“Come on Down: Joey Fatone!”

We here at CelebrityLifeNStyle.com were thrilled when we found out that we would be interviewing Joey Fatone—known by most as a member of the boy band phenomenon
‘N Sync— we couldn’t wait to hear what he had to say about his current gig- hosting the stage version of “The Price is Right-LIVE”- currently in Atlantic City till the end of April.

Having conquered the big screen, small screen & music world, Joey morphed into television personality when he hosted the NBC version of the hit karaoke game show, “The Singing Bee.” Fatone went on to prove himself as a host with his fun loving personality, having gone on to host “The Singing Office,” “Celebrity Circus” and his red carpet coverage for the TV Guide Channel.

When Fremantle (the company behind “The Price is Right”) was on the search for the next host of “The Price is Right-LIVE” in Vegas, Fatone seemed like a natural choice. Joey’s first reaction was: “What the heck. Might as well get my hosting chops back”. Those two weeks in Vegas turned out to be a success and he went on to host the “Let’s Make a Deal” stage version in Connecticut.

Now, Joey has packed his bags and landed himself in Atlantic City—where he is hosting a six-week run of “The Price is Right-LIVE” at Bally’s Casino Resort.
We were curious to see for ourselves how this celebrity was going to handle a live studio audience, and jumped at the opportunity to attend the very first weekend of the show.
Joey not only kept the show moving, but also managed to make the audience feel like they were at an actual television taping. All in all, an incredibly enjoyable Sunday afternoon.

On dealing with the contestants:

“You have to pull excitement out of them. This is the first time that most of these people have been on a stage, so some contestants are too shy, but you always have to be positive…it’s give and take…you have to ALWAYS be positive.”

On living in Atlantic City:

“It’s interesting, I wish the weather was warmer because I love walking on the boardwalk.”

Although recently spotted at AC hot spot mur.mur-where Fatone joined DJ Samantha Ronson for an impromptu performance of Janet Jackson’s “Dirty Pop”-Joey prefers to lay low in this adult playground- spending his daytime hours in activities such as racquetball.
When asked if he had a favorite casino game, he said “I play a little blackjack, but my wife told me not to gamble so I have to honor her wishes.”

On the challenges of being a live host:

As an audience member looking on, it seems that the role of hosting this massive production takes a ton of memorization skills.

Joey stated: “I don’t memorize word for word, but you have to explain the games and make sure you’re getting them across to the contestants.”

Joey is surely no stranger to hosting, but we wondered how hosting a live stage show is different.
“What’s nice is that with no cameras, you get away with a lot more. It’s got a live atmosphere, and if something messes up, it just happens and you go with it.” He also said it’s crazy how long the running time of the show actually is. From our standpoint in the audience, the show flew by and we couldn’t believe he was on stage for nearly two hours

We know from experience that a hosting career is not easy.

On the elements that make up a great host:

“Hosting is NOT an easy gig. To host you need personality, you NEED to have people skills, but also be able to have a great time and enjoy it.” He mentioned that improvising on your feet is also a necessity.

Now with every great host comes great contestants…

Most people don’t know this, but Joey’s television debut happened in the early 90’s when he was a contestant on the Nickelodeon game show “Nick Arcade.”
Joey laughed when we asked about this appearance and seemed shocked that we even knew about it. “It was around my last year of middle school, in Orlando, and ended up being the first TV thing I ever did”. The girl who played the game with Joey ended up getting laryngitis that day, which Joey mentioned may have been why they ended up losing, and not going to the Video Zone bonus round. Bummer.

On what’s next for Joey Fatone:

“Well I’ll be here in Atlantic City hosting Price till April 27th, and I’m also shooting a movie in Philadelphia right now called “Mancation,” so for about 2 and a half weeks I’ll be going back and forth.” Joey is also the announcer of “Family Feud,” which just got picked up for another season beginning this September, hosted by Steve Harvey. “Family Feud” tapes at Universal Studios in Orlando- Ironically, the same stage that “Nick Arcade” was taped on in the 90s. Full circle moment right there!

You can catch Joey yourself in Atlantic City hosting “The Price is Right- LIVE” from now until April 27th. Take your chance at winning thousands of dollars in cash and prizes with classic games we have grown to love such as Plinko, Cliff Hangers, and everyone’s favorite- The Big Wheel. “The Price Is Right – LIVE” Stage Show at Bally’s Atlantic City is presented Saturday through Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. and a 2 p.m. matinee showing on Sunday.
Tickets range from $20 to $25 and are available for purchase through Ticketmaster.
For more information visit: www.BallysAC.com

Credit: Adam Wurtzel | Car Car PR

[nggallery id=16]