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Drew Carey at the Hyperion Theater in DCA. Photo by Alex Stroup.

by Lani Teshima

Disney's California Adventure park hosted a live version of "Whose Line Is It, Anyway?" at the Hyperion Theater on August 24 as part of the park's ABC-TV Primetime Preview Weekend special event. And when show host Drew Carey (above) called out for the audience participant who had won the chance to be there by winning a $2000 Disney eBay auction, a rumbled murmur vibrated through the theater when people realized the participant was a young girl.

Could this young lady be a contemporary version of Veruca Salt, the child from Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory so spoiled that she wanted it all ö now? Hardly.

For 13-year-old Holly Lehto from San Antonio, Texas, meeting the cast of "Whose Line" was a dream come true that emerged from good timing, supportive parents, and earnest sacrifices.

Holly has been a dedicated fan of her favorite show for some time. "I found it one day when I was surfing channels, and I thought it looked stupid," she said. "Then, it was like I fell in love with it. The actors on the show are amazing, and I love the way they improvise things. It is such a creative show, and it is so wonderful that you can just sit back, watch it, and laugh."

Earlier this summer, Holly went to the ABC.com Web site after seeing a TV commercial about the special ABC Primetime Preview Weekend event for Disney's California Adventure (DCA) park, and discovered that Disney was holding an eBay auction to participate in a "Whose Line Is It, Anyway" show at DCA during the event weekend.

Holly's first brush with fame: meeting Goosebumps author R.L. Stine
at Walt Disney World in Orlando some years ago. Photo by Stanley Lehto.

Holly admits that it was her idea to bid on the auction. "When I first brought up the trip to my dad, he said there was no possible way we could go," she said. "But for me, it wasn't a matter of 'pleaseā' and 'thank you thank you thank you!' This was the kind of event I'd prayed for, and I told my parents that. I think they understood it was more to me than a vacation, and that's what prompted them to take me."

Stanley, a computer programmer for a technical consulting company — and more importantly, Holly's father — agrees. "My initial reaction was 'No way,' not only for bidding, but for going at all," he said. "However, I talked it over with my wife, and knowing how much it meant to Holly, we decided to look into it."

When Holly's parents began doing their research, they realized that the package being offered in the auction was a pretty good deal because it included round-trip airfare for two, two nightsā accommodations at a Disneyland Resort hotel, and admission to the parks. For the Lehtos, who live in Texas, the cost and time factors made the auction palatable. "All things considered, we thought a package deal would be worth it, if we decided to go," Stanley said.

Until the final moments of the auction, however, they were still not completely sure. "We hadn't taken any vacations in the past two years, so we did this in lieu of any other major trips in the near future. So it was a bit of a sacrifice in that sense, and financially as well ö we put it on a credit card, and are having to pay that off," he said. "Still, it was not an easy decision, and we didn't finally decide to bid until about a half-hour before the bidding closed."

Holly's parents decided to support her after she handed over all the money she had earned and saved up over the summer for a trip to Europe she was hoping to take. Holly wanted the "Whose Line" experience so badly that she was willing to forego her Europe trip altogether and give up her allowance for three months, and have her trip to DCA be her main birthday and Christmas presents for the year. "In the end, the amount of money weāll get from her is not that significant ö well, it is to her! But it does indicate how important the trip was to her," her father said.

A screen shot of Disney's eBay auction to participate
in a "Whose Line Is It, Anyway" show at DCA.

Once they decided they could afford to go, however, they still had one giant hurdle: Winning the auction.

Holly and her father waited to bid until the last few minutes of the auction in order to increase their odds of winning. Holly said, "I was scared to death someone would outbid us, and I refreshed the page every few seconds saying, ĪOK, weāre still the highest bid, weāre still the highest bid, it's OK.ā I was literally scared!"

Putting their bid of $1925 for the auction with less than 20 minutes to go, Holly was on pins and needles until the auction ended at 11:37 at night. When she realized she had won, she said, "At first, I couldn't believe it. Then, I started screaming and jumping around the house like a lunatic!"

Once Holly had won the auction, the Lehtos had less than two weeks before their trip. Holly was excited, and not worried about missing classes because she is home-schooled by her mother. Her father, however, had to make some extra arrangements.

