Wayne Brady Reveals Contestants on “Let's Make a Deal ”Used to Show Up Drunk or High: 'We Had a Lot of That' (Exclusive)

The comedian also shared his "biggest tips" for contestants

• Let’s Make a Deal host Wayne Brady exclusively revealed to PEOPLE that contestants used to show up drunk and high “in the early days of the show”
• Brady, 52, who has been hosting the popular game show since 2009, also shared his “biggest tips” for competitors
• The comedian says it’s key to bring “energy," to “listen” and to “follow your gut”

Wayne Brady is revealing some surprising insider secrets about the early days of Let’s Make a Deal!

The comedian and host recently spoke to PEOPLE exclusively on the Paramount lot while attending CBS Fest 2025 in Los Angeles. During the conversation, Brady revealed that contestants would sometimes show up drunk or high while attending tapings of the popular CBS game show.

“In the early days of the show, for some reason, we had a lot of that,’ the Whose Line Is It Anyway? alum, 52, recalls. “But not a lot recently.”

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“I'd like to think that our audiences show up ready to play because they know the kind of show they're getting involved in. They know that it's like an improvisational show. They know the women might ask them to get up and sing. They know that I'm interacting with them. So I think people come lucid because they don't want to look silly,” he adds.

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Brady also shares his “biggest tips for contestants,” noting that the number one thing a person should bring to a taping is “energy.” He also says it’s crucial that contestants “listen to me.”

“What I mean by that is [listen to me] when I'm explaining the rules to a game — [as in] what's going to happen. It's a lot. There are lights. You are in front of an audience. There are a lot of people that have never been on camera [before] … So I say, ‘Listen.’ “

“And at the end of the day, follow your gut. When everyone turns around to ask the audience, ‘What should I do?’ Great. Nobody knows. So if you're going to get zonked, you should get zonked on your own terms,” he adds.

The five-time Emmy winner has been hosting the show since its 2009 revival, celebrating his 15th year on the air in 2024.

As for the star’s upcoming summer plans?

“My birthday on June 2, so I just want to enjoy my summer. I want it to be a summer where I feel completely positive and ready to take on this next year,” he tells PEOPLE.

Brady also says that while he’d love to visit family in Hawaii or perhaps travel to Thailand, he’s unsure if a vacation will be possible given that he is starring in Broadway’s Moulin Rouge for a limited summer run.

“I've got about a week and a half off, so I don't know if I can fit all that in,” he admits.

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Brady will star in Moulin Rouge alongside Broadway veteran Taye Diggs, and is set to perform from July 22 through Nov. 9.