Post by alphabunch on May 18, 2023 10:12:55 GMT -5
This week was the 1-year “Vannaversary” of my episode’s original air date.
Since my Wheel of Fortune episode originally aired last year, several have asked about my experience being on the show and the process I went through to get there. I thought I’d put together my experience to share with all of you.
I originally wrote this with friends/family in mind, so many of you reading this will find some things redundant. Also, many of the experiences I had are no longer relevant with how the audition process works or how a tape day looks under COVID protocols. Nonetheless, I hope you enjoy reading about my spin on Wheel.
The Random Thought and The Wheelmobile
On November 13th, 2019, I was getting warmed up on the treadmill at my local gym under a tv screen showing Wheel of Fortune. I remember randomly thinking how fun it would be to go on the show one day. The thought lasted less than a stride in my mind and I continued my workout. Approximately 15 minutes later, my Dad sends me a text saying the Wheel of Fortune Wheelmobile was going to be in Little Rock on November 16th and he and Mom thought I should go audition. I thought that was ironic, and maybe even a sign that I should go for it, so I told them I would go with the condition they join me at the audition that weekend.
On a cool Fall morning in West Little Rock, we pulled into the massive parking lot near the Blue Cross at Shackleford Crossing. Hundreds of people had already gathered in a roped off area near a long yellow bus with the images of Pat and Vanna smiling above the rear tires. We proceeded into the line where a Wheel representative handed us a small card to fill out, requesting basic information about ourselves and spaces for interesting facts, hobbies, and talents. I attempted to fill out my card while inching along with the line corralling into a large holding area in front of a small stage assembled near the bus. However, because I was having difficulty determining which interesting fact I would share about myself, I had to step out of line briefly and complete my form on a small A-frame sign next to the line. Satisfied with my answers, I hopped back in line and proceeded to a large drop box where I tossed my card with hopes of being one of the few randomly selected to go on stage and compete for a chance to be on America’s Game.
The way a Wheelmobile works is once everyone has filled their card and consumed every inch of the roped area, a “fake Pat” and “fake Vanna” introduce themselves (“Pat” was played by a guy named Marty) and begin the show. They draw 5 names to come on stage to play a mock round of Wheel, while another 5 names are called to be on deck to follow. Each contestant will be interviewed on stage to tell their name, hometown, family info, and any other interesting facts about themselves. This is where I believe Wheel is judging closely, to see your stage presence and ability to work a crowd.
After each contestant is interviewed, the game begins and each player has a chance to call a single letter and potentially solve the puzzle. Wheel is also looking at your ability to play the game and call logical letters (such as R, S, T, L, N, E).
A few rounds into the event, my Mom’s name is called, and she excitingly heads toward the side of the stage to be on deck. A few minutes later, she and the 4 other contestants with her come up on stage. Just before Marty interviews my Mom, he calls my name to be on deck. Even more excited to hear my name called, Mom struggles to contain her emotion as she is interviewed. This probably didn’t help her chances of making the cut, and she didn’t solve her puzzle, so it was up to me to represent the family during my turn.
My group stood atop the stage and I was the 5th person in line, meaning I would go last to call a letter. Marty began his interview with me and I told the story of how I guided kayak tours through shark-infested waters. His ears perked and he asked me more about that fun fact. The crowd seemed to react positively to my interview as well. Then, it was time to solve our puzzle. The category was “Living Thing” and some good letters had been called when it became my turn. The puzzle board showed “_ _ _ _ _ _ N _ EE” when the mic was put in my face for a new letter. I called “C,” which happened to be the first letter and followed it up loudly solving the puzzle with “Chimpanzee!” We exited the stage and I was given a t-shirt and other Wheel goodies as prizes.
In all, maybe 5 – 6 thousand people had gathered there that day, hoping to be called on stage. My guess is maybe 100 – 125 were fortunate enough to be called.
The Final Audition
December 16th, 2019, I received an email with an invitation to participate in a much smaller final audition being held at the Capital Hotel in Little Rock on January 14th, 2020. When the date arrived, I was the second person to show up, and ended up getting a front row seat. There were approximately 50 people at this audition, all dressed in what they would likely be wearing if they were on the actual show.
A final audition consists of playing several mock rounds of Wheel, with each person being called on at some point to stand and call a good letter and/or solve the puzzle. The first series of rounds are followed by a written test, where you solve 16 incomplete puzzles (only a few letters provided). Then, the Contestant Coordinators use the mock rounds and written tests to determine if they have enough to make a decision on you. If they haven’t made a final decision on you, then you’ll be asked to stay to compete in more mock rounds. If they ask you to leave at that point, it doesn’t mean you won’t make it to the show, it just means they’ve seen enough to determine your fate.
The first series of mock rounds began and my name was called shortly after the first puzzle had been solved. A contestant had called a few good letters to the point I knew the puzzle, but I wanted to show how I would play the game and clearly call a few good letters before solving. The problem is I was so excited, I called a “P” in my mind, but “B” came out of my mouth. I instantly knew I had messed up and the next contestant was called to play. In my mind, I thought my blunder would cost me the chance to make the cut, but I knew I still had time to redeem myself. Sure enough, my name was called again on another puzzle, and I successfully picked a few good letters before calling a bad letter.
Now to the written test. Even for a Wheel aficionado, the written portion is no walk in the park. The 5 minutes seem to elapse in 3, and several of the puzzles only have a couple of letters provided. Fortunately, the category of each puzzle is given, which helps in figuring out what’s missing. Though I don’t know what my final score was, I am pretty sure I solved 11 or 12 of the 16 puzzles accurately, while filling in some letters to others.
While the Contestant Coordinators were grading papers, our group watched a video on the history of Wheel of Fortune and the impact it’s had on lives over the years. It truly is the king of game shows. Finally, after what seemed to be an eternity of waiting, the Contestant Coordinators returned with their list of contestants they wanted to stay to compete more. Again, if you didn’t hear your name called, it doesn’t necessarily mean you won’t make the show. I was actually hoping to hear my name called, so I could show them what I can do, despite my blunder in the opening round. After a few names were called to stay, mine was as well, and I felt a sense of relief I can’t even begin to explain. I was given another chance, and I knew this was my final opportunity to shine.
The final mock rounds are the same as the first rounds, except now we would be asked to do our “Pat Chat,” which is the part of the real show where Pat interviews each contestant to learn more about them. I recycled my shark-infested kayaking story for my Pat Chat and eloquently described myself, my family, and my hobbies. Though I didn’t solve any puzzles, I called good letters and was complimented for my voice/annunciation by the Contestant Coordinators. I felt good about how I finished, but wasn’t certain enough if I would receive the coveted letter in the mail they said accepted contestants could expect in a few weeks.
The Letter
My final audition was on January 14th, and the Contestant Coordinators said those who advanced to be on the show would likely see their invitation in the mail within 3 weeks. If we didn’t see a letter by then, they said we did not advance and we could always try again later down the road. For perspective, I read somewhere that out of the over 1 million applicants each year, Wheel only accepts 600 to participate on the show. Knowing the slim odds and factoring in my bad letter blunder, as the days and weeks passed, I was coming to terms with an inevitable “no.” 3 weeks passed, and I had still not received my letter, so I accepted defeat at this point and went on with my life.
