Fare Play: An Interview With The Host Of Cash Cab Chicago

By Tony Peregrin in Arts & Entertainment on Feb 10, 2011 5:20PM

Strap yourself in, Chicago: Second City alum Beth Melewski is behind the wheel hosting the brand new Windy City edition of the game show-on-the-go, Cash Cab. A native of Milwaukee, Melewski is one half of the improv duo Dual Exhaust and performs with the musical improv group Baby Wants Candy.

Cash Cab Chicago is the first full series spin-off of Cash Cab in New York City. On the mobile game show, unsuspecting riders plop themselves into the back of a seemingly normal, yellow van taxi only to be greeted seconds later by flashing lights on the ceiling and a driver who quizzes them on general knowledge questions all the way to their destination. The questions get harder and the stakes get higher as the miles tick by. Miss three questions and the Cash Cab pulls over, ejecting the contestants onto the sidewalk, no matter where they are.

Melewski, a resident of Ravenswood, turned off the meter and let us question her for a change.

Chicagoist: Beth, you’ve landed the rarest of TV gigs: A national TV show without having to leave Chicago!

Beth Melewski: You nailed it! It is the best gig in the world. I heard about it through my agent and I auditioned. I had two auditions, and both were hilarious and awful. But that’s typically when you book a gig, and eventually, I got the call. So many of my friends have had to move to L.A. or New York City to make a go of it, but I get to stay right here in Chicago.

C: Clark Bunting, president and general manager of the Discovery Channel, has said that you are the ideal host for Cash Cab Chicago because you “feel real-deal Chicago.” What makes you “real-deal Chicago,” Beth?

BM: I have lived in Chicago for 15 years, so, yeah, I do kind of feel like I am the real-deal Chicago! [Laughs.] I’ve worked a lot around the city—I’m a full-time actor, so I have seen just about every corner of this city. I love that Chicago has such incredible neighborhoods. You never stop discovering new neighborhoods, new things to do, even for someone who has lived here as long as I have. And the theater and improv scene has such a positive feel to it. I am going back to Second City for a while, since I have some downtime at the moment. The improv community has been very embracing of my role on Cash Cab Chicago.

C: Both you and Ben Bailey (host of Cash Cab in New York City) have a background in comedy. Ben is a stand-up comedian, and you’ve been a member of Second City for seven years. Talk a little about how improve training comes into play as the host of Cash Cab. Did Bailey have any words of advice for you?

BM: I haven’t met Ben, yet! Hopefully, we will cross paths at some point soon. The improv training definitely helps in working with the contestants on Cash Cab. When you are on stage, you banter with the audience and you have to come up with different reactions or comebacks, and when you’re interacting with contestants you also have to be quick on your feet.

C: In a recent interview, you were asked who are some of your favorite characters to perform—and you said you loved playing “weirdos.” Do you get many weirdoes in your cab?

BM: [Pause.] I wouldn’t say they are weirdos. I will say we’ve have gotten some personalities. [Laughs.] I will give you a little taste. We had two guys who saw us drop off two contestants at North and Wells and they ran, full-blast, after us, all the way to Wells and Division to try to catch the cab! I think they were probably a little inebriated too. [Laughs.] We normally wouldn’t pick up someone like that, but they were so determined, that we let ‘em in.

C: Some reports have said that Chicago’s Cash Cab vehicle is a shiny Toyota Sienna minivan dressed as part of the Yellow Cab fleet. True? How much can you disclose about the look of the Cash Cab vehicle, Beth?

BM: Yeah, I can tell you exactly what it is. We are affiliated with the Yellow Cab company, but our cab doesn’t stand really stand out. People will not recognize it on the street until we pick someone up and the lights go off. It blends in perfectly with the other cabs in Chicago, so keep hailing those cabs, people!

C: I also read that the Chicago’s Cash Cab has a “special” license plate.

BM: Nope, we are completely legal. No weird license plate. [Laughs.] It’s an Illinois license plate.

C: The typical New York City Cash Cab route seems to stick to touristy areas like Time Square—can you give us a little tease about your typical route? I imagine you’ll stay near Navy Pier, Michigan Ave. and the Northside?

BM: We really do go all over! We’ve done Bucktown and Wicker Park, we’ve done Hyde Park—we’ve been all over, there’s no rhyme or reason to it.

C: Ben Bailey was a limo driver at one point. Have you ever been a cab-driver, Beth?

BM: No—I got my cab license specifically for this gig. I tell people ‘forget the SATs and the ACTs, this was the hardest thing I have ever had to do.’ Be kind to your cab drivers because they busted their tails, man. You have to take two exams, and if you fail you have to take the course all over again. I also had the production schedule hanging over me, so I had to pass.

C: Why was the exam so hard?

BM: There are multiple choice routing questions like, ‘How do you get from Rush Hospital to the Drake Hotel?’ And there are four options and they all look very similar. There’s no cheat sheet for something like this, you have to know the city.

C: What advice do you have for unsuspecting Chicagoans and visitors to our city who might find themselves in your cab? What are some definite dos and donts to get the most out of the experience?

BM: Definitely just relax—don’t worry about the filming or about being on T.V. And listen to the questions. Just listen. A lot of times there are clues in the questions, so just listen and you’re going to do great. And use your shout-outs, man! People forget to use them. Just relax and have fun.

C: Do you have any input on the questions? I’ve read that your New York City counterpart doesn’t have input, but that he does have some sort of veto power.

BM: No, no veto power. We have a team of really great writers. But, if we hear a question with strange wording or that sounds odd once it’s read out loud, we decide as a group if we should kill it. (The director is feeding me questions through an ear prompter.)

C: What has surprised you the most about being involved with Cash Cab Chicago?

BM: When I tell people I am on the show, I get typically get two types of responses: either people have never heard of it or they love it—there’s no in between! I am always constantly surprised at how excited people are when they get into the cab! My job is a feeling of constant joy.

C: Do you have passengers that are in too big of a hurry to ride the Cash Cab?

BM: Oh, yeah, definitely. We’ve had a ton of people, actually. They’ll say, ‘Oh God, I love the show, but I can’t stick around!’ We had a guy who was on the way to an interview and he was like “I can’t believe I am going to have to say no, but I have to make this interview!’ We did have one woman get in the cab who was on the way to see her boyfriend who was in post-op for heart surgery, and she was like, “Yeah. I have time to play!’

Cash Cab Chicago debuts on The Discovery Channel on Monday, February 14th.