Arsenio Hall 'Superfan' Comes Home Super Disappointed

FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich. - Sept. 19, 2013 - PRLog -- Tenera Gaddis is pictured with Arsenio Hall during a trip to Los Angeles she won as one of Hall's nine super fans. Photo credit: Joni Hubred-Golden

Jaws Jumbo Burger (http://farmington-mi.patch.com/listings/jaws-jumbo-burger) employee Teresa Gaddis was a big Arsenio Hall fan (http://farmington-mi.patch.com/groups/business-news/p/watch-for-farmington-hills-resident-on-arsenio-halls-new-talk-show), until she won a contest for being a "superfan".

Gaddis came up with the idea for the Farmington Hills restaurant's Arsenio Hall burger when he won Donald Trump's celebrity reality show "The Apprentice". As a member of "Generation X", she grew up watching "The Arsenio Hall Show" and said she was excited when she learned about Hall's new talk show.

"He did the most memorable interviews, with Eddie Murphy, Michael Jackson," Gaddis said. "He was very cutting edge and sharp."

In late August, Gaddis learned she was among nine people from around the country who would fly to Los Angeles to see the show during its debut week and meet Arsenio Hall. Things went downhill from there.

The show offered some funds to cover expenses, but the winners had to provide their own transportation from the airport to the hotel and back, which cost some more than $200. Gaddis said she was able to find a shuttle for less.

On the day of the show, Sept. 12, the winners got a brief tour of the studio and then were taken outdoors.

"We waited outside for four hours in the Los Angeles heat," Gaddis said. "We were told to eat before we came, which was around 12:30 or 1 ... all they had for us was bottled water and chips."

The group had to wait in line, and when they were finally seated, Gaddis said, she thought Hall would give them some kind of shout-out during the show. He didn't. And to make matters worse, she said, the bulk of the show was a "real snoozer".

Gaddis said she got on camera toward the end, dancing in the aisle as singer Johnny Gill performed, but "if it weren't for his showmanship, you would never know I was one of the Arsenio 9."

That was disappointing, as was the brief meet-and-greet after the show. Gaddis and others had their photos taken with Hall and received a generic autographed photo. Overall, she was not impressed with the star, who barely noticed the t-shirt she made and wore in his honor.

Gaddis said all of the Arsenio super fans created videos that weren't acknowledged on the show and don't appear on Hall's website.

She plans to blog about her adventure, and she hopes Arsenio Hall will reconsider and have his fans back on the show to acknowledge all of their efforts.

"I hate to be a Debbie Downer, but that's my experience," she said. "My feelings are hurt. They are completely and utterly hurt."