“The Steve Wilkos Show,” as many know, is completely filled with family drama that many of us can or cannot relate to. Although, the cases may seem to be fictional, they are truly not. Upon entering the NBC Universal studio, I wondered if the studio would be small or big. But, it was actually medium sized with only a small stage.

As I sat in the studio waiting for the arrival of Steve Wilkos, I wondered if my own show would be similar to his. As a Mass Communications major, my future dream job is to have my own show with a Latin flair. Nevertheless, the production team at “The Steve Wilkos Show” was truly amazing in their line of work and in their personalities.

The tour guide welcomed us with open arms and the pre-host that hypes up the crowd is humble in several ways as well. Before the show starts, there is a young host who calls upon singers and dancers to compete against one another. In order to have the competitors compete with one another, the production team would play the latest songs to hype up the competitors and audience as much as possible.

Once the competition finishes, the stage manager Sonya cracks jokes on anyone from the audience – the victims, I personally call it. She is a joyful and fun character who pokes fun at the individual who least expects it and that, ladies and gentleman, is a scary thought.

As Sonya finishes embarrassing the victims in the audience, she instructs the audience to follow directions because it is imperative for the show to come out precise and correct on national television. The audience has to follow two main protocols, such as, when Steve Wilkos enters the show, the audience stands and claps, shouting “Steve Wilkos!” When Steve Wilkos lends words of wisdom to his guest, the audience has to clap and encourage Steve Wilkos. The audience, however, cannot shout or scream out profanity because it will interrupt the taping of the show and as the pre-host said, “This is not ‘The Jerry Springer Show.'”

When the first taping finished, my classmates and I were completely relieved and anxious as to what we were going to do next and that was to have our private tour of the entire studio. The director of “The Steve Wilkos Show” introduced us to the crew who makes it all happen and it showed me that there is an immense amount of dedication and strong mentalities to make it happen each and every day! Not only are the workers extremely passionate in what they do but so is Steve Wilkos’ wife, Rachael Consiglio. She was the executive producer of “The Jerry Springer Show” and had met Steve Wilkos when he worked there also as the head security guard.

They were both focused in the studio and both did a job well done in their performance in the studio. Steve Wilkos presented himself as a humble and normal guy who enjoys his family and the audience who support him each and every day. “The Steve Wilkos Show” is only 20 minutes away from Iona College off of the I-95 and is located in Stamford, CT. Do not worry, there are plenty of tickets available, and they are free too! Make sure to visit and support Steve and his production team before the show goes on hiatus during the summer. After hiatus, the show will resume in August, making it the fifth year anniversary for The Steve Wilkos team.