Picture courtesy of Grant Dean

Steve Harvey talks to the Dean family about the children’s dates for their mother.

LHS senior Grant Dean and his family had the opportunity to take part in a once-in-a-lifetime experience this past December.  The Dean family had the chance to be on “The Steve Harvey Show,” a nationally televised talk show.

The segment was titled “Mom Needs a Man” with the goal of finding a perfect date for Grant’s mother.  However, the show threw a twist into the blind-date style of meeting a man.

“The dates thought they were going on a date with my mom but it was actually me and my two sisters.  We got to ask them a bunch of questions and they paid for our meal and everything so that was fun,” said Dean.

The kids interviewed several different dates on the first day of filming, trying to find the best fit for their mom.  The first day was at a restaurant in Chicago, where just the kids interviewed potential dates; Mrs. Dean was not allowed to accompany them.

Along with the free meals, the family got to spend the weekend in downtown Chicago, staying in a hotel the show paid for.  According to Dean, the show also flew his older sister, a student at the University of Kentucky, back and forth between the two locations so she could still take her final exams.

According to Dean, his mom was actually the one who submitted to be on the show because she has had bad dating experiences in the past.  However, the production company thought it would be a better story if they said the three kids submitted their mom for the show.

The whole family enjoyed their time on the show, especially Grant’s mother: “She had an overall fun experience; she liked being on TV because they gave you an outfit and did your makeup and all that stuff, so she loved that part of it,” said Dean.

Although they had to put a lot of time and effort into the show, filming nine hours a day for a full weekend, along with time spent interviewing dates — even though none of them were “that great,” according to Dean — the family still had a great experience being on national TV.

“It was really fun to meet Steve Harvey and it was a fun experience to be on TV,” said Dean. “There was a live studio audience so that was kind of awkward.”