Ok, many people have asked me to give every detail of my Rachael Ray filming experience, so here I go! Grab a cup of tea or something, this is likely to be long.
I got to JFK airport at around 10:00 pm Wednesday and while I was waiting at baggage claim D, a producer from the RR show called my cell to make sure I got to town ok. He then said that A who works for the show is a HUGE fan of me and my products and is SO bummed that she wouldn’t be in the studio the day I was there because she had a prior commitment. It is this woman A who told the show they needed to have me on. Apparently she’d been using my products for quite a while and tells anybody who will listen about them. So D asks me if I’d mind saying hi to her on the phone because she really wants to talk to me. :) So that was extremely flattering and it was really great talking with her. She was super nice and was SO bummed she wasn’t going to be there to meet me the next day. So that was a great welcome to NY. :)
So my dad was waiting for me, along with the driver that the show sent, and we went to the hotel – the Le Parker Meridian right in the middle of Manhattan. Dad and I walked around and saw where Letterman is filmed and Dad had a grand ‘ol time singing “On Broadway…” while we were walking down Broadway. I’m sure he’s the first to ever do that,eh? :)
So that was fun, we were both just so excited for the next day. I couldn’t sleep until 2:30, and then woke up wide awake at 5:00 am! (Ok, I usually need 9 hours a night, so this is crazy!) But I wasn't tired all day. (am now though!)
The show was very particular about what they wanted us to wear. They said no black, no white, no logos nothing sleeveless and no crazy patterns and try to wear a bright color on top. So at 10:00 I went to Ann Taylor and got a really pretty cashmere sweater in a pretty sea foam green. (the shopping in my town isn't so great, so I found my way to Madison Ave.)
So I got ready, did my hair and the car picked us up to take us to the show around 12:30. Once at the show I met D and M, the two producers I’d been talking with and they are both SO nice. Everyone I met at that show was SO nice and friendly. D said, “You totally made A’s night last night by talking to her on the phone like that. She’s your biggest fan!” So that was cool!
M took me down to the set to run through what I would be doing, where to stand, etc. They got a curly headed woman and a straight haired woman, and the idea was I’d give various tips, some curly and some straight. She made a point of saying to be quick, concise yet thorough. Um, ok. :) But I understood what she meant and hoped I could stay within the 4 minutes allotted to the segment. That was the only part I was nervous about, since she also wanted me to be casual and chatty-like and I can’t really do that quickly. ;)
So Dad and the hair models and I hung out for a while, then it was time for makeup. I don’t think I’ve ever had my makeup professionally done, so that was fun. She and the other makeup guy/hair stylist were both SO friendly. My makeup lady said, “I would love to see how you do your hair! It's beautiful”, so I told her, "You can! Just check out the videos on my website!" Then she and the other hair stylist asked for samples, which of course I had. So that was cool.
So then the show started and the hair models and I watched from the green room. When it was time for us to do our segment, D and some other people walked us down to backstage, where the makeup lady gave us all a quick touch up.
So then we went on set and took our places. The audience was all there waiting while they adjusted the set, etc. My dad had a great seat right in the middle, so I could easily see him. That was cool.
I didn’t meet Rachael until the right when the filming began. So then Rachael starts her intro about me, saying basically, “Jessica sent in a tape with a great hair mask tip, and we asked her to come on the show.” Then she grabbed a handful of my hair and said, “LOOK at how gorgeous her hair is! Her specialty is curly hair and she started a business called Jessicurl making products for curly hair. So Jess, what curly hair tips do you have for us today?”
Earlier in the week they asked me to list ALL the tips I could think of and they picked which ones we’d use. So I started with stylig products should be applied to soaking wet hair to help reduce frizz. We had pre-wet the curly models hair backstage so I then scrunched in some Confident Coils Styling Solution. Then, and this was so cool … Rachael picked up the bottle and aimed it at the camera and said, “This is Jessicurl’s product’ or something like that, then she reads the label and goes, “You Have the Right to Remain Curly – how cute is that?!?! How’s that for a plug?” So that was just awesome.
So then I gave the tip about not using terrycloth, but microfiber instead, since terrycloth causes frizz. I scrunched the models hair with the microfiber towel to demonstrate that. Rachael asked me where one would get one, and I said on my website. Then I had the model demonstrate “plunking” while I explained it, a technique where you lower your curls down onto a towel and tie it behind your head. It keeps the curls held in “scrunch” formation and allows you to put on your makeup and get dressed without messing up your hair. It also speeds up drying time somewhat. (It’s so hard to explain – you can see a video of this on my site on this page – click on the “QuickTime” link under the one that says “Plunking”
http://jessicurl.com/Demo-Videos-p-6.htmlSo then we switched to straight hair. I told her that she can get beachy waves by using products with Epsom Salt, and also explained how you can just make a quick epsom salt spray yourself. Then I said you can get more volume if you rinse your hair upside down, since the water isn’t plastering your hair to your head, and that if you also blow dry upside down you could get even more volume.
Then Rachel said, “So Jess, do you have any tips that will work for EVERYONE?” And I said Sure! Lots of people sleep on cotton pillowcases, but satin is better because it lets the hair just glide over the pillow and not get snagged on the cotton. And Rachael was like, “I had NO idea, that is so cool!” My dad told me later that all throughout the segment the women behind him were like, “Oh, that IS a good idea, I’ve never heard of that one!” So that’s cool.
I have to say, doing the segment felt like an out of body experience for me. Like, I KNOW that was me doing it, but it sort of feels like it wasn’t too, or something. The whole day was just so surreal, and I guess that’s part of it. It's hard to explain.
So then we went back to the green room while they finished the show. M and D, the producers, both said we did great. M did say I went a little bit long, but they can do a little editing and it will be fine. She didn’t seem upset about that and said overall we did great. So that’s cool.
When the show ended my dad came back to the green room and said I did great and all that. I asked him what he thought could have been done differently to make it better and he said, actually, nothing. That’s probably somewhat biased though. :) He said “they asked you to do it a certain way and that’s exactly what you did, so rock on.”
So I gave some samples to the hair models who were VERY excited about that, and I gave them each a towel since I had brought several.
Then M and I talked for a minute. She asked if we had any “B Roll” footage of me doing any of the steps in the tips that they might use in the background or to interspurse or something. I said I could send her a DVD of all the videos on my website. So that’s cool. She said to call her Monday. So it wasn’t like, “Ok, thanks, it was fun, goodbye. Have a good life!”
So then my dad, my MIL, FIL and SIL all went to dinner around the corner. The In-laws live in Long Island so that’s was great. DH had to stay home.
So then the greatest thing happened. We were crossing the street after dinner and I hear, “OMG is that Jessicurl?? Hi, I’m A!” Yep, the very same A who was responsible for my BEING on the show basically! It was SO cool to meet her! I gave her a huge hug and said, “Thank you SO much!!” We chatted for a minute and I told her about how the show went and she again said how much she loves my products and tells anyone she can. It was awesome.
So, that’s it. Tomorrow at 1:00 a car will come to take me to the airport and I’ll go to Sebastopol for a friend’s wedding on Saturday.
So overall, the whole experience rocked, of course! My dad had such a blast too and the whole thing was way better having him with me. We always have fun, but this was just a whole new level.
They don’t know the air dates for either of the episodes, but say it’s usually a few weeks later and they will give me plenty of notice.
So. Maybe I’ll finally get some sleep tonight!