On a cold Monday afternoon of February 10th, 2020, I held our oldest daughter and walked down to our mailbox expecting bills and other random mail. To my complete surprise, there was a letter addressed to me in a white envelope with big bold black letters in the upper left corner. Those letters read “WHEEL OF FORTUNE – SONY PICTURES TELEVISION.” Instantly, I knew this was the coveted letter I so badly wanted to receive. With my daughter in my arms, I jumped and shouted, “Daddy’s going to be on Wheel of Fortune!” The letter contained the Wheel logo and a lengthy message explaining the process, what I could and could not say to family and friends, and other details about what to expect going forward. The letter said I could expect to receive an email when the crew had selected my tape date. This email could come in as little as a week or as long as a year.
The Tape Date - Volume I
March 11th, 2020, I received the email inviting me to come to Culver City, California on March 27th to tape for a Father’s Day theme airing 6/8/20 – 6/12/20. That evening, I began to research past Father’s Day themed puzzles and even created my own puzzles from all sorts of categories I thought would be related to Dads. I also played the Wheel of Fortune app seemingly nonstop each day.
We all know what happened in our country in March of 2020, so after a week or so, I received an email stating the tape date had been rescheduled to April 4th. Of course, as we moved closer to April, I was told Sony would be postponing all taping until further notice.
The Tape Date - Volume II
February 14th, 2022, I noticed a familiar face on Wheel of Fortune. It was Karen Bowers, whom I had met during our final auditions back in 2020. Inspired by her episode, I emailed the Contestant Coordinators the following day just to stay on their radar. Approximately a week later, on February 23rd, I received an email from them saying I was invited to tape on March 16th for Great Outdoors Week. February 23rd is our youngest daughter’s birthday and March 16th is our oldest daughter’s birthday.
Like before, I watched past Great Outdoor themed episodes and created a spreadsheet of past puzzles used during those weeks. I created my own puzzles with outdoor themes and took things a step further by jotting down commonly used words in prize puzzles and bonus round puzzles. I was going to ensure I was prepared.
Los Angeles
March 14th, 2022, I flew into Los Angeles (LAX) . I had to report to Sony Studios Tuesday morning for a COVID screening. After checking into the hotel Monday night, I went over to Crypto (Staples) Arena to catch a Laker game courtside. I had never seen Lebron James play in person, and a rookie named Austin Reaves is from my hometown, so it just made sense to catch a game while I was in town.
I had a good night’s sleep that night and awakened early the next morning to report to Sony for my test. I spent the rest of the day at Universal Studios. My goal was to cover a lot of ground walking and essentially make myself tired enough to have a great night’s sleep before my tape day. I knocked out over 10 miles before leaving the park. I had a great conversation with my Lyft driver, who happened to be from Ukraine, so we discussed current events in his homeland for most of the drive. He dropped me off at a BBQ restaurant where I had a filling meal – again, for the purpose of making myself tired. After dinner, I hit the hotel gym to – you guessed it – make myself tired.
Needless to say, I felt tired when my head hit the pillow around 9:30pm. However, as I would later find out from the other contestants, none of us experienced much sleep that night.
Stage 10 - The Jeopardy Stage
March 16th, 2022, after maybe 3 hours of actual sleep, I recorded a birthday video for our daughter and began getting ready to head to Sony Pictures Studios. I picked up my freshly ironed teal shirt our oldest daughter had chosen and checked myself in the mirror several times with barely opened crusty eyes. Contestants were asked to be at Sony Pictures Studios a little before 7:00am, but not wanting to take any chances, I ordered a Lyft just around 6:00am to drive me 10 minutes to the studio. My driver dropped me off at the little Shell station across the street from Sony, and I made sure to purchase and down some caffeine before crossing the nearly vacant street to the pedestrian gate. I checked in with the security guard and proceeded to head up to the second level of the parking deck where a contestant holding area was established.
As one of the first contestants to arrive, I grabbed a seat and talked to the few others already there. Soon after other contestants began to show, and the Contestant Coordinators gathered to brief us on the day ahead, as well as hand us our black PPE bags. These bags contained masks, hand sanitizer, wipes, and pens. Following our briefing, we were escorted from the parking deck to Stage 10, which is where Jeopardy is taped. Wheel typically tapes on Wednesdays and Thursdays, while Jeopardy tapes on Mondays and Tuesdays, so we had the audience seats and stage to ourselves. The Jeopardy stage is a bit smaller than I had imagined, by the way.
One of the first Wheel representatives to speak to us was from the security team, and his job was to ensure we complied with every COVID protocol perfectly. We were to be masked and socially distanced at all times indoors. The only exceptions were when we were getting hair and makeup done and when we were on stage filming our shows. When outdoors, we were allowed to remove our masks, but we had to maintain social distancing. If COVID had a Fort Knox, this was it. To their credit, they have had no contestant or crewmember test positive as a result from being in studio since the beginning of the pandemic.
After our security briefing, we were greeted by a member of the legal team, who covered several pages of legal documents with us. We signed or initialed more clauses than I can recall, but one of them was refraining from mentioning the company we worked for and/or what products/services our company provided. I had rehearsed my “Pat Chat,” the portion of the show where Pat Sajak interviews each contestant, and thought of how I could plug my company. However, since legal axed that idea, I had to adjust my job description accordingly.
After speaking with security and legal, it was time for hair and makeup. I don’t have any hair on my head, so as Forrest Gump would say, “That’s good. One less thing.” With that said, since I spent the entire previous day outside without a hat, my head was a little red. It didn’t seem to be an issue for my makeup artist, because she did a tremendous job making me look tv worthy. Because of COVID protocol, I was permitted to remove my mask while getting makeup, but I wasn’t allowed to speak. I really wanted to talk, because she also did makeup for Alex Trebek on Jeopardy and I wanted to ask her so many questions.
While in the makeup chair, the Contestant Coordinators told us who we would be paired with in the game. My group was the first announced. Stephanie and Erika were mentioned along with my name. We were also matched with our spots on stage. I was given the red spot, Stephanie yellow, and Erika blue. Then, Contestant Coordinator Jackie drew a number out of a box to tell us our taping order. She drew #2 for us, meaning we would be the second show to tape for the day. I was relieved to not have to go first and not to be taping 6th, because that show wasn’t Great Outdoors themed, and I had spent weeks preparing for outdoor themed puzzles.
With hair and makeup complete, it was time to receive our nametags and be ushered across the street to Stage 11.
Stage 11 - The Wheel Stage
I remember entering the doorway to Stage 11 and first noticing all the Wheel memorabilia scattered across the walls. After briefly taking a glance at some of the plaques, old photos, and dresses worn by Vanna, we were ushered into the stage area. The first thing that stood out to me was the big bright puzzle board. I remember thinking that I’ve looked at numerous variations of this iconic object over my lifetime, and now I’m finally here standing in front of it! I made a slow turn atop the smooth black floor to take in my entire surroundings – the white Ford Edge, the “Great Outdoors” center screen, the log cabin surrounded by a small forest, then the wheel itself, encompassed by the contestant stage. I turned to Clark (another contestant) and we both looked at each other and simultaneously acknowledged we had finally made it.
