My five seconds of fame on a TV sitcom!

Step By Step in Disney World

 

Many of us who grew up in the late 80s/early 90s loved watching all the great sitcoms out there like "Full House,"  "Who's The Boss?" "The Cosby Show," "Perfect Strangers" or "Step By Step."  They simply don't make sitcoms like those anymore!  Recognize the "Step By Step" characters in this photo?  January 1996 brought me to Disney World in Florida with my Up With People cast where this scene was being filmed.  I was facinated with the process.  My good friend Anette from Germany and I would walk back and forth past where the cameras could pick us up in the crowd.  After walking by the third time, Anette suggested we do some plotting.  Our plan was to stop exactly in front of where the cameras were shooting, open our map of Disney World, point in the direction we were going to walk and then proceed to walk.  We were going to be totally believable tourists!  So, we did.  We followed our plan exactly (amidst lots of giggling).  That was a fun little adventure.  Honestly, I didn't really think about it much again.  Then one day in May of 1997 I was in my college apartment with my friend Carrie and I flipped on our TV to find "Step By Step" on.  I couldn't believe it!  They were in Disney World!  There were the characters I had seen being filmed.  I didn't have the TV on more than 30 seconds and THERE I WAS!  THERE WAS ANETTE!  THERE WAS THE MAP, THE POINTING FINGER, THE NOD, THE TWO TOURISTS WALKING AWAY!  My five seconds of fame!  I was so excited, I was jumping around the room, screaming for Carrie to come quickly!  Exciting!  It all happened so fast!  We were goooooood!  Anette and I should be signing autographs for that performance.  I still can't help but smile when I think of that experience.  I've searched everywhere for a copy of that exact episode, to no avail.  If any of you ever see a "Step By Step" episode on TV called, "We're Going to Disney World", please record it for me!  It's from Season Five.  There were two episodes (it was episodes #22 and #23), and my moments of fame were in the second episode (#23).  It originally aired on March 24th, 1996.  This is a true story.  My students ALWAYS want to know if my stories are TRUE stories.  YES, dear children, this is a fanciful, Disney-like one, but it IS true!