellen asks contestants the most random questions like, “What is Childish Gambino’s real name?” By the way, this was an actual question I received, which, thankfully, I knew because of this Jimmy Fallon Show segment that I happened to watch live. See? Random!
Three other contestants and I were brought back to the studio trailer and instructed on what would happen next. After a few minutes, we were brought to the studio, lined up on the stairs, and walked out onto the Know Or Go stage with Ellen and tWitch about 30 feet below us.
I felt decently confident in my ability to answer questions, but in no way did I expect to win. My only goal was not to embarrass myself. Again, the questions were random. You can’t prepare for them. You’re 30 feet above the ground. I still hadn’t seen what we were dropping into (though we were assured the drop was safe).
After three rounds of questions, some of which I didn’t know, I somehow received three questions I knew the answers to, and I ended up being the last person standing! I honestly thought there was a mistake because there is no way in a real-life scenario that I’m moving on to the final round of this game. This is a joke, right?
Sure enough, Ellen tells me I’m moving on to Hotter Hands to compete for a chance at $100,000! Before I knew it, I was dropped into what ended up being a colossal foam pit (pretty fun!), and the other three contestants were all there, cheering me on.
Everything was a blur, but if there’s one thing I remember about that moment, it was the other contestants' kindness and genuine excitement for me that made my experience significantly more memorable.
A few hours later, I got a knock on my trailer door. It was time for Hotter Hands, the final round! Eight other contestants and I, who would all participate in Hotter Hands for other episodes during the season, were brought to the studio trailer. We were again given the rules and prepared for our turn in the hot seat.
One by one, we were called to film our segment. I was the second to last to leave the trailer. When I walked into the studio, I was taken to my mark, where Ellen was already waiting. Ellen smiled and said, “Good luck!” to which I thought, “How is this real?”
Filming began, and eventually, Ellen asked me what I’d do if I won $100,000. I told her I planned on writing an ice cream book for children if I won. A few seconds later, I was in the hot seat, lifted high into the air with flames firing behind me. It was intense.
I had 60 seconds to answer questions; if I correctly answered seven in a row, I’d win $100,000. The clock started, and the next 60 seconds simultaneously felt like a lifetime and a 100-meter dash.
I got questions about everything, some of which I knew, others that were complete guesses. Thankfully, after missing my fourth question, I ended by answering six straight questions correctly (one of which came in the last millisecond). As the buzzard sounded, I looked up to see a giant sign showing up in front of me saying $75,000!
Shocked, I’m lowered to the ground, processing how an Instagram message led to Ellen standing before me, hugging and congratulating me on my game show victory!
As the crew came out to quickly transition to the final taping, Ellen asked what I do with ice cream. I explained that my girls and I teach people how to make ice cream through tutorial videos, a concept that seemed amusing to her.
She graciously congratulated me, apologizing for stumbling on the last question. I thanked her for the life-changing opportunity, and then we both went our ways; Ellen to her dressing room, me to tell my wife that we’re adding guacamole to our next Chipotle order.
Allie and I celebrated that night in one of the most surreal moments we’ll ever have. We immediately purchased a Peloton Bike, Allie’s one request if we came home with any money. The following summer, we took a family vacation to Mexico. I was able to self-publish my first Children’s Book, Is This Your Favorite Ice Cream? We paid for a few unexpected surgeries for our dog, Pacer, and we now have one of the most unique icebreakers for two truths and a lie.
The most common question about our experience is, “How was Ellen?” Truly, Ellen was super cool, and so was her staff. Admittedly our interactions were brief as her team was on a tight schedule between filming twenty episodes in two weeks, but when it comes to how Ellen treated me, she treated me great.
I also met tWitch that week, who simply oozed “cool” when he walked into the room. As heartbroken as I’ll always be over his passing, I’m forever grateful that one of the most impactful moments of my life included his touch.
Life can be wild. Difficult to explain and unbelievably random. Becoming a children’s book author has been on my bucket list since I found out I was becoming a dad, but never in my wildest dreams did I think Ellen DeGeneres would help make that dream come true.
Sadly, sometime in 2021, the entire season of Ellen’s Game of Games was taken down from all platforms. We recorded our episode on our YouTubeTV account, but it eventually disappeared. I’ve searched the internet for our episode, coming across a few Getty Images of my appearance but nothing more.
It would be nice to share it again with our girls someday, who were ages four and one when it first aired. But the memories from our experience that week will last a lifetime, alongside the book made possible because of Ellen’s Game of Games.