While we were still soaking in our environment, a lady in yoga pants walked up to the stage and stood behind the yellow spot. As she said hello and offered a few words of encouragement, it took everyone a moment to realize we were listening to Vanna White speak to us. She looks completely different without makeup and sparkling dresses. Shortly after meeting Vanna, the contestants from outside the Los Angeles area were lined up to do the “Hometown Howdy,” which is where contestants address their hometown broadcasting audience and encourage them to watch Wheel of Fortune on their local station. The Los Angeles area no longer airs hometown howdies on their stations, so local contestants did not participate. The concept is simple – stand on a stool in front of the big screen and say your name, followed by the phrase “Watch me play Wheel of Fortune on channel ___!” Simple concept, but keep in mind, contestants are quickly realizing how many viewers will be seeing this announcement. Needless to say, it took most of the contestants multiple takes to get theirs right. Fortunately, when it was my turn, I had practiced my line in my head a few times and only needed one take to nail my hometown howdy.
With howdies in the bag, it was time to practice a few mock rounds of playing Wheel. Groups of 3 went on stage to get the feel of the wheel and call out letters. One of the contestant coordinators would play the role of Pat and officiate the game. Standing in the red spot, I remember grabbing my little white peg cover and reaching down to spin the wheel for the first time. I reached as far to my right as possible, placed the cover over a peg, and pushed the wheel with good effort. As my right hand whooshed to the left, the bottom of my wrist scraped against the wedge indicating flapper. I don’t think it drew blood, but it left a pretty good scrape on my wrist. I called a consonant and followed it up with a vowel, then spun again. I hit the flapper with my wrist a second time and began thinking it’s going to be a long day if this keeps happening. I didn’t get another opportunity to spin, so I knew I would have to adjust for the actual gametime.
After everyone had an opportunity to practice, we were brought outside Stage 11 to grab a snack, take a restroom break, and grab any items we may have left from Stage 10. Upon returning to Stage 11, we were summoned to the audience seating area, where we could sit socially distanced among approximately 160 empty seats. I sat near the back of the middle section, a few seats over from Tim (another contestant). After a few moments, the crew started taking their places and Jim Thornton walked by us up the steps to his little sound booth at the back of the seating area. I then noticed Pat Sajak enter through a door behind the puzzle board. It was my first glance of him.
Gametime
Clark, Pat, and Darroll were called to go backstage and prepare to tape the first game of the day. Tim, a guy who would tape for the 4th show, sat near me and we briefly chatted before it was time to be quiet on the set. Soon, everyone took their places and the first game contestants had their promotional photos taken. Shortly after, Jim Thornton announced the week’s theme and episode number, followed by his iconic introduction of the stars of the show (Pat and Vanna).
As the game progressed, Tim and I quietly shared what we thought the puzzle answer was each round. He was pretty quick to solve, so I remember thinking he should do very well in his game. If memory serves, I think he ended up with the lowest total of everyone who taped that day. Just goes to show you even the best players can fall victim to the wheel or other contestants dominating.
The first game went by in a flash and just before the bonus round began, Stephanie, Erika, and I were summoned backstage to prepare for our game. Contestant Coordinator Shannon asked if any of us needed to use the restroom, because we wouldn’t have another chance for quite a while. I remember feeling like I had to go, but couldn't for some reason. It was at this point, nerves started creeping in for the first time. I stepped into the backstage hallway and went over my Pat Chat with Shannon. I fumbled over my words that I had practiced countless times. The nerves were really getting to me at this point.
The first game ended and it was time for us to take the stage to prepare for the second game. Once on stage, we took our places and the crew adjusted our platforms so we would appear somewhat equal in height on screen. My platform was not lifted much, if at all. We were once again allowed to quickly spin the wheel and call letters. During this spin, my wrist did not scrape against the flapper, so I was relieved to know I had figured out the proper method. It was at that moment, the butterflies started flying in motion and I was no longer nervous. As I absorbed my surroundings – the wheel, the production area with scoreboard, the used letter screen, and the letter board – I felt in my element and ready to go.
The photographer took our still photos and soon after, a video camera panned across the stage to film us clapping while pretending to watch Pat and Vanna arrive. They film this first to avoid hitting the real Pat and Vanna as they walk on stage. After a few moments, Jim Thornton is sitting in a chair in front of the log cabin and says, “Ladies and gentlemen, here are the stars of our show, Pat Sajak and Vanna White!” Pat and Vanna walk on stage, and Pat references Jim sitting in a comfy chair during the opening and jokingly adds that next season, his contract stipulates him laying in a bed.
Pat kicks off the show with the first tossup puzzle, which is categorized as Song Lyrics. F_O_ TH_ R_D_ _OD FO_ _ _ T appeared on the board and I clicked my button to correctly solve “FROM THE REDWOOD FOREST” for $1,000, which Pat followed with “to the gulf stream waters.” Having solved the first tossup, I was first to chat with Pat. He said my name and mentioned me being from Little Rock, Arkansas. He asked what I do back there, and I essentially said I work for a branded communication software company. He mentioned me being a married man, and I responded that I married way up (Pat chuckled) to a brilliant, magnificent, breathtaking wife named Anna. I had intended to just say “breathtaking,” but couldn’t think of the word, so I adlibbed until it came to my mind. I then mentioned our two whimsical daughters, ages 5 and 1, and how they both have me wrapped around their fingers. Pat closed with asking if people called me “Topo,” to which I replied that it was short for “topography,” because I’ve always been able to describe in detail the trails I’ve hiked and the elevations of the mountains I’ve climbed. Pat liked that and thought it was perfect for Outdoor Week.
Stephanie, a psychologist from San Diego was then introduced, followed by Erika from Xenia, Ohio, who works at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. It was then time for the second tossup, which was the ever popular, What Are You Wearing category. _OR_OUT LE_G_N_S was on the board as Erika solved “WORKOUT LEGGINGS” for $2,000.
The next puzzle was a crossword categorized as Around The Campfire. Erika had a clean sweep of the puzzle and solved STORYTELLERS, TENT, WEENIES for $2,450 plus a snow skiing trip worth $7,000.
What Are You Doing was the next puzzle category. Knowing that this category almost always has an “ING” ending in there, I started the spinning and called an N, followed by an I, then a G. At this point, I was noticing my natural spin was equating to just about one complete revolution of the wheel. I bought an E and gave the wheel another spin with the same effort as before, but unfortunately landed on Lose A Turn. Stephanie’s turn, so she spins and calls a good letter. After a missed S, Erika spins and calls a few good letters, including some vowels. After calling a bad T, I spin and call a bad C. I don’t know why, but for some reason I was thinking PACKING instead of PARKING. Had I been watching from home, I most definitely would have known the puzzle and called an R. In case you were wondering, playing Wheel live on stage is nothing like playing from the comfort of your own home. Stephanie spins a couple of times, calling the R and the P, then correctly solves “PARKING MY DUNE BUGGY” for $2,150.
Time for the Prize Puzzle, which was categorized as Living Things. Stephanie started us off with an S and a T. It’s at this point, I know the puzzle and plan on solving without spinning when my turn comes. After a few more letters, Stephanie calls a bad O. Internally, I’m a little pumped up, knowing I’m one step closer to solving the Prize Puzzle and winning a trip to somewhere extravagant. Erika spins a few times, calling good letters. Reading her face and body language, I get the sense she doesn’t know the puzzle yet. Still, she keeps spinning well and calls more good letters. She eventually pieces together the remainder of the puzzle, solving STINGRAYS AND SEA TURTLES for $3,050, plus a trip to Belize worth $7,028. Although I’m happy for Erika, I’m a bit deflated, as winning the prize puzzle was one of my big goals. I knew the puzzle early on, but never had the chance to solve it.
