Steven Sukkau, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Winnipeg Sun
For Brittany Jade, the moment it became real was instant.
“The second the lights came up and the music started,” she said. “You grow up seeing that set on TV, and suddenly you’re sitting in it with Howie Mandel right there in front of you.”
The Gimli-area creator recently found herself under the bright lights of The Price Is Right Tonight Canada, sharing the stage with host Howie Mandel in what she describes as one of the most surreal experiences of her life.
Walking onto the set felt like stepping inside a “giant, very shiny version” of her television. Everything, she said, was bigger, louder and more intense in person. The energy inside the studio reminded her of a Winnipeg Jets game, something you don’t just hear, but feel in your chest.
What surprised her most was how physical the experience was.
“You clap more than you ever have in your life,” she laughed. “By the end, your hands are completely worn out.” The volume inside the studio was far louder than it appears on TV, with cheering, music, lights and movement creating what she called “full sensory overload, in the best way.”
Behind the scenes, Jade got a glimpse of how much coordination goes into keeping the chaos on track. Because the studio can be so loud, crew members hold up large signs with contestants’ names so the audience knows who to cheer for when someone is called down. Participants are also told to pause at the bottom of the ramp and strike a quick “hero pose” before heading up, a small theatrical detail viewers at home never see.
Commercial breaks, she said, are anything but quiet. A crowd host keeps energy high with trivia, prizes and constant interaction, making the taping feel like one continuous live experience rather than a stop-and-start TV production.
Mandel, Jade said, was exactly what viewers would expect, quick-witted, kind and constantly engaging with the crowd. Their interaction carried an extra layer of fun after Mandel had previously shared one of her social media posts.
“I joked with him about whether we were best friends now and if he wanted to do karate in the garage,” she said, referencing the movie, Step Brothers. “Going from him sharing my content online to being in his studio in person was pretty wild.”
Just months earlier, Jade and her family represented their hometown on Family Feud Canada, turning a spur-of-the-moment Facebook application into a nationally televised moment of small-town pride.
That appearance saw the Isfeld family bring Gimli’s Icelandic roots to a national audience, complete with a whirlwind Toronto trip, studio taping and a community viewing party back home. For Jade, whose mother passed away 14 years ago, the experience was also deeply personal, a rare chance to create lasting memories with her mom’s side of the family.
Viewed together, the two experiences feel less like coincidence and more like momentum. Jade and her fiancé have already applied for The Amazing Race Canada, suggesting her run of Canadian TV adventures may not be over yet.
For a woman from a small Manitoba town, the journey from the shores of Lake Winnipeg to centre stage on national television still feels surreal.
“I’d do it all again in a heartbeat,” she said. “We laughed, we embarrassed ourselves, and we made memories we’ll never forget.”
Viewers can catch The Price Is Right Tonight Canada this spring. Brittany Jade shares more of her adventures on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube at @brittskibear, and on Facebook under Brittany Jade.
