On Sunday, October 30th, television’s favorite plastic surgeon and his three M.D. co-hosts find out if their show will win a Daytime Emmy for Best Talk Show- Informative. As a member of television’s Medical Dream Team on “The Doctors”, Dr. Andrew Ordon is on top of the world balancing family, a busy practice and a top-rated daytime show. LAsThePlace.com caught up with this busy medicine man and asked him some of the questions TV fans wanted to know!
LA’s The Place: So you are a respected plastic surgeon and suddenly you find yourself on an Emmy-nominated syndicated series. How do you feel about your show’s success?
Dr. Andrew Ordon: This experience has made me grateful and proud. I’m grateful for the opportunity and proud with what our team has done with it. I’m proud of my fellow doctor-hosts to our producers, technical staff and even the audience and guests. Everyone has come together to create a never-seen before phenomenon in informational television. What we love best is that it is a viewer-driven show. It’s all about giving our viewers the useful information they need.
LATP: How did you get the co-hosting Position on “The Doctors”?
Dr. O: I had become friends with Dr. Phil McGraw through our kids attending the same school. I became a resource for his television show, “The Dr. Phil Show”. He then turned to me when he and his son, producer Jay McGraw created “The Doctors”. I had what they were looking for: an experienced Beverly Hills plastic surgeon with a history of television appearances and vast surgical experience. I must humbly add that I was in the right place at the right time. But the kicker was the chemistry between us four hosts. Travis, Jim and Lisa are all great people. I will always be friends with them-show or no show.
LATP: We understand you have a wonderful family: a beautiful wife with a flair for interior design, a son who recently graduated from college and a daughter who is finishing her college years. How does your family feel about Dad’s new- found celebrity?
Dr. O: Robyn, my wife has been totally supportive and doesn’t allow any of this to go to my head. We may be the happiest couple in Hollywood. Like most fathers, what I am most proud of are my two children. My son and daughter attend college back east and make me proud each and every day. I don’t think anyone is ever a celebrity in their own home. I certainly am not. My family life has not changed one iota. My kids still don’t listen to me! They often laugh at my expense.
LATP: You and your co-hosts seem to have great chemistry and you all seem to get along very well. What is it like working with three very qualified doctors with very different personalities?
Dr. O: Lisa, Jim and Travis are the best! We do get along very well, indeed. The energy that flows back and forth between us is electric. We don’t go up there with a script, by the way. What you see on The Doctors is an honest, open and completely genuine repartee between three doctors who are friends. At the same time, we are different in age, background and training. We aren’t afraid to disagree with one another, which only makes the show better. We keep our egos in check and we can take a joke as well as make one.
LATP: You are on television 5 days per week for an hour each day. There is so much valuable information given out in each show. How often do you tape your shows and how much preparation is needed for each segment?
Dr. O: More preparation than you would think… It’s like studying for mid-term exams every week! We each get a big, fat three ring binder full of tear sheets from our research staff. We then have to muddle through all that data and come up with bullet points to guide us through the labyrinth of the topic being discussed. I must say that all the work that I do for the show has made me a better, well-rounded surgeon.
LATP: To date, what segment that you have participated in is your personal favorite?
Dr. O: Working with Joan Rivers. She is an off-the-hook talent and a terrific person.
She is such a professional to boot! She makes it look easy. And, she does know plastic surgery! We had to cut so much of what we did together because it became a bit too risque for daytime TV. Joan assisted my partner Dr. Ritu Chopra and I doing injections on stage. When I say assist, I mean she wore a white coat and make jokes as we worked. I am a pro at what I do but I must admit it isn’t easy concentrating on performing plastic surgery when you have tears in your eyes from laughing. I was always a fan of Joan Rivers but now, having worked with her, I look at her in a whole new way. She is an articulate comedic genius who is so witty and quick that it’s hard to keep up! I would work with her again in a New York second!
LATP: Speaking of celebrity, the world is fascinated with “Celebrity”. This past season you had the gorgeous and talented Lisa Rinna as a guest. The viewers were moved and touched by Lisa’s open attitude towards her experience with Plastic Surgery. She came across as brave, real and honest. Can you comment about that episode?
Dr. O: Lisa opened up quite a bit in her book- way more than most celebrities would, and I have to say I really respect her for that. She made a lot of new fans that day, myself included. I jokingly admit to botox and dermal filler injections and I have no regret about going public, as Lisa did. Being in the profession, I have access to the best of the best in my field. Lisa bravely opened up about the fact that some times even celebrities make a mistake with regard to their plastic surgery decisions. She is amazing and she is one in a million!
LATP: We understand that you are a Founding Board Member of the Surgical Friends Foundation (www.SurgicalFriends.org). Can you please tell us a little about the inspiring work you and your colleagues do for this organization?
Dr. O: We select needy patients and provide free services for reconstructive surgery. Some people think of me as a beauty doctor, but I have extensive experience in reconstructive procedures. I am talking about real medical/surgical problems that some of our patients thought there was not way back from. Some of our patients have called us “miracle workers”. I am not alone in this. I am part of a network of providers, part of a team of top notch surgeons and anesthesiologists who change lives. I enjoy giving back in this way. I would like to see the organization grow into a worldwide phenomenon.
LATP: Where do you see your career taking you in the next five years?
Dr. O: I am just enjoying the ride. I am still a working plastic surgeon, operating weekly with my team in my private practice while managing a television career two or three days a week. That schedule gets hectic, but with my support staff we are managing to do both.
My only aspiration with regard to celebrity is to use whatever fame I have to help people who need it and raise money for good causes like the Surgical Friends Foundation.
To learn more about Dr. Andrew Ordon and “The Doctors” go to www.TheDoctorsTV.com.