We go to the commercial break with Erika holding a commanding lead with $21,528. It’s at this moment I realize the game may be out of reach. We step off stage and Jackie with her infectious enthusiasm tries to encourage us to keep our heads up, reminding us there’s still plenty of game left. Internally, I’m still a little bummed as I notice I still only have $1,000, which is the minimum amount you get just for playing the game. Many call it the “sympathy thousand.” Stephanie also looks a little concerned, as she only has $2,150 at this point. I remember saying a little prayer, asking God to let me leave with some morsel of dignity by surpassing the sympathy thousand.
Pat exclaims “Time now for the T-Mobile Triple Tossup!” The first category is Thing. With _I_HI_G _ _AT on the board, I solve “FISHING BOAT” for $2,000. A sigh of relief exhales from my body because I know I won’t be going home with the minimum. On the second tossup, Stephanie solves “SPEEDBOAT” for $2,000. She then solves “LIFEBOAT” for another $2,000 to complete the triple tossup. After the tossups are complete, the producers ask Pat to announce the T-Mobile Triple Tossup once more. Apparently, they didn’t like the original version, so what you see on tv is the second take. During my taping, this was the only edit I noticed them doing.
The next puzzle arrives with the Person category. Stephanie starts the spinning and calls a few good letters before missing with an M. Erika finds her first bump in the road with a Lose A Turn. With A_ _ E_T_ _ _ _S T_ _ _ _ ST on the board, I have a pretty good idea what the puzzle is, but I want to see if I can add a little more money to at least vault myself into second place. After calling a good R, with the memory of a Lose A Turn lurking in my mind, I decide to solve the puzzle a bit early to guarantee some earnings. I solve “ADVENTUROUS TOURIST” for $1,200. If you listen closely, you may notice I say “adventurous’t,” as my mind was already thinking of “tourist” and my lips followed. Pat mentions it was another tongue twister puzzle and I was awarded the solve, despite my verbal error.
Because of the quick solve, we get another puzzle. In The Kitchen is the category and Erika kicks us off with the spin to determine how much each consonant is worth. I was hoping she’d land on the $5,000 wedge, but she literally misses it by two little pegs, landing on the $500 wedge next to it. With the additional $1,000, this means all consonants will be worth $1,500. Erika calls a good S, but doesn’t know the puzzle. I call a bad R. Stephanie calls a good T (there are 4). Erika calls a good N. I call a good G. Stephanie calls a good L (there are two). Erika calls a bad F. I call a good H and after pausing a moment to figure out the second word, it comes to me and I solve “WHISTLING TEAKETTLE” for $3,000.
After the last puzzle solve, I feel somewhat satisfied in finishing second with $7,200. I’m extremely competitive and hate losing more than I love winning. With that said, I played with two other very good contestants, who were very deserving of being there. Stephanie finished with $6,150 and Erika was the big winner with $21,528.
As Erika was ushered to take her spot for the Bonus Round, Stephanie and I were escorted backstage where we began going through our winnings documents. In the little holding room was a tv showing Erika playing the Bonus Round. She called Thing as her category, which is generally one of the more difficult categories to solve, since it covers a broad spectrum of possibilities. Still, Erika is a good player, and I had confidence in her solving the puzzle. After R, S, T, L ,N, E are revealed, the puzzle board shows _ L_ _ EL_ _ _ _ _ _ET and I immediately know the puzzle. For her 3 consonants and a vowel, Erika calls D, C, M, and A. Only the A fits the puzzle. Meanwhile, I’m backstage, separated by a wall and maybe 30 feet of space from Erika. I’m doing everything I can not to shout out the puzzle. I end up whispering it over and over again, hoping she solves it, but those Vs and Qs stump even the best players at times. She did get Lovely correct, but missed out on Bouquet for “A LOVELY BOUQUET” solve.
Erika ended up winning a ski trip, some camping gear, and a trip to Belize. She told me after our taping that she doesn’t ski, she doesn’t camp, and her husband hates flying. I’m connected with her on Facebook, and I believe she ended up taking her daughter on the ski trip. Not sure if she went to Belize, however.
Post Taping
After we taped our show, which again was the second of 6 shows to tape that day, I remember sitting in the audience replaying the game in my mind and wondering what I could’ve done differently. Aside from the bad C in the What Are You Doing puzzle, I couldn’t find a lot of holes in my game. I had 4 goals I set out to achieve – solve the first tossup, win the Prize Puzzle (or a trip wedge), solve the Bonus Round, and not make an idiot of myself on world television. Looking back, I believe I accomplished two of my goals.
I remember several details of the remaining shows, but for the sake of time, I’ll spare those. I will say I thoroughly enjoyed talking to Jim Thornton between shows. He is from West Virginia, and we talked about the similarities of growing up in rural states.
After all the shows completed taping, somewhere around 6:00pm, all of us contestants gathered for photos outside the studio under a big Wheel of Fortune sign. We reminisced about each show and had a lot of laughs. Pat Sexton, the winner of the first show, gave me a ride back to the hotel where many of us stayed. She, Clark (first show), Amy (fourth show winner), Kevan (fifth show winner), and I gathered for drinks at the lobby bar. We then took the party to a nearby TGI Fridays. I still keep in touch with them to this day. It’s hard to describe the unique bond we have being etched in television history together on arguably the most popular gameshow of all time.
I want to give a special shoutout and thanks to the Contestant Coordinators, Shannon, Jackie, and Alex. They are the lifeblood of Wheel of Fortune. From the final auditions to the day of taping, they were always there to ensure you had everything you needed as a contestant. They genuinely wanted you to have a great game and win a lot of cash and prizes. Shannon was my main point of contact from my audition in 2020 and answered most of my questions leading up to tape day. Jackie was the energetic encourager at audition day and didn’t skip a beat during tape day. She is no longer with the show, but is greatly missed by all. I met Alex on tape day, who made sure my nametag stayed on straight and my PPE bag with me at all times.
Being on Wheel of Fortune was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience I will cherish the rest of my life. When my episode originally aired, we had a small group of friends gather at my house for a “watch party.” I’m not really one to be the center of attention, but it was nice seeing my oldest daughter beam with pride seeing her Daddy on television and having our friends celebrate the few bright spots I had from the game.
My episode re-aired in August of 2022, but I didn’t watch it. However, a couple of days later, a few of my colleagues showed me a TikTok video that had surfaced making fun of me for nearly spelling a derogatory word with my What Are You Doing puzzle. It already had over 1 million views, but at least some of the comments came to my aid explaining I was calling logical letters for that particular category. So, for those of you who have yet to be on Wheel, just remember to call G first in a What Are You Doing puzzle.
I’m sure I’ll think of things I left out of this, but for now, this is a decent description of my experience playing my favorite game show. I hope you enjoyed the read. I can’t thank this forum enough for all of the information and advice helping me prepare for the game. Thank you as well to those of you who sent encouraging words after my episode. I know I’m not a fan favorite, but if Wheel ever does a mulligan episode, or an “I never had a chance to solve the Prize Puzzle” episode, sign me up!
