The popular stand-up comic and 'Cash Cab' host appears at Trump Marina Saturday night
Ben Bailey of 'Cash Cab'
Long before his taxicab was hailed by unsuspecting, would-be game-show contestants, Ben Bailey was hailed as a stand-up comedian at many of the best-known festivals and biggest-name comedy outlets in the nation. For about the past 15 years he’s honed his humorous craft in New York City, not far from where he grew up in Morris County, New Jersey. In a sort of circuitous twist of fate, he became the host (and a commercially licensed NYC taxi driver) of the hit Discovery Channel shows Cash Cab and (later) Cash Cab: After Dark, which would earn him a Daytime Emmy Award for outstanding game show host. Bailey has also appeared on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, the Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn, Last Call with Carson Daly, Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn and in several films, including a featured role in Spiderman 2. Bailey has had his own Comedy Central special, co-wrote and directed an independent comedy called Meet Me at Ray’s, and will be recording a new one-hour special for Comedy Central on July 10.
Bailey returns to The Shell at Trump Marina on Saturday, May 15, as part of the Trump Comedy Series. Doors open 7pm and the show is at 8pm. Tickets are $28.
You’ve been a stand-up for a long time, but how much would you say Cash Cab has made you a more recognizable figure?
I can’t go anywhere without being recognized, and that’s not a complaint. Generally speaking Cash Cab fans are pretty nice people.
How surprised are you by the show’s popularity? I read where the original contract in 2005 was for 40 episodes and since then you’ve done over 250.
We’ve done 320 and are getting ready to do 40 more. Yes, I mean I put my heart and soul into it and really worked on it as hard as I could. Everybody who’s worked on the show has tried to make it as fun and entertaining as we could make it. That’s the nice thing about working in TV and film — at least in my experience — everyone’s working together toward the same goal to make it the best it can be. But even with that said you still don’t really know what’s going to happen, so I’d have to say we were pretty surprised by what we got out of this little show. The “Little Cab That Could,” is what we’re calling it.
What about it makes it such an attraction?
Something just clicked. The timing of it was right. It must have come out at the right time, and there [are] a lot of different things about Cash Cab that make people like it. There’s the voyeuristic aspect where you’re watching these strangers thrown into this weird situation. There’s the free money aspect. They can sit at home and judge other people, and then they have me making silly faces into the camera.
How were you chosen to do the show, and did you actually have to get a New York City taxicab-driving license to host it?
When I first started doing stand-up comedy I was a limo driver. When they went around to the comedy clubs looking for comedians who could drive — and I did both for a while — so many of the comedy clubs were aware that I had been a limo driver and that sort of gave me an edge. But they looked at everybody — pretty much every comedian I know in New York City auditioned for the show. [Regarding the license], yes, the whole thing took about six weeks from the first audition until when they first offered me the gig. It was pretty grueling actually. There was a major background check, taxi school, then there were all the auditions. There [are] a million things going on in that cab all the time.
Have you become smarter or better informed due to Cash Cab based on all the questions and answers you’re providing contestants?
I would think so, because I memorize all the questions and answers before every game. I’m not sure how much of it I retain because I’ve been cramming way too much in there too fast. Maybe I’ll have to get on Celebrity Jeopardy to find out if I’m retaining any of this stuff.
“I was honored that he chose to direct Long Story Short. To tell you the truth, I didn’t think [Seinfeld] was going to be as involved as he was. I thought he would do some things, but he exceeded my expectations."
A particularly sought-after stand-up comedian on the collegiate circuit, Steve Hofstetter brings his unique slant on social commentary to Richard Stockton College of New Jersey’s Lodge at Lakeside student center on Monday, March 28, starting 7pm. Tickets are $10 in advance.
Sevendust, the heavy-metal band from Atlanta, will be hitting Atlantic City with Disturbed, Korn and In This Moment for the Monster Energy Music as a Weapon Tour on Sunday, Jan. 30, at the House of Blues at Showboat. Founded in 1994, Sevendust released its eighth studio album, Cold Day Memory last April.
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1. Rod said... on May 13, 2010 at 02:25PM
“Alex Trebeck! If you are listening...(reading) Put Ben on your celebrity Jeopardy! The game show world will thank you for it, he is as universally loved as Mike Rowe also of Discovery Channel fame and he is damned good at what he does!”
2. WALTER said... on Sep 22, 2010 at 06:11PM
“BEN BAILY AND CASH CAB NEVER HAVE BLACK PEOPLE ON THE SHOW. ALL OTHER TV GANE SHOWS HAVE AT LEAST ONE BLACK PERSON EVERY DAY ON THE SHOW. BEN YOU MUST START IMMEDIATELY HAVING ONE BLACK PERSON EVERY DAY ANSWYERING QUESTIONS EVERY DAY. SOME OF THESE OTHER TV GAME SHOWS ARE LETS MAKE A DEAL, THE PRICE IS RIGHT, ETC. THIS MUST BE DONE IMMEDIATELY OR YOU AND YOUR SHOW WILL HAVE A LAW SUIT FOR 100 MILLION DOLARS FOR RACIAL DESCRIMINATION SOON!”