Tune in on Thursday, though, and that's where you'll see firefighter Carla Gamradt. Only she won't be in uniform.
It's an unlikely story for the mother of three whose day job is responding to house fires, car accidents and other emergencies.
The 34-year-old is a fan of Oprah, even checking out the TV star's Web site on occasion. That's where she saw a blurb earlier this month seeking volunteers for a style makeover. They promised to show participants how to "dress so I look like I lost 10 pounds instantly."
"Who wouldn't want that?" Gamradt figured. "So I took a look and sent in my name."
The idea of some fancy new threads and an updated look piqued her curiosity.
"I don't have the occasion to dress up much. I'm either in my uniform at work or in sweat pants working out or at home with the kids.... I guess it's kind of frumpy, and that's apparently what they wanted," Gamradt said.
After exchanging conversations with officials from the show, Gamradt wasn't sure if she'd be selected or not. She didn't know that her husband, Tim, and co-workers already were in on the surprise.
On Feb. 5, "Oprah" producers and Tim Gamradt, along with the necessary Fire Department officials, concocted a reason for Carla to show up at the main fire hall in downtown Duluth rather than her usual station house in Lakeside.
"There was a lot of finagling to get her in here and make it work.... Then we got a fire alarm, and that almost ruined the surprise," said Jim Ray, assistant Duluth fire chief. "But the guys were very good about it all. We got Carla to slide down the pole while the cameras were rolling.... We even did some shots of 12 of the guys yelling 'hi!' to Oprah."
Ray said the guys jokingly made reference on camera to Gamradt being a "three-alarm fashion disaster."
The Oprah producers filmed Carla among her co-workers at the fire hall, and at her Wrenshall home in her sweat pants keeping track of 6-year-old T.J., 4-year-old Ellie and 2-year-old Darby.
Carla and Tim quickly arranged the necessary days off from work, including trading some work days, and the couple flew to Chicago the next day.
"They picked us up at the airport in a limo and brought us to the Omni Hotel. They paid for our meals -- everything. It was all very nice," Carla said. "I'd never been treated like that before."
On her first full day in Chicago, the show took Carla to Marshall Fields, where they went a bit crazy trying on new clothes "in the expensive section."
"At one point, I had a $1,200 dress on. I thought, 'this is surreal, I've never worn anything like that in my life,' " said the St. Peter, Minn., native.
They kept trying different styles on Carla while sending photographs back to the producers. Eventually, producers decided on a pants outfit.
"They're cappucino-color Armani pants with a green suede coat and a scarf thing.... The only thing I didn't like is they insisted I wear these 5-inch platform shoes," Carla said.
At 5 feet 11 inches, Carla thought the five-inch platforms were too much for a Northland woman.
"I actually do like the outfit. But I've already bought some new shoes to go with it," she said.
The wardrobe people, including two style mavens from London, were taken a bit aback by Carla's build: She's a little more muscular than they were used to.
"I'm 170 pounds. But it's muscle. I'm a firefighter. I have to be like this for my job. I'm not one of their waify models," Carla joked.
On the second day in Chicago, she was whisked to a salon, where a top New York stylist re-did her hairdo.
"I'm used to having the stylist ask me what I want for a haircut. But they went right to it without asking.... They wanted me really blonde and wanted it really short,' Carla said. "I do like the look, though."
Last Wednesday, Carla joined the other six women and Oprah on the set, and the show was videotaped. All went well, she said.
"Everyone was very nice. Oprah was nice. They kept asking us if we needed anything.... They treated us very well," Carla said.
In addition to the haircut, makeup tips and whirlwind trip to Chicago, Carla got to keep the clothes.
"It was a great experience," she said. "Tim had fun, too. But he never thought I needed a makeover to begin with."