-Michael
Since my Wheel of Fortune episode originally aired last year, several have asked about my experience being on the show and the process I went through to get there. I thought I’d put together my experience to share with all of you.
I originally wrote this with friends/family in mind, so many of you reading this will find some things redundant. Also, many of the experiences I had are no longer relevant with how the audition process works or how a tape day looks under COVID protocols. Nonetheless, I hope you enjoy reading about my spin on Wheel.
The Random Thought and The Wheelmobile
On November 13th, 2019, I was getting warmed up on the treadmill at my local gym under a tv screen showing Wheel of Fortune. I remember randomly thinking how fun it would be to go on the show one day. The thought lasted less than a stride in my mind and I continued my workout. Approximately 15 minutes later, my Dad sends me a text saying the Wheel of Fortune Wheelmobile was going to be in Little Rock on November 16th and he and Mom thought I should go audition. I thought that was ironic, and maybe even a sign that I should go for it, so I told them I would go with the condition they join me at the audition that weekend.
On a cool Fall morning in West Little Rock, we pulled into the massive parking lot near the Blue Cross at Shackleford Crossing. Hundreds of people had already gathered in a roped off area near a long yellow bus with the images of Pat and Vanna smiling above the rear tires. We proceeded into the line where a Wheel representative handed us a small card to fill out, requesting basic information about ourselves and spaces for interesting facts, hobbies, and talents. I attempted to fill out my card while inching along with the line corralling into a large holding area in front of a small stage assembled near the bus. However, because I was having difficulty determining which interesting fact I would share about myself, I had to step out of line briefly and complete my form on a small A-frame sign next to the line. Satisfied with my answers, I hopped back in line and proceeded to a large drop box where I tossed my card with hopes of being one of the few randomly selected to go on stage and compete for a chance to be on America’s Game.
The way a Wheelmobile works is once everyone has filled their card and consumed every inch of the roped area, a “fake Pat” and “fake Vanna” introduce themselves (“Pat” was played by a guy named Marty) and begin the show. They draw 5 names to come on stage to play a mock round of Wheel, while another 5 names are called to be on deck to follow. Each contestant will be interviewed on stage to tell their name, hometown, family info, and any other interesting facts about themselves. This is where I believe Wheel is judging closely, to see your stage presence and ability to work a crowd.
After each contestant is interviewed, the game begins and each player has a chance to call a single letter and potentially solve the puzzle. Wheel is also looking at your ability to play the game and call logical letters (such as R, S, T, L, N, E).
A few rounds into the event, my Mom’s name is called, and she excitingly heads toward the side of the stage to be on deck. A few minutes later, she and the 4 other contestants with her come up on stage. Just before Marty interviews my Mom, he calls my name to be on deck. Even more excited to hear my name called, Mom struggles to contain her emotion as she is interviewed. This probably didn’t help her chances of making the cut, and she didn’t solve her puzzle, so it was up to me to represent the family during my turn.
My group stood atop the stage and I was the 5th person in line, meaning I would go last to call a letter. Marty began his interview with me and I told the story of how I guided kayak tours through shark-infested waters. His ears perked and he asked me more about that fun fact. The crowd seemed to react positively to my interview as well. Then, it was time to solve our puzzle. The category was “Living Thing” and some good letters had been called when it became my turn. The puzzle board showed “_ _ _ _ _ _ N _ EE” when the mic was put in my face for a new letter. I called “C,” which happened to be the first letter and followed it up loudly solving the puzzle with “Chimpanzee!” We exited the stage and I was given a t-shirt and other Wheel goodies as prizes.
In all, maybe 5 – 6 thousand people had gathered there that day, hoping to be called on stage. My guess is maybe 100 – 125 were fortunate enough to be called.
The Final Audition
December 16th, 2019, I received an email with an invitation to participate in a much smaller final audition being held at the Capital Hotel in Little Rock on January 14th, 2020. When the date arrived, I was the second person to show up, and ended up getting a front row seat. There were approximately 50 people at this audition, all dressed in what they would likely be wearing if they were on the actual show.
A final audition consists of playing several mock rounds of Wheel, with each person being called on at some point to stand and call a good letter and/or solve the puzzle. The first series of rounds are followed by a written test, where you solve 16 incomplete puzzles (only a few letters provided). Then, the Contestant Coordinators use the mock rounds and written tests to determine if they have enough to make a decision on you. If they haven’t made a final decision on you, then you’ll be asked to stay to compete in more mock rounds. If they ask you to leave at that point, it doesn’t mean you won’t make it to the show, it just means they’ve seen enough to determine your fate.
The first series of mock rounds began and my name was called shortly after the first puzzle had been solved. A contestant had called a few good letters to the point I knew the puzzle, but I wanted to show how I would play the game and clearly call a few good letters before solving. The problem is I was so excited, I called a “P” in my mind, but “B” came out of my mouth. I instantly knew I had messed up and the next contestant was called to play. In my mind, I thought my blunder would cost me the chance to make the cut, but I knew I still had time to redeem myself. Sure enough, my name was called again on another puzzle, and I successfully picked a few good letters before calling a bad letter.
Now to the written test. Even for a Wheel aficionado, the written portion is no walk in the park. The 5 minutes seem to elapse in 3, and several of the puzzles only have a couple of letters provided. Fortunately, the category of each puzzle is given, which helps in figuring out what’s missing. Though I don’t know what my final score was, I am pretty sure I solved 11 or 12 of the 16 puzzles accurately, while filling in some letters to others.
While the Contestant Coordinators were grading papers, our group watched a video on the history of Wheel of Fortune and the impact it’s had on lives over the years. It truly is the king of game shows. Finally, after what seemed to be an eternity of waiting, the Contestant Coordinators returned with their list of contestants they wanted to stay to compete more. Again, if you didn’t hear your name called, it doesn’t necessarily mean you won’t make the show. I was actually hoping to hear my name called, so I could show them what I can do, despite my blunder in the opening round. After a few names were called to stay, mine was as well, and I felt a sense of relief I can’t even begin to explain. I was given another chance, and I knew this was my final opportunity to shine.
The final mock rounds are the same as the first rounds, except now we would be asked to do our “Pat Chat,” which is the part of the real show where Pat interviews each contestant to learn more about them. I recycled my shark-infested kayaking story for my Pat Chat and eloquently described myself, my family, and my hobbies. Though I didn’t solve any puzzles, I called good letters and was complimented for my voice/annunciation by the Contestant Coordinators. I felt good about how I finished, but wasn’t certain enough if I would receive the coveted letter in the mail they said accepted contestants could expect in a few weeks.
The Letter
My final audition was on January 14th, and the Contestant Coordinators said those who advanced to be on the show would likely see their invitation in the mail within 3 weeks. If we didn’t see a letter by then, they said we did not advance and we could always try again later down the road. For perspective, I read somewhere that out of the over 1 million applicants each year, Wheel only accepts 600 to participate on the show. Knowing the slim odds and factoring in my bad letter blunder, as the days and weeks passed, I was coming to terms with an inevitable “no.” 3 weeks passed, and I had still not received my letter, so I accepted defeat at this point and went on with my life.
