A little background: my husband and I both watched Boy Meets World when it first ran on TGIF (not together, as we did not know each other). It has always been one of my favorite shows, with me going as far as writing the company that published the first three seasons on DVD, and begged them to publish more (for those of you who do not know, there was a long break before 4-7 were released). I also signed several petitions on the matter. My husband and I used to stay up until 12:30 a.m. regularly to watch the one episode that aired each day on the Disney channel. We were thrilled when they all came out on DVD!
Anyway, it was relatively easy to obtain the FREE tickets. Here's how:
1. Go to www.tvtickets.com
2. Click on "30 Day Schedule"
3. Scroll to the bottom and you will see "Future Dates" (there may be an easier way to do this, but that is how I did it)
4. There, you will see the taping dates listed for "Girl Meets World"
5. Exactly 30 days before the taping, around 8:00 a.m. PST, log into www.tvtickets.com
5. Click on "30 Day Schedule"
6. Click on "Click Here to Order Tickets"
7. Then, you will be able to order the tickets one at a time. They require you have one ticket per person with that person's name written on the ticket.
That's it! I will note that several TV shows are released on the same day. For me, The Big Bang Theory was also released that day, which caused the site to be verrrry slow. I refreshed for two hours before I got through for my ticket. It took another 30 minutes for me to get my husband's ticket, but it was worth it! Also, I logged in about 2:00 p.m. PST, and there were still tickets for "Girl Meets World" and the site was working much better. I just wouldn't rely on them being there so long after the release all the time.
The ticket gives directions on where to go on the day of the taping. It says to arrive no later than one hour before taping. I recommend at least an hour and a half. That is when we arrived, and my husband and I were in the fourth row on the right hand side. If we would have been a little earlier, we would have been placed in the middle. This would have been better. The set is in this order when looking at the stage left to right: Riley's room, Cory and Topanga's living room, the school room, and the hallway of John Adams Middle School. There may have been another set on the other side of Riley's room, but we were not able to see it at all. We were also not able to see the filming in Riley's room, but it was shown on the monitors.
Not long after we were seated, the comic who entertained us came out. He said he wanted an excited crowd and would be giving away prizes. My husband and I thought they would be "Girl Meets World" prizes, so at first we were dancing and such to try and get them. Then, we found out they were Lakers shirts and random DVDs. We decided to not try so the children could have them - the comic seemed to give them mostly to children anyway. The crowd was mostly people with their preteen daughters - maybe a few other "Boy Meets World" fans such as ourselves. The minimum age to get in is only 10, much lower than most other shows.
Then, they showed the pilot. It was obvious to me from looking at the set that a lot had changed. One thing that stuck out to me was a large, silver "M" (I am guessing for "Matthews") that was in their kitchen. It has been removed from the set. I wonder if they will retape the pilot, as much of the furniture, etc. looked different. There is a little Feeny cameo of sorts, but I won't ruin the surprise for you! My husband didn't see it, so I guess you have to watch a little closely.
Shortly after, they brought out the cast to everyone. Some of us old fans went crazy when Cory and Topanga came out! Then, to our surprise and the casts', Minkus was introduced! I loved him in the first few seasons (and a guest role in a later show - perhaps my favorite Minkus moment) and he looked so similar - minus the glasses! He shook hands and hugged the staff, giving special note to Farkle, the character loosely based on him.
Not long after, the taping finally began. It was so interesting to me to see some of the little changes they made. In the first scene, Farkle had his hand resting on his chin and his elbow on the desk. Then, it was taped with his arm down on the desk. It really did make a difference, something I never would have noticed or thought of changing. I loved the scene with Topanga and Auggie - she was very sweet to him on and off the stage. He did one scene several times, trying to read a line out of a book. He was saying it a little fast, and off camera Topanga was so kind in coaching him to do it correctly. Even off camera, she seemed like his mom. That really bonded me to the two of them.
I honestly was not as interested in the scenes that involved Riley, Maya, and Farkle, but then again, I am not their target audience. They seemed like sweet kids and the "lesson" story line is similar to "Boy Meets World", which made me happy.
Sometime during the taping, we did get a banana and a small water. That was a welcome break. They also let my husband and I eat a granola bar we had brought. We were there for about five hours, from the time we got in line until the time we left.
Also during one of the breaks, Ben took questions from the audience. Most were from children, and some were things like, "how did you become famous". For those "Boy Meets World" aficionados, Ben's brother, Fred, was the star of another similar show for children of the late 80's and early 90's - "The Wonder Years". I am only guessing this led to Ben being used for "Boy Meets World". How Fred was discovered, I do not know. Ben did not go into any of this though, and basically just talked about it being luck and hard work. Someone asked him to do the secret handshake from "Boy Meets World" but he just joked that he didn't have his other half, so he couldn't do it. That was a cute moment.
Once the taping ended, I really wanted Ben or Danielle's autograph (hey, I waited 20 years for this!). Most people left right away, and some of the children, especially in the front, stayed. Ben was one of the only ones we saw who signed autographs. I think a few of the children got Farkle's, but I wasn't interested in his and wanted the children to have the chance. My husband is pretty tall, so he was able to reach out and get an autograph for me from Ben. Ben signed his after he signed several of the children's books. Ben took one look at him, smiled, and said, "You must be a Boy Meets World fan!" It was a really funny moment, and something special I will always remember. Thank you Ben, for signing my husband's paper. It meant a lot to me.
Overall, it was a great experience I would highly recommend. Honestly, I would recommend going to any taping, even if you do not know the plot of the show, just for the experience. And, "Boy Meets World" fans, don't worry, I think this show may live up to the legacy.
Here's proof, a photo of my ticket and Ben's signature:
