‘Cash Cab’ can be a lucrative ride

‘This guy is nuts’
The real joy of “Cash Cab,” though, is seeing the startled reactions of contestants at the moment they’re told their cab is a game show set.

“Are you serious?!” is the most frequent reply.

“Some people are suspicious,” says Bailey. “Some people just don’t believe me. And then other people think that it’s something I just set up myself as a joke, even after they see all the lights and everything. They look at me like, ‘This guy is nuts.”’

Of course, some people don’t want to play. If you’re hailing a cab, there’s a good chance you’re in a hurry and don’t have the 15 minutes it takes to sign the necessary waivers (which is done immediately after the passengers are told they’re on “Cash Cab”).

As with any reality show, a few fictions are involved. Though many contestants are randomly plucked off the sidewalks like any other fare, some are selected days earlier.

But even those contestants — like 29-year-old Becky Keptner — think they’re in for an entirely different reality show. Some are told the show will be about their favorite place in New York and that the cab is simply their ride to get there.

“We were completely surprised when it turned into what it was,” says Keptner. “Reality television, obviously they need to trick you into it now.”

She and a friend won $575 on “Cash Cab.” (They declined the double-or-nothing video bonus question.)

Though contestants are shown leaving with cash in hand, that’s just for the cameras; they later receive a check in the mail.

Stepping to the street, many winners shout, “Best cab ride ever!”

Bailey, who lives in New York, finds himself recognized more than ever. At a recent standup gig, someone repeatedly yelled the official taxi number of the “Cash Cab”: 1G12. And when the comedian rides in a regular taxi, wide-eyed cabbies sometimes turn around and pepper him with questions.

“Everywhere I go in the city now,” he says, “there’s a ‘Cash Cab’ memory.”

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