And the Story Begins: My Journey to the Final Taping of That Metal Show, Season 10
Let’s set the stage…
Days before the taping, I started having allergy symptoms from a winter storm moving in. I know, I know—Sunny Southern California isn’t exactly known for its storms—but we do get a good rain every now and then. I thought my allergy issues had cleared up. If not, I wouldn’t have made the trip. More on that later…
The Drive Up
We (my husband and I) left early because of the storm rolling down the coast—and, okay, because I’m totally obsessive about getting to any show or concert super early. You never know if you’ll run into trouble getting in or scoring a good seat. So we hit the road at 10 a.m. for a 2 p.m. check-in time. That’s not too early, right?
It usually takes us about two hours to get to Los Angeles. With the rain, I added a few extra hours. My husband wasn’t thrilled about the early departure, but once we were deep in the chaos—three hours of dodging semis swaying from gusty winds, weaving drivers doing their best “Fast & Furious” impressions, and stretches of near-zero visibility—he got it.

We made it… with minutes to spare.
Inside the Studio
At first, we had great seats in the bleacher section of the audience. I was beyond excited that:
We made it.
It was going to be awesome.
We were surrounded by a few cool people, too. That is… until we got bumped from our awesome seats to what was basically a hallway—outside the main audience and completely out of view from the guests, hosts, and cameras. We ended up watching the show from a side-stage monitor. Disappointing? A little. But on the plus side, we got a behind-the-scenes view of the set.
Naturally, I took it all in: watching the camera ops, admiring the booms and lighting setups, and observing the stage manager and crew at work.
Taping Begins
The first 30 minutes or so were audience warm-ups—laughing, clapping, oohs and boos—the usual hype. Then the guys came out and the show started.
Guests for this episode:
Bobby Blotzer (Ratt)
Phil Lewis and Steve Riley (LA Guns)
Eddie Trunk tweeted a photo of the lineup that day.
@EddieTrunk – LA Guns & Bobby Blotzer – https://x.com/EddieTrunk/status/181215204917514241/photo/1
Guitarist for the episode: Steve Stevens. He also shared a photo on WhoSay.
Stump the Trunk
Finally—we got seats! Since the “Stump the Trunk” segment was up, they pulled a few audience members to fill in. My question wasn’t picked, but after listening to Bobby Blotzer’s discussion, I realized mine might’ve been too easy for Eddie anyway. (Spoiler: Eddie was a bit off his game that day. Some easier questions would’ve helped.)
The Throwdown… and My Allergy Meltdown
Everything was going fine as we watched the final segments get filmed. Then a cold gust blew down from the A/C vent overhead.
Remember my allergies?
As Eddie started introducing the “Throwdown” segment, I felt the dreaded sneeze coming. I tried holding it in. Then came the cough. Then the gag reflex. It was a whole thing.
Two minutes of trying to keep it together felt like an eternity. Eventually, I couldn’t stop it—and let out a huge sneeze/cough combo that echoed through the studio.
(I’m really hoping that gets edited out.)
Allergies Ruin the Second Taping
After the Throwdown, they began setting up promo segments—those quick lines like “You’re watching That Metal Show on VH1 Classic.” Bobby and the LA Guns guys nailed them in one take.
And with that, the first taping was a wrap.
We stepped outside for a 30-minute break. But as soon as we got back in line to head back in for the second taping, my allergies flared up again. Not wanting to be “that person” ruining the shoot, we decided to call it a day and head home.
Final Thoughts
Overall—great experience! It did feel a bit long (nearly three hours for just one taping), but worth it. If we had stayed for the second taping, I imagine we’d have been there another two to two-and-a-half hours. Not sure my sinuses—or stomach—could’ve handled it. We only had fast food on the way up, and there were no snacks or drinks allowed inside.
Bonus Notes
Bobby Blotzer talked about his hot sauce (I think it was called PI-RATT) and also mentioned something about cheeses. He shared them with the hosts, along with a taste of Geoff Tate’s (Queensrÿche) wine. Bobby said links were on his site [Blotzer.com], but at the time, they weren’t active.
Phil Lewis of LA Guns mentioned a U.S. tour coming up that summer—but I hadn’t seen dates posted yet.