Huffington Post... 5 Things You Probably Didn't Know

I attended a taping of Wheel in New Orleans on August 27, 2005, just two days before Hurricane Katrina. It was held in the same convention center where thousands would seek shelter when the storm hit. I was working as a reporter at the time so I had media passes to go backstage. They had a buffet set up and a bunch of tables, and Pat and Vanna went from table to table answering questions and posing for pictures. They were both very personable, even though they had most likely been asked the same questions 10,000 times before.

They were supposed to tape the next day as well, but I suggested to their publicity director that they pack up and leave that day, which they did. About a month later I got an email from the publicity director asking me if my family was ok. (we had lost our house but were staying with relatives) Not that I expected Pat to invite me over to his house, but it was a nice gesture. They also asked me if I thought they should broadcast those episodes in light of what had happened. I told them I thought it was fine and that people would enjoy seeing them. They did play the episodes in November, prefacing them with a discussion of what had happened.

Bottom line; whatever Pat's political views may be he and the entire crew were first class and I'm a life-long Wheel fan as a result. On a side note, seeing the show live looks exactly like watching it on TV except the commercial breaks were longer. The winner on the episode we watched won $114,000, which was cool.