He was going to get on a television game show one way or another, and when he eventually made an appearance, Ben Magrdichian pulled it off in his typically memorable fashion. To the extent that a simple YouTube query will instantly produce footage of the 2008 San Marino High School graduate in a humorous exchange that is now simply known in cyberspace as ‘Beard Envy.’
It all started with the simple impulse to “get on a game show,” according to Magrdichian, who works in the entertainment industry, and said that he felt he “could make more money as a contestant on a game show than working on a game show.”
Magrdichian checked the filming schedules and took chance on ‘Let’s Make A Deal,’ which tapes at Sunset Bronson Studios in Hollywood.
“I figured I had a better chance on that than “The Price Is Right,” he quipped.
So last summer—the show tapes its episodes in June and July—Magrdichian and San Marino buddies Paul Cervenka and Spencer Snider piled into the studio audience, hoping for some air time. Production assistants confiscated their cell phones (a standard practice) and the trio went about the business of trying to get noticed.
“They watch how you interact with other people, and how energetic you are,” said Magrdichian, who certainly qualifies in those two categories and was was quickly summoned to the stage by host Wayne Brady.
“It felt really good,” Ben said. “Wayne was super nice.”
Wayne was super nice and also super interested in Ben’s abundant beard, a feature he has sported since his high school days.
“He truly loved my beard,” said Ben of Brady. “He and some members of the crew paused for a second to compliment me and other people on the production crew besides Brady touched my beard to see if it was real. Honestly, I was a little embarrassed, just because I didn’t see it coming.”
Brady spontaneously performed a song about Ben’s facial hair, calling it “beard perfection,” and then rubbed cheeks with his guest, which elicited a roar of laughter from the studio audience.
If that wasn’t unique enough, Magrdichian won three scooters, valued at $1,000 each.
“I had no idea I would win,” said Ben. “That just sort of came out of nowhere.”
The episode aired on Tuesday, January 21 and Magrdichian watched the show with his grandmother. Perhaps Brady’s affection had a secondary effect.
“That was the only time my grandmother has ever told me she liked my beard,” Ben said, laughing. “She usually tells me to shave it off.”
While at San Marino High School, Magrdichian was the face of now-defunct Cable Television Channel 19. He moved on to UCLA, graduating with a degree in Film and Television Production. A self-described “hustler,” Ben freelances in both mediums and also makes videos of private events, when he is not tending to his now-famous chin whiskers. Aside from his prizes, Ben might have made a new friend in the process.
“Wayne Brady also called the production office when I was leaving the studio to compliment me again and ask what I actually use in my beard to give it that sleek shine,” Ben said. “The team at ‘Let’s Make A Deal’ is a very welcoming, loving group of people.”
The network? Not so much.
Ben’s episode was interrupted twice by impeachment coverage.
But you can see the highlights by searching YouTube for “Let’s Make A Deal – Beard Envy.”