On a cold Monday afternoon of February 10th, 2020, I held our oldest daughter and walked down to our mailbox expecting bills and other random mail. To my complete surprise, there was a letter addressed to me in a white envelope with big bold black letters in the upper left corner. Those letters read “WHEEL OF FORTUNE – SONY PICTURES TELEVISION.” Instantly, I knew this was the coveted letter I so badly wanted to receive. With my daughter in my arms, I jumped and shouted, “Daddy’s going to be on Wheel of Fortune!” The letter contained the Wheel logo and a lengthy message explaining the process, what I could and could not say to family and friends, and other details about what to expect going forward. The letter said I could expect to receive an email when the crew had selected my tape date. This email could come in as little as a week or as long as a year.
The Tape Date - Volume I
March 11th, 2020, I received the email inviting me to come to Culver City, California on March 27th to tape for a Father’s Day theme airing 6/8/20 – 6/12/20. That evening, I began to research past Father’s Day themed puzzles and even created my own puzzles from all sorts of categories I thought would be related to Dads. I also played the Wheel of Fortune app seemingly nonstop each day.
We all know what happened in our country in March of 2020, so after a week or so, I received an email stating the tape date had been rescheduled to April 4th. Of course, as we moved closer to April, I was told Sony would be postponing all taping until further notice.
The Tape Date - Volume II
February 14th, 2022, I noticed a familiar face on Wheel of Fortune. It was Karen Bowers, whom I had met during our final auditions back in 2020. Inspired by her episode, I emailed the Contestant Coordinators the following day just to stay on their radar. Approximately a week later, on February 23rd, I received an email from them saying I was invited to tape on March 16th for Great Outdoors Week. February 23rd is our youngest daughter’s birthday and March 16th is our oldest daughter’s birthday.
Like before, I watched past Great Outdoor themed episodes and created a spreadsheet of past puzzles used during those weeks. I created my own puzzles with outdoor themes and took things a step further by jotting down commonly used words in prize puzzles and bonus round puzzles. I was going to ensure I was prepared.
Los Angeles
March 14th, 2022, I flew into Los Angeles (LAX) . I had to report to Sony Studios Tuesday morning for a COVID screening. After checking into the hotel Monday night, I went over to Crypto (Staples) Arena to catch a Laker game courtside. I had never seen Lebron James play in person, and a rookie named Austin Reaves is from my hometown, so it just made sense to catch a game while I was in town.
I had a good night’s sleep that night and awakened early the next morning to report to Sony for my test. I spent the rest of the day at Universal Studios. My goal was to cover a lot of ground walking and essentially make myself tired enough to have a great night’s sleep before my tape day. I knocked out over 10 miles before leaving the park. I had a great conversation with my Lyft driver, who happened to be from Ukraine, so we discussed current events in his homeland for most of the drive. He dropped me off at a BBQ restaurant where I had a filling meal – again, for the purpose of making myself tired. After dinner, I hit the hotel gym to – you guessed it – make myself tired.
Needless to say, I felt tired when my head hit the pillow around 9:30pm. However, as I would later find out from the other contestants, none of us experienced much sleep that night.
Stage 10 - The Jeopardy Stage
March 16th, 2022, after maybe 3 hours of actual sleep, I recorded a birthday video for our daughter and began getting ready to head to Sony Pictures Studios. I picked up my freshly ironed teal shirt our oldest daughter had chosen and checked myself in the mirror several times with barely opened crusty eyes. Contestants were asked to be at Sony Pictures Studios a little before 7:00am, but not wanting to take any chances, I ordered a Lyft just around 6:00am to drive me 10 minutes to the studio. My driver dropped me off at the little Shell station across the street from Sony, and I made sure to purchase and down some caffeine before crossing the nearly vacant street to the pedestrian gate. I checked in with the security guard and proceeded to head up to the second level of the parking deck where a contestant holding area was established.
As one of the first contestants to arrive, I grabbed a seat and talked to the few others already there. Soon after other contestants began to show, and the Contestant Coordinators gathered to brief us on the day ahead, as well as hand us our black PPE bags. These bags contained masks, hand sanitizer, wipes, and pens. Following our briefing, we were escorted from the parking deck to Stage 10, which is where Jeopardy is taped. Wheel typically tapes on Wednesdays and Thursdays, while Jeopardy tapes on Mondays and Tuesdays, so we had the audience seats and stage to ourselves. The Jeopardy stage is a bit smaller than I had imagined, by the way.
One of the first Wheel representatives to speak to us was from the security team, and his job was to ensure we complied with every COVID protocol perfectly. We were to be masked and socially distanced at all times indoors. The only exceptions were when we were getting hair and makeup done and when we were on stage filming our shows. When outdoors, we were allowed to remove our masks, but we had to maintain social distancing. If COVID had a Fort Knox, this was it. To their credit, they have had no contestant or crewmember test positive as a result from being in studio since the beginning of the pandemic.
After our security briefing, we were greeted by a member of the legal team, who covered several pages of legal documents with us. We signed or initialed more clauses than I can recall, but one of them was refraining from mentioning the company we worked for and/or what products/services our company provided. I had rehearsed my “Pat Chat,” the portion of the show where Pat Sajak interviews each contestant, and thought of how I could plug my company. However, since legal axed that idea, I had to adjust my job description accordingly.
After speaking with security and legal, it was time for hair and makeup. I don’t have any hair on my head, so as Forrest Gump would say, “That’s good. One less thing.” With that said, since I spent the entire previous day outside without a hat, my head was a little red. It didn’t seem to be an issue for my makeup artist, because she did a tremendous job making me look tv worthy. Because of COVID protocol, I was permitted to remove my mask while getting makeup, but I wasn’t allowed to speak. I really wanted to talk, because she also did makeup for Alex Trebek on Jeopardy and I wanted to ask her so many questions.
While in the makeup chair, the Contestant Coordinators told us who we would be paired with in the game. My group was the first announced. Stephanie and Erika were mentioned along with my name. We were also matched with our spots on stage. I was given the red spot, Stephanie yellow, and Erika blue. Then, Contestant Coordinator Jackie drew a number out of a box to tell us our taping order. She drew #2 for us, meaning we would be the second show to tape for the day. I was relieved to not have to go first and not to be taping 6th, because that show wasn’t Great Outdoors themed, and I had spent weeks preparing for outdoor themed puzzles.
With hair and makeup complete, it was time to receive our nametags and be ushered across the street to Stage 11.
Stage 11 - The Wheel Stage
I remember entering the doorway to Stage 11 and first noticing all the Wheel memorabilia scattered across the walls. After briefly taking a glance at some of the plaques, old photos, and dresses worn by Vanna, we were ushered into the stage area. The first thing that stood out to me was the big bright puzzle board. I remember thinking that I’ve looked at numerous variations of this iconic object over my lifetime, and now I’m finally here standing in front of it! I made a slow turn atop the smooth black floor to take in my entire surroundings – the white Ford Edge, the “Great Outdoors” center screen, the log cabin surrounded by a small forest, then the wheel itself, encompassed by the contestant stage. I turned to Clark (another contestant) and we both looked at each other and simultaneously acknowledged we had finally made it.
