My Wheel of Fortune Journey: College Week Spring Break!
Nov 6, 2020 15:51:10 GMT -5
Prizes, genius2751, and 8 more like this
Post by CDixie on Nov 6, 2020 15:51:10 GMT -5
Hello everyone! I’ve been wanting to share my Wheel experience with you all for quite a while now, but I was kind of scared to and life got in the way, but now that I have time, I thought you guys would want to know about my Wheel experience from the perspective of a college student!
Being on Wheel was everything that I dreamed of and more! I felt like I was experiencing a fragment of heaven while being on the set. My episode aired on March 17th, the lucky St. Patrick’s Day!
I’ve been watching Wheel of Fortune since Season 19 (2001-2002). I was 9 months old and my grandmother (RIP; 1943-2005) was the one that got me hooked on the show and we would watch it together up until her passing in July 2005. I had a desire to be on the show when I was just 3 years old as I felt from a very young age that it was in my destiny to appear on the show. It was Vanna White and her personality that piqued my interest when I first watched as a baby (outside of the wheel and the puzzle board design of course)
For the next several years, I would collect and play the video game versions of Wheel. From the CD roms on PC with Vanna as host to the PlayStation versions across all 4 consoles. It took me a long time to get as good as I am now, back then I would just randomly call letters until I found out about the RSTLNE strategy and implemented it during the main game.
Fast forward a bit to February 12, 2017 when I was a sophomore in high school and just 3 days shy of turning 16, I decided to apply for Teen Best Friends Week on Wheel’s website. Looking back, the problem was that I didn’t have a best friend to play with on the show and Wheel didn’t do Teen Week as often as they did College Week so I had to wait a couple more years and I didn’t hear anything from them.
Little did I know, this was also the very last season that Wheel did Teen Week (2016-2017; Season 34).
On May 12, 2019, I decided to give Wheel another try by applying again, but this time around as a college student. I was near the end of my senior year of high school and I was going to be attending Ball State in the fall and I thought to myself, “Why not apply as a college student?” So, I did. 10 days later, I open up and checked my Ball State email and see a message from Wheel Watchers Club with the subject line saying, “WE WANT YOU TO AUDITION”. I couldn’t believe it, they want me to audition!! I almost didn’t make it to my final audition because my dad was skeptical about taking me to Detroit to audition for the show, but thankfully my mother came in and played devil’s advocate and he ended up taking me to that audition (thanks mom lol)
On June 4th, my dad and I took the trip to Detroit for my audition at the Atheneum Suite Hotel on the 8th floor. Shannon, Jackie, and Teddy were at my audition, however, Alex was not at my audition. The audition was at 3pm and I was very nervous. I auditioned with about 50-60 other people and it was an amazing experience! I was excited the whole time and I even solved a puzzle during the several mock puzzles we played. The contestant exam was tough. 5 minutes to solve 16 puzzles, each with a couple of letters given to help. I ended up getting at least 11/16 right, which surprised me. The contestant coordinators then went away to grade everyone’s exams and while we were waiting we got to watch Wheel’s 4000th episode (aired November 10, 2003). I ended up making the cut as the contestant coordinators wanted to see me play more because of my high score on the exam and since I only got to guess one letter and solve during the several mock puzzles we played.
The hardest part was waiting for the letter, which unfortunately I did not get the letter, I was looking at my mailbox every day for the next 2-3 weeks but no letter came. However, on January 22nd, I got an email and call from Jackie and she had asked me if I was a college student at Ball State now (keep in mind, I auditioned when I was 3 days away from graduating high school) and I said yes and she told me that they had a tape date for me and asked me if I wanted to rep Ball State on College Week and I said “Yes” without any hesitation. The first person I told was my parents and they were floored and excited to hear about the news. Thankfully my parents were able to pay for the flight to and from California! Everyone at Ball State was excited when they heard about me being selected for the show as I’m the first person from Ball State to ever rep them on any College Week as Wheel has been doing College Week since 1988.
On February 6th, I woke up very bright and early in the morning to get ready for the big day. I was excited and nervous and couldn’t sleep well because of how excited I was. Arriving to the lot, I was greeted by Teddy outside the door and Alex greeted me with the warmest smile and gave me a side hug as she proceeded me into the backstage area where we all sat and I saw Jackie and Shannon. It felt like a family reunion seeing the contestant coordinators again lol. For the next 4 1/2 hours, we went over paperwork and signed it, practiced letter calling, went over the category overview packet, shot our hometown howdy promos, and played rehearsal rounds with Gary O’Brien as the host during our rehearsal games. Then at 12pm PST, it was time to tape. They also picked who we played against, as I played against Emily and Tallie (who, by the way, are so wonderful) and the coordinators picked me to be the captain of our group as I got to randomly draw what show we would be on and I picked #2 at random. I also randomly picked the Yellow position.