"Since the auction covered the trip, Disney made the arrangements and sent us the tickets and bus transfers. I just had to arrange for a couple days off from work," Stanley said. "The bid only covered travel for two people for two nights, however. At that late date, adding a third airline ticket for my wife was exorbitant, so she just got to drive us to the airport, only a few minutes from home. We did have to arrange for a hotel for a third night, so weād have time to stay at the park on Sunday to see that day's ‘Whose Lineā show as well."

Even though the airline didn't serve breakfast on their flight over (meals seem to be quite a rarity on flights these days) and they didn't have much of a view out of the window because their seats were over the wing, Holly was focused mostly on what she would soon be experiencing.

Ryan Stiles and Colin Mochrie during the live version
of "Whose Line" at DCA. Photo by Alex Stroup.

When the Lehtos arrived at Disney's California Adventure, they were whisked off to meet the cast of the show. "The first thing I saw when I walked inside the empty auditorium was Colin (Mochrie) waiting to greet me, and that was fabulous," she said. "The whole cast is terrific, down-to-earth, and really friendly. I felt like I already knew them! That is exactly why we didn't ask for pictures or autographs, because we were really being like Īfriendsā and treating them like celebrities would have spoiled it."

Holly and her father were escorted to the front row on the end, so that it was both easy for them to see the show, and for Holly to be pulled out of the audience by Drew Carey.

"Oh my God, I was happy. Not nervous, happy," Holly said. "It just entered my mind that I was about to do something that Iād wanted to do for a long time, and I was only nervous I would burst into tears in front of everybody! I actually think that was the best part though, when any of the cast said my name. You say their names all the time, and to hear them addressing you is just amazing."

Holly managed to keep her composure as the cast asked her about her interests, and her favorite subjects in school. Holly says she felt pretty calm, and tried to focus on answering Colin Mochrie's questions. "Not a single thought passed my mind about the crowd of 2000 watching me, I didn't even notice them. In fact, the lights on stage were so bright I couldn't see the audience anyway!" she said.

With Holly sitting on a stool, Jeff Davis and Chip Esten sang an improvisational song about her, sung in the style of boy bands. "When I was serenaded, I felt unbelievably happy. A dream was coming true for me, and I was so happy," Holly said. Her experience may have been enhanced by the fact that she is a big fan of ‘N Sync. "If I had to choose a favorite, Iād pick Justin Timberlake. He is so fine!" she said.

The weekend was just one precious moment after another for Holly. One of her favorites moments was when Ryan Stiles walked up and shook her hand before she left the stage, although she says Ryan also leaned down and waved at her during the show.

Holly waits for the parade. Photo by Stanley Lehto.

"But the all-time best part was the next day," she said, "when I was watching the parade of all the stars passing me, Colin recognized me! He started actually calling my name in front of everybody, and waving to me! I thought I was going to cry, so I bit my lip and just waved back to him. He wasn't the only one who recognized me, either. The day of the show, John Ritter, another ABC sitcom star, was in the audience and he waved to me in the parade too. Another really nice thing was when I first met the cast. I gave them all thank you notes, and Chip (Esten) asked for a hug. You bet I gave him one!"

Although Holly has visited Disneyland in the past, this was her first visit to Disney's California Adventure. She made the most of it by riding Soarinā Over California, which she notes was recommended to her by Colin Mochrie. Although she likes both parks for different reasons, she says DCA will always be special because of the happy memories it now holds for her.

Holly's father agrees that the experience was worth it. "Watching Holly's reaction as we met and talked to the cast backstage before the show, as well as while she was onstage, was priceless."

Holly says that the trip was the best time of her life, and that she still speaks of her experience because it was a dream come true after having waited for so long for such an opportunity.

On her last night at DCA, she lingered as she absorbed all that she saw in the park. "Then, across the park I saw fireworks coming from Disneyland, and I thought of it as a sign: A big happy ending. But that happy ending is just the beginning for me. Because I plan for a lot more great things in the future!"

Weāre sure you will, Holly.

You can contact Lani here.

MousePlanet's coverage of the ABC Primetime Preview weekend special event

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