The studio taping of &uot;My Kind of Town&uot; will take place next Saturday in the Big Apple, with 200 Greenvillians set to wing their way to a New York television studio, with the chance to win great prizes and show off their town to the nation.

However, several local citizens and groups have already taken their place in front of a camera this week.

A video crew is here in Greenville to tape spots for use during the new one-hour reality game show, which has been described as a mixture of &uot;Oprah’s Favorite Things,&uot; &uot;Ed Sullivan&uot; and &uot;Let’s Make a Deal.&uot;

And just as the old Sullivan show used to showcase talented newcomers, &uot;My Kind of Town,&uot; is going to give some of Greenville’s very own, their moment to shine.

The G-Hi Steppers, a community group made up of Greenville High School students, were among those showing off their smooth moves for the video crew this week.

The step team, led by Captain Shawn Tyson, includes Alesha Borden, Shavelle Lewis, Cleshaun Dunklin, Melodie Blankenship, Jessica Johnson, Candice Thompson, Jasmine Patterson, Candace Sturgeon, Akeela Thomas, Shaquawana Grey and Taneka Brewer and their managers, Katoria McDonald and Victoria Crenshaw.

The team assembled on the front steps of City Hall on Friday afternoon to perform, with a number of their family members coming along to watch the taping.

A sudden summer shower forced the steppers to move inside the building, where their energetic, rhythmic stomps and claps resounded throughout City Hall.

&uot;Quiet, please – and five, six, seven, eight!&uot; the videographer called out, as the team broke up into small groups to perform before the camera.

Tyson says his team usually practices about 16 hours a week, including the summer months. The step team was formed about a year to a year-and-a-half ago, and the current team has been together since May.

&uot;We are pretty excited about this,&uot; the team captain said with a smile.

&uot;I can’t believe my baby has made it this far,&uot; his mom, Jewel Tyson, said with pride.

GHS Principal Kathy Murphy says she is &uot;absolutely delighted&uot; some of her school’s students are being highlighted for the show.

&uot;They perform for us often here at the school and do an absolutely fabulous job, and we are so proud they are getting a chance to show off their talents – what an experience,&uot; Murphy said.

One of Greenville’s best known and loved citizens, Colin &uot;Big C’ MacGuire, also taped a comedic spot for the production.

He feels good about his television experience so far, he says.

&uot;The guys from the network were very nice, and the taping went fine. I think folks will find my spot very funny. If anyone is offended, I am truly sorry – but you know, you only live once,&uot; MacGuire said, adding, &uot;My mother [Nina MacGuire] was present when they asked me to do the spot, and she was there for the taping, so I had her seal of approval.&uot;

Additional spots are slated to be taped in the coming days. A reception, organized by the show’s production staff, is planned at Cambrian Ridge next Friday from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. with all those going to the studio taping invited to attend.

All participants are slated to meet at the GHS parking lot at 6:30 a.m. Saturday for a bus trip to Montgomery. A chartered flight will take them to NYC and fly them home later in the day.

&uot;I’m excited. I think it’s going to be a great experience for us,&uot; MacGuire said.