A reflection of my performance:
Ok, if I have to be honest, after seeing Dave Andrade and Tony Harrison’s episodes, it made me wish I would’ve spun for more money, but I didn’t want to get too greedy. I think I did a surprisingly good job, I think I did okay. The bonus round puzzle “Wavy Ocean” I knew with the E and N given and I took my time with it. Overall, I think I did good.
Pat and Vanna were so nice it was a dream come true to be around them. During the closing credits, I’ll never forget Vanna telling me, “You made it look so easy!” with a bright smile and I got so excited after she had said that to me! After the credits, I asked Vanna for a hug and she gave me one I almost wanted to faint! Vanna was my very first crush and her cheerful, happy personality became an inspiration as for the type of person I wanted to be. Pat is so hilarious and so humble and kind. He was impressed with me after the bonus round he wanted them to mic me up and explain the strategy to him and Vanna at the end of the show!
Here are some tips I have for being a good puzzle solver:
-Focus on the category: this helps tremendously
-Bonus round: don’t waste letter picks on trying to fill in a word you already know in the puzzle
-You’ve heard Pat and Vanna say this one, and it’s to BUY VOWELS! That’s how I was able to solve “Multiple Choice Questions” in round one so quickly.
-Focus on the theme week! Depending on what it is that also could help you solve a puzzle quicker. Most puzzles are based upon certain theme weeks.
-Watch out for ADJECTIVES in puzzles: this is a huge one as this is what tricks people on the show, especially in the bonus round. For wavy ocean, I knew from the E and N that it was ocean, and for the first word I was thinking of adjectives that describe the ocean and I thought of Wavy immediately before picking my letters.
AUDITION VIDEO TIPS:
-Apply for the show towards the end of the season (April, May, and June are good months to apply since they’re done taping around this time period)
-Smile!!
-Tell the producers why you think you’d be a good contestant. (Example: “I would be a great contestant because I’m fun, energetic, and a good sport win or lose.”)
-Less is more
-Don’t ramble
-Keep your video under 1 minute
-Tell an interesting fact about yourself
-Don’t make it look like you rolled out of bed!
-Speak up!
-Show personality (don’t overdo it of course lol)
For the younger viewers who want to be on the show, you have a better chance getting on College Week than you do Teen Week (unless you don’t go to college, you can still apply as an adult when you turn 18)
Thank you so much for all of the support and love you’ve given me since my episode aired and I hope you enjoyed reading about my experience in detail!❤️❤️❤️
If you guys have any questions about the audition, application, or tape process, please don’t hesitate to ask me!!
The staff was so wonderful and are my new family too!! They are just so happy with what they do. After being on Wheel, it made me want to try and grab a job as a contestant coordinator once I graduate college in a few more years!
Being on Wheel was everything that I dreamed of and more! I felt like I was experiencing a fragment of heaven while being on the set. My episode aired on March 17th, the lucky St. Patrick’s Day!
I’ve been watching Wheel of Fortune since Season 19 (2001-2002). I was 9 months old and my grandmother (RIP; 1943-2005) was the one that got me hooked on the show and we would watch it together up until her passing in July 2005. I had a desire to be on the show when I was just 3 years old as I felt from a very young age that it was in my destiny to appear on the show. It was Vanna White and her personality that piqued my interest when I first watched as a baby (outside of the wheel and the puzzle board design of course)
For the next several years, I would collect and play the video game versions of Wheel. From the CD roms on PC with Vanna as host to the PlayStation versions across all 4 consoles. It took me a long time to get as good as I am now, back then I would just randomly call letters until I found out about the RSTLNE strategy and implemented it during the main game.
Fast forward a bit to February 12, 2017 when I was a sophomore in high school and just 3 days shy of turning 16, I decided to apply for Teen Best Friends Week on Wheel’s website. Looking back, the problem was that I didn’t have a best friend to play with on the show and Wheel didn’t do Teen Week as often as they did College Week so I had to wait a couple more years and I didn’t hear anything from them.
Little did I know, this was also the very last season that Wheel did Teen Week (2016-2017; Season 34).
On May 12, 2019, I decided to give Wheel another try by applying again, but this time around as a college student. I was near the end of my senior year of high school and I was going to be attending Ball State in the fall and I thought to myself, “Why not apply as a college student?” So, I did. 10 days later, I open up and checked my Ball State email and see a message from Wheel Watchers Club with the subject line saying, “WE WANT YOU TO AUDITION”. I couldn’t believe it, they want me to audition!! I almost didn’t make it to my final audition because my dad was skeptical about taking me to Detroit to audition for the show, but thankfully my mother came in and played devil’s advocate and he ended up taking me to that audition (thanks mom lol)
On June 4th, my dad and I took the trip to Detroit for my audition at the Atheneum Suite Hotel on the 8th floor. Shannon, Jackie, and Teddy were at my audition, however, Alex was not at my audition. The audition was at 3pm and I was very nervous. I auditioned with about 50-60 other people and it was an amazing experience! I was excited the whole time and I even solved a puzzle during the several mock puzzles we played. The contestant exam was tough. 5 minutes to solve 16 puzzles, each with a couple of letters given to help. I ended up getting at least 11/16 right, which surprised me. The contestant coordinators then went away to grade everyone’s exams and while we were waiting we got to watch Wheel’s 4000th episode (aired November 10, 2003). I ended up making the cut as the contestant coordinators wanted to see me play more because of my high score on the exam and since I only got to guess one letter and solve during the several mock puzzles we played.