While we were still soaking in our environment, a lady in yoga pants walked up to the stage and stood behind the yellow spot. As she said hello and offered a few words of encouragement, it took everyone a moment to realize we were listening to Vanna White speak to us. She looks completely different without makeup and sparkling dresses. Shortly after meeting Vanna, the contestants from outside the Los Angeles area were lined up to do the “Hometown Howdy,” which is where contestants address their hometown broadcasting audience and encourage them to watch Wheel of Fortune on their local station. The Los Angeles area no longer airs hometown howdies on their stations, so local contestants did not participate. The concept is simple – stand on a stool in front of the big screen and say your name, followed by the phrase “Watch me play Wheel of Fortune on channel ___!” Simple concept, but keep in mind, contestants are quickly realizing how many viewers will be seeing this announcement. Needless to say, it took most of the contestants multiple takes to get theirs right. Fortunately, when it was my turn, I had practiced my line in my head a few times and only needed one take to nail my hometown howdy.
With howdies in the bag, it was time to practice a few mock rounds of playing Wheel. Groups of 3 went on stage to get the feel of the wheel and call out letters. One of the contestant coordinators would play the role of Pat and officiate the game. Standing in the red spot, I remember grabbing my little white peg cover and reaching down to spin the wheel for the first time. I reached as far to my right as possible, placed the cover over a peg, and pushed the wheel with good effort. As my right hand whooshed to the left, the bottom of my wrist scraped against the wedge indicating flapper. I don’t think it drew blood, but it left a pretty good scrape on my wrist. I called a consonant and followed it up with a vowel, then spun again. I hit the flapper with my wrist a second time and began thinking it’s going to be a long day if this keeps happening. I didn’t get another opportunity to spin, so I knew I would have to adjust for the actual gametime.
After everyone had an opportunity to practice, we were brought outside Stage 11 to grab a snack, take a restroom break, and grab any items we may have left from Stage 10. Upon returning to Stage 11, we were summoned to the audience seating area, where we could sit socially distanced among approximately 160 empty seats. I sat near the back of the middle section, a few seats over from Tim (another contestant). After a few moments, the crew started taking their places and Jim Thornton walked by us up the steps to his little sound booth at the back of the seating area. I then noticed Pat Sajak enter through a door behind the puzzle board. It was my first glance of him.
Gametime
Clark, Pat, and Darroll were called to go backstage and prepare to tape the first game of the day. Tim, a guy who would tape for the 4th show, sat near me and we briefly chatted before it was time to be quiet on the set. Soon, everyone took their places and the first game contestants had their promotional photos taken. Shortly after, Jim Thornton announced the week’s theme and episode number, followed by his iconic introduction of the stars of the show (Pat and Vanna).
As the game progressed, Tim and I quietly shared what we thought the puzzle answer was each round. He was pretty quick to solve, so I remember thinking he should do very well in his game. If memory serves, I think he ended up with the lowest total of everyone who taped that day. Just goes to show you even the best players can fall victim to the wheel or other contestants dominating.
The first game went by in a flash and just before the bonus round began, Stephanie, Erika, and I were summoned backstage to prepare for our game. Contestant Coordinator Shannon asked if any of us needed to use the restroom, because we wouldn’t have another chance for quite a while. I remember feeling like I had to go, but couldn't for some reason. It was at this point, nerves started creeping in for the first time. I stepped into the backstage hallway and went over my Pat Chat with Shannon. I fumbled over my words that I had practiced countless times. The nerves were really getting to me at this point.
The first game ended and it was time for us to take the stage to prepare for the second game. Once on stage, we took our places and the crew adjusted our platforms so we would appear somewhat equal in height on screen. My platform was not lifted much, if at all. We were once again allowed to quickly spin the wheel and call letters. During this spin, my wrist did not scrape against the flapper, so I was relieved to know I had figured out the proper method. It was at that moment, the butterflies started flying in motion and I was no longer nervous. As I absorbed my surroundings – the wheel, the production area with scoreboard, the used letter screen, and the letter board – I felt in my element and ready to go.
The photographer took our still photos and soon after, a video camera panned across the stage to film us clapping while pretending to watch Pat and Vanna arrive. They film this first to avoid hitting the real Pat and Vanna as they walk on stage. After a few moments, Jim Thornton is sitting in a chair in front of the log cabin and says, “Ladies and gentlemen, here are the stars of our show, Pat Sajak and Vanna White!” Pat and Vanna walk on stage, and Pat references Jim sitting in a comfy chair during the opening and jokingly adds that next season, his contract stipulates him laying in a bed.
Pat kicks off the show with the first tossup puzzle, which is categorized as Song Lyrics. F_O_ TH_ R_D_ _OD FO_ _ _ T appeared on the board and I clicked my button to correctly solve “FROM THE REDWOOD FOREST” for $1,000, which Pat followed with “to the gulf stream waters.” Having solved the first tossup, I was first to chat with Pat. He said my name and mentioned me being from Little Rock, Arkansas. He asked what I do back there, and I essentially said I work for a branded communication software company. He mentioned me being a married man, and I responded that I married way up (Pat chuckled) to a brilliant, magnificent, breathtaking wife named Anna. I had intended to just say “breathtaking,” but couldn’t think of the word, so I adlibbed until it came to my mind. I then mentioned our two whimsical daughters, ages 5 and 1, and how they both have me wrapped around their fingers. Pat closed with asking if people called me “Topo,” to which I replied that it was short for “topography,” because I’ve always been able to describe in detail the trails I’ve hiked and the elevations of the mountains I’ve climbed. Pat liked that and thought it was perfect for Outdoor Week.
Stephanie, a psychologist from San Diego was then introduced, followed by Erika from Xenia, Ohio, who works at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. It was then time for the second tossup, which was the ever popular, What Are You Wearing category. _OR_OUT LE_G_N_S was on the board as Erika solved “WORKOUT LEGGINGS” for $2,000.
The next puzzle was a crossword categorized as Around The Campfire. Erika had a clean sweep of the puzzle and solved STORYTELLERS, TENT, WEENIES for $2,450 plus a snow skiing trip worth $7,000.
What Are You Doing was the next puzzle category. Knowing that this category almost always has an “ING” ending in there, I started the spinning and called an N, followed by an I, then a G. At this point, I was noticing my natural spin was equating to just about one complete revolution of the wheel. I bought an E and gave the wheel another spin with the same effort as before, but unfortunately landed on Lose A Turn. Stephanie’s turn, so she spins and calls a good letter. After a missed S, Erika spins and calls a few good letters, including some vowels. After calling a bad T, I spin and call a bad C. I don’t know why, but for some reason I was thinking PACKING instead of PARKING. Had I been watching from home, I most definitely would have known the puzzle and called an R. In case you were wondering, playing Wheel live on stage is nothing like playing from the comfort of your own home. Stephanie spins a couple of times, calling the R and the P, then correctly solves “PARKING MY DUNE BUGGY” for $2,150.
Time for the Prize Puzzle, which was categorized as Living Things. Stephanie started us off with an S and a T. It’s at this point, I know the puzzle and plan on solving without spinning when my turn comes. After a few more letters, Stephanie calls a bad O. Internally, I’m a little pumped up, knowing I’m one step closer to solving the Prize Puzzle and winning a trip to somewhere extravagant. Erika spins a few times, calling good letters. Reading her face and body language, I get the sense she doesn’t know the puzzle yet. Still, she keeps spinning well and calls more good letters. She eventually pieces together the remainder of the puzzle, solving STINGRAYS AND SEA TURTLES for $3,050, plus a trip to Belize worth $7,028. Although I’m happy for Erika, I’m a bit deflated, as winning the prize puzzle was one of my big goals. I knew the puzzle early on, but never had the chance to solve it.
