300 joyful Oprah Winfrey audience members arrived in Australia from the U.S. on Tuesday to begin their trip of a lifetime as winners of the talk show queen’s ultimate giveaway – an eight-day journey across the land Down Under, according to Popeater.com and wire services.
The audience members, who ranged in age from 18 to 75, were met by swarms of photographers and journalists as they stepped off the plane. The media jostled for position, screaming questions at Oprah’s audience as if they were visiting rock stars!
Later, the audience will be divided into smaller groups and swept away on a Grand tour of the the glittering Great Barrier Reef, the crocodile-infested rainforests of northern Oz, and the famous red monolith called Uluru, located in the remote and dusty Outback.
Winfrey kicked off her 25th and final season of ‘The Oprah Winfrey Show’ in September by surprising her shrieking, jumping and sobbing fans with what she’s billed as the trip of a lifetime. The hand-picked audience was made up of some of who the program called its most loyal viewers over the years.
“It’s an unbelievable experience, and I just want to soak in every bit of it,” said Jocelyn Kelley, from Boston, who was traveling with her mother, Gloria. “To be in that audience, to be a part of something so big, is just amazing.”
Oprah, who will be arriving later on a private jet, had a special date with U.S. President Barack Obama in Washington D.C. yesterday.
She was one of 5 Kennedy Center Honorees. Oprah’s arrival down under is being kept a closely guarded secret — as was her audience’s itinerary — which they learned upon their arrival. It is believed Oprah will touch down sometime on Tuesday or Wednesday.
Oprah will film 2 episodes in Australia at the Opera House which is being renamed the ‘Oprah’ House. The bill for the $4 million trip will be split between Australia’s federal and state governments. Officials say that’s a small price to pay for the many millions of dollars of tourism advertising the show will bring.
“Oprah is a household name, not just in the United States but in the 145 countries where the show is broadcast,” Federal Tourism Minister Martin Ferguson said in a statement. “That Oprah has chosen Australia as her Ultimate Adventure destination sends a powerful message to her millions of fans around the world.”
“I would have never thought little bitty ol’ me would ever have this opportunity,” said Orlando Bogins of Detroit. “It came at such a very hard time in my life – my mom had nine hours (of) surgery, I was laid off from my job and my house had been broken into. So we had all of that happen, and then I got notification that I was selected to go on the Oprah show.”
About 30 blacks (out of 300 mostly white giveaway winners) made the trip to Australia.