The hardest part was waiting for the letter, which unfortunately I did not get the letter, I was looking at my mailbox every day for the next 2-3 weeks but no letter came. However, on January 22nd, I got an email and call from Jackie and she had asked me if I was a college student at Ball State now (keep in mind, I auditioned when I was 3 days away from graduating high school) and I said yes and she told me that they had a tape date for me and asked me if I wanted to rep Ball State on College Week and I said “Yes” without any hesitation. The first person I told was my parents and they were floored and excited to hear about the news. Thankfully my parents were able to pay for the flight to and from California! Everyone at Ball State was excited when they heard about me being selected for the show as I’m the first person from Ball State to ever rep them on any College Week as Wheel has been doing College Week since 1988.
On February 6th, I woke up very bright and early in the morning to get ready for the big day. I was excited and nervous and couldn’t sleep well because of how excited I was. Arriving to the lot, I was greeted by Teddy outside the door and Alex greeted me with the warmest smile and gave me a side hug as she proceeded me into the backstage area where we all sat and I saw Jackie and Shannon. It felt like a family reunion seeing the contestant coordinators again lol. For the next 4 1/2 hours, we went over paperwork and signed it, practiced letter calling, went over the category overview packet, shot our hometown howdy promos, and played rehearsal rounds with Gary O’Brien as the host during our rehearsal games. Then at 12pm PST, it was time to tape. They also picked who we played against, as I played against Emily and Tallie (who, by the way, are so wonderful) and the coordinators picked me to be the captain of our group as I got to randomly draw what show we would be on and I picked #2 at random. I also randomly picked the Yellow position.
A reflection of my performance:
Ok, if I have to be honest, after seeing Dave Andrade and Tony Harrison’s episodes, it made me wish I would’ve spun for more money, but I didn’t want to get too greedy. I think I did a surprisingly good job, I think I did okay. The bonus round puzzle “Wavy Ocean” I knew with the E and N given and I took my time with it. Overall, I think I did good.
Pat and Vanna were so nice it was a dream come true to be around them. During the closing credits, I’ll never forget Vanna telling me, “You made it look so easy!” with a bright smile and I got so excited after she had said that to me! After the credits, I asked Vanna for a hug and she gave me one I almost wanted to faint! Vanna was my very first crush and her cheerful, happy personality became an inspiration as for the type of person I wanted to be. Pat is so hilarious and so humble and kind. He was impressed with me after the bonus round he wanted them to mic me up and explain the strategy to him and Vanna at the end of the show!
Here are some tips I have for being a good puzzle solver:
-Focus on the category: this helps tremendously
-Bonus round: don’t waste letter picks on trying to fill in a word you already know in the puzzle
-You’ve heard Pat and Vanna say this one, and it’s to BUY VOWELS! That’s how I was able to solve “Multiple Choice Questions” in round one so quickly.
-Focus on the theme week! Depending on what it is that also could help you solve a puzzle quicker. Most puzzles are based upon certain theme weeks.
-Watch out for ADJECTIVES in puzzles: this is a huge one as this is what tricks people on the show, especially in the bonus round. For wavy ocean, I knew from the E and N that it was ocean, and for the first word I was thinking of adjectives that describe the ocean and I thought of Wavy immediately before picking my letters.
AUDITION VIDEO TIPS:
-Apply for the show towards the end of the season (April, May, and June are good months to apply since they’re done taping around this time period)
-Smile!!
-Tell the producers why you think you’d be a good contestant. (Example: “I would be a great contestant because I’m fun, energetic, and a good sport win or lose.”)
-Less is more
-Don’t ramble
-Keep your video under 1 minute
-Tell an interesting fact about yourself
-Don’t make it look like you rolled out of bed!
-Speak up!
-Show personality (don’t overdo it of course lol)
For the younger viewers who want to be on the show, you have a better chance getting on College Week than you do Teen Week (unless you don’t go to college, you can still apply as an adult when you turn 18)
Thank you so much for all of the support and love you’ve given me since my episode aired and I hope you enjoyed reading about my experience in detail!❤️❤️❤️
If you guys have any questions about the audition, application, or tape process, please don’t hesitate to ask me!!
The staff was so wonderful and are my new family too!! They are just so happy with what they do. After being on Wheel, it made me want to try and grab a job as a contestant coordinator once I graduate college in a few more years!
