March 1, 2013 recap

Toss-Ups: Maybe it's just my ear being wonky, but the early cues sounded a little off tonight.

R1: Light off the fireworks, it's a Jackpot win! B.J. missed the trip but comes through on something even bigger to put himself on the board - everyone has money as we exit the first segment!

R2: B.J. makes good use of the Free Play but duds again right after. Kiesha (whose name I for some reason want to put a dollar sign into) left the K's behind for a quick solve and $2,450... she should've spun once more.

R3: Another quick solve for Kiesha, barely over $1,000 but with the Puerto Rico trip added. Got to appreciate B.J. being calm when the Bankrupt strikes him; he's not in the lead anymore though and will have to catch up.

R4: B.J. does catch up with the toss-up, and he gets us well into this round but not far enough to stave off the speed-up. After what seems to be a dud cut, Kiesha picks up a single M but that $1,500 is JUST short of a win. Kurt tried his best but he only has that False Dignity Thousand from the top of the show.

Bonus: B.J. picks the common four and they strike out. With that knowledge, I was able to get this (so I guess you could call it a technical RSTLNE) in time to chuckle at Pat's Get Smart quote.

Overall: Decent show, not great, a 6/10 once again. I swear I'm stuck on that number.

R4: I'm guessing C, D, and maybe P for the cut duds? Way to ruin the suspense of the round, editors... -_-

BR: OF COURSE he completely duds out with CDMA. Should have went on Monday's show, I guess...
It was actually promoted on Wednesday as well.

B.J. was certainly a hoot. Intense match between him and Kiesha near the end, but aside from the Jackpot win, nothing special.

Rating: 5/10
Average Rating For This Week: 6.2

And that wraps up my 4 and 1/2 hours in the audience, and begins the last stage of my journey to Stage 11. Some things I remember included chuckling at BJ's antics on stage, missing Round 2 (I chose to go backstage to get a drink, use the bathroom, and get my medicine - all escorted by Gary), and being backstage when Julie Chen did her promo...not that I regret missing her - I find her to be rather stiff. I also remember RSTLNE'ing the Bonus Puzzle, getting excited for BJ's jackpot win, and trying to figure out which song the lyrics came from. I wasn't as loud because I was saving my voice for my show. Here are my individual player memories.

KURT: Not too much I remember about him. He tended to spend most of his time with Paul and Clay. Good guy, just barely escaped the Pity Thousand.

KEISHA: Scott, it's funny that you mention "putting a dollar sign" in her name. One of the coordinators accidentally called her "Kesha." I also accidentally called her "Kendra" at one point. She had a permanent smile, was always laughing, and got along great with everyone (particularly Lexi). She sat right next to me in the Green Room and pet Oscar the Ocelot for luck. I commended her on a really close game, and even though she did regret not calling F, she was very happy with her trip to Puerto Rico. She sat next to me in the audience, too, but was constantly like "Do you know what the puzzle is? Can you tell me?" I had to tell her that I didn't want to, because the coordinators already shushed me once. I met her husband, too. Very nice gentleman, who took a group photo of all of us on the bus before it left the hotel. Also, a few minutes before the bus arrived, Keisha got a run in her tights and her husband RAN right up the street to a CVS Pharmacy and purchased an extra pair for her, and made it back just in time for the shuttle bus!

BJ: Britain John Miller...what can I say about him? A laugh a minute with him. Yes, he was a ham, but he had a heart of gold. He was the first contestant I met at the hotel. How did I know he was a contestant? The day before taping, I was in the lobby working on some puzzles to keep my solving skills sharp, and I glanced up to see BJ wearing the same black and gold Wheel baseball cap that I had won in my auditions. I said "Nice hat! Going to the studio tomorrow?" Sure enough, he was, and we wished each other luck. I had also seen his family having pizza by the pool as I was waiting for my room to be ready. BJ kept our morale and spirits high through the long taping day. He sang a gospel song while we were eating lunch in the Green Room, and he told all kinds of jokes. I particularly loved his impression, which could best be described as a cross between Eddie Murphy and Madea (particularly when he said "I'd like an ay-yess"). Keisha kept cracking up at that one, and my competitors and I had to warn Keisha that BJ was probably trying to psych her out. I was extremely happy to see BJ win. In fact, he played and won the Bonus Round in our dress rehearsal. He also had to re-shoot his Hometown Howdy because he had a cell phone clipped to his belt. I would do anything to speak to him again.

Then there were three: me and my two competitors. The California Coast shows were done and the stagehands were told to wheel out the car that we would be playing for, while some other minor set changes were made (mainly, America's Game screens). We went backstage after BJ finished his Bonus Round attempt. With just minutes to go, and before the coordinators could wrangle us for final preparations, I took the hands of my two competitors (who took each other's hands) and we told each other "It's us against the Wheel," "Good luck to all of you," "Let's make this the best show of the day," and other mantras.

Then, Shannon gathered us in the make-up room, where we'd get final make-up touch-ups, review what we wanted to say in our "Pat Chats," and get miked up. Before long, I was lined up with one of my opponents (the other had to be fitted for a different mic and have more extensive make-up work done). We saw Kurt, BJ, and Keisha return from getting their post-show paperwork, and they high-fived, hugged, and handshook us for luck as they promised to stay for the finale. Then, Gary escorted us on stage to take our places. We did several spins to make sure we had the proper spinning technique and act like we would on camera. After our fellow competitor ran up to her podium, we each got one last spin, then Gary reset the Wheel, wished us luck, and left us alone. The audience got quiet...we got quiet..."Thirty seconds." I stood there in silent contemplation, thinking "Wow! I've waited 30 years to get here and here I am! It's about to happen! Just take it easy, do it for yourself, and have fun."

"Ten seconds..." I could feel the tension in the air as the competitor to my left said "Us against the Wheel" one last time. The music started up, and...

Find out what happened to me and my competitors on April 25! Thanks for following my journey to Stage 11 so far!

Not much to say that hasn't already been said, but I'm reasonably certain B.J.'s guess in the Bonus Round would've got him partial credit in DPG...or maybe GOBLIN GUY is a Person or Character, I'm not sure.

Hell, I got the Chen closing on CHCH!

"The Talk" airs on CBS, that's why. I don't think ABC or NBC would want that much cross-promotion.

That they "would" tape? Did it actually tape?

Bumping to note that the original closing aired when this episode reran tonight, at least on ABC. Pat and Vanna were (awkwardly) discussing the "in like a lion" expression for March 1st.