We go to the commercial break with Erika holding a commanding lead with $21,528. It’s at this moment I realize the game may be out of reach. We step off stage and Jackie with her infectious enthusiasm tries to encourage us to keep our heads up, reminding us there’s still plenty of game left. Internally, I’m still a little bummed as I notice I still only have $1,000, which is the minimum amount you get just for playing the game. Many call it the “sympathy thousand.” Stephanie also looks a little concerned, as she only has $2,150 at this point. I remember saying a little prayer, asking God to let me leave with some morsel of dignity by surpassing the sympathy thousand.
Pat exclaims “Time now for the T-Mobile Triple Tossup!” The first category is Thing. With _I_HI_G _ _AT on the board, I solve “FISHING BOAT” for $2,000. A sigh of relief exhales from my body because I know I won’t be going home with the minimum. On the second tossup, Stephanie solves “SPEEDBOAT” for $2,000. She then solves “LIFEBOAT” for another $2,000 to complete the triple tossup. After the tossups are complete, the producers ask Pat to announce the T-Mobile Triple Tossup once more. Apparently, they didn’t like the original version, so what you see on tv is the second take. During my taping, this was the only edit I noticed them doing.
The next puzzle arrives with the Person category. Stephanie starts the spinning and calls a few good letters before missing with an M. Erika finds her first bump in the road with a Lose A Turn. With A_ _ E_T_ _ _ _S T_ _ _ _ ST on the board, I have a pretty good idea what the puzzle is, but I want to see if I can add a little more money to at least vault myself into second place. After calling a good R, with the memory of a Lose A Turn lurking in my mind, I decide to solve the puzzle a bit early to guarantee some earnings. I solve “ADVENTUROUS TOURIST” for $1,200. If you listen closely, you may notice I say “adventurous’t,” as my mind was already thinking of “tourist” and my lips followed. Pat mentions it was another tongue twister puzzle and I was awarded the solve, despite my verbal error.
Because of the quick solve, we get another puzzle. In The Kitchen is the category and Erika kicks us off with the spin to determine how much each consonant is worth. I was hoping she’d land on the $5,000 wedge, but she literally misses it by two little pegs, landing on the $500 wedge next to it. With the additional $1,000, this means all consonants will be worth $1,500. Erika calls a good S, but doesn’t know the puzzle. I call a bad R. Stephanie calls a good T (there are 4). Erika calls a good N. I call a good G. Stephanie calls a good L (there are two). Erika calls a bad F. I call a good H and after pausing a moment to figure out the second word, it comes to me and I solve “WHISTLING TEAKETTLE” for $3,000.
After the last puzzle solve, I feel somewhat satisfied in finishing second with $7,200. I’m extremely competitive and hate losing more than I love winning. With that said, I played with two other very good contestants, who were very deserving of being there. Stephanie finished with $6,150 and Erika was the big winner with $21,528.
As Erika was ushered to take her spot for the Bonus Round, Stephanie and I were escorted backstage where we began going through our winnings documents. In the little holding room was a tv showing Erika playing the Bonus Round. She called Thing as her category, which is generally one of the more difficult categories to solve, since it covers a broad spectrum of possibilities. Still, Erika is a good player, and I had confidence in her solving the puzzle. After R, S, T, L ,N, E are revealed, the puzzle board shows _ L_ _ EL_ _ _ _ _ _ET and I immediately know the puzzle. For her 3 consonants and a vowel, Erika calls D, C, M, and A. Only the A fits the puzzle. Meanwhile, I’m backstage, separated by a wall and maybe 30 feet of space from Erika. I’m doing everything I can not to shout out the puzzle. I end up whispering it over and over again, hoping she solves it, but those Vs and Qs stump even the best players at times. She did get Lovely correct, but missed out on Bouquet for “A LOVELY BOUQUET” solve.
Erika ended up winning a ski trip, some camping gear, and a trip to Belize. She told me after our taping that she doesn’t ski, she doesn’t camp, and her husband hates flying. I’m connected with her on Facebook, and I believe she ended up taking her daughter on the ski trip. Not sure if she went to Belize, however.
Post Taping
After we taped our show, which again was the second of 6 shows to tape that day, I remember sitting in the audience replaying the game in my mind and wondering what I could’ve done differently. Aside from the bad C in the What Are You Doing puzzle, I couldn’t find a lot of holes in my game. I had 4 goals I set out to achieve – solve the first tossup, win the Prize Puzzle (or a trip wedge), solve the Bonus Round, and not make an idiot of myself on world television. Looking back, I believe I accomplished two of my goals.
I remember several details of the remaining shows, but for the sake of time, I’ll spare those. I will say I thoroughly enjoyed talking to Jim Thornton between shows. He is from West Virginia, and we talked about the similarities of growing up in rural states.
After all the shows completed taping, somewhere around 6:00pm, all of us contestants gathered for photos outside the studio under a big Wheel of Fortune sign. We reminisced about each show and had a lot of laughs. Pat Sexton, the winner of the first show, gave me a ride back to the hotel where many of us stayed. She, Clark (first show), Amy (fourth show winner), Kevan (fifth show winner), and I gathered for drinks at the lobby bar. We then took the party to a nearby TGI Fridays. I still keep in touch with them to this day. It’s hard to describe the unique bond we have being etched in television history together on arguably the most popular gameshow of all time.
I want to give a special shoutout and thanks to the Contestant Coordinators, Shannon, Jackie, and Alex. They are the lifeblood of Wheel of Fortune. From the final auditions to the day of taping, they were always there to ensure you had everything you needed as a contestant. They genuinely wanted you to have a great game and win a lot of cash and prizes. Shannon was my main point of contact from my audition in 2020 and answered most of my questions leading up to tape day. Jackie was the energetic encourager at audition day and didn’t skip a beat during tape day. She is no longer with the show, but is greatly missed by all. I met Alex on tape day, who made sure my nametag stayed on straight and my PPE bag with me at all times.
Being on Wheel of Fortune was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience I will cherish the rest of my life. When my episode originally aired, we had a small group of friends gather at my house for a “watch party.” I’m not really one to be the center of attention, but it was nice seeing my oldest daughter beam with pride seeing her Daddy on television and having our friends celebrate the few bright spots I had from the game.
My episode re-aired in August of 2022, but I didn’t watch it. However, a couple of days later, a few of my colleagues showed me a TikTok video that had surfaced making fun of me for nearly spelling a derogatory word with my What Are You Doing puzzle. It already had over 1 million views, but at least some of the comments came to my aid explaining I was calling logical letters for that particular category. So, for those of you who have yet to be on Wheel, just remember to call G first in a What Are You Doing puzzle.
I’m sure I’ll think of things I left out of this, but for now, this is a decent description of my experience playing my favorite game show. I hope you enjoyed the read. I can’t thank this forum enough for all of the information and advice helping me prepare for the game. Thank you as well to those of you who sent encouraging words after my episode. I know I’m not a fan favorite, but if Wheel ever does a mulligan episode, or an “I never had a chance to solve the Prize Puzzle” episode, sign me up!
-Michael
