MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Alcenia’s restaurant owner BJ Chester-Tamayo is appearing on TV again, but this time it’s not for her famous Southern cooking.
Chester-Tamayo is competing on Jay Leno’s comedy game show “You Bet Your Life.” The show featuring this Memphis restaurateur airs at 6:30 p.m. Jan. 24 on ABC. It was filmed in Los Angeles in August.
Chester-Tamayo can’t say if she won or lost, but she did say she had a lot of fun doing the show.
“Jay Leno was really nice and friendly,” she said.
The premise of the show is that two strangers partner to answer a series of questions within a category. A team can win up to $5,500 by answering all five questions correctly. Kevin Eubanks, who had been Leno’s bandleader on “The Tonight Show,” is Leno’s co-host.
The current show is a reboot of the 1950s original that was hosted by Groucho Marx.
“It was scary,” said Chester-Tamayo of the experience. “You don’t have any idea of what the categories are. And you don’t want to seem like a dummy on TV.”
To prepare, Chester-Tamayo said she watched old shows from the 1950s.
“I am lucky I had a smart partner,” she said, adding that the two didn’t meet until minutes before the show was filmed. “He is an attorney and pilot from California.”
Chester-Tamayo credits Memphian Tamitha Gipson, one of the founders of”Where Black Memphis Eats” Facebook group, for connecting her with the show.
“Tamitha called me last year and asked if I would be interested. A friend had told her that the producers were looking for people from the South. So I applied,” she said.
Chester-Tamayo thinks her brightly colored wigs helped make her stand out from other applicants.
“Jay Leno asked me where my blue wig that I had on in my application video was,” she said. “People remember you when you are over the top. That’s why I wear bright colors and crazy wigs.”
ALCENIA’S REOPENING
Alcenia’s, 317 N. Main St., is currently closed for renovations, but Chester-Tamayo said the restaurant should reopen by early February. And, she said she will have a brightly colored wig on when the doors reopen.