So, you're going to a final audition......

It wasn't that. It seemed like it was maybe a mid 2000s thing where it looked like they were trying to sell us the show with stuff about international versions and why they were great. It was cool to see, but it didn't feel like it was intended for us.

Funny story about this puzzle at my audition. The LONG DIVISION part was solved but no one who was called could figure out the YOU SHOOK ME ALL NIGHT LONG part. After about three or four duds Jackie yelled out, "WERE ANY OF YOU HERE ALIVE IN THE EIGHTIES?!"

Who hasn't heard that song!?

I've had a couple people ask me about my experience at the final audition so I thought to put up a thread of my experience so people know what to expect when you're heading to a final audition. I remember scouring the internet on what to expect and I'm sure I won't be the last, so I hope this helps. This will be a mix of my experience plus some tips. Disclaimer: Any tips and advice given is my personal opinion and in no way endorsed by the show.

I got to the audition site (a ballroom at a downtown hotel) an hour before the audition with only two people that got there before me. By the time the doors opened, there were probably over 70 people waiting. While waiting, I made small talk with the people showing up or were already there waiting; which helped loosen me up and break any nervous shell I may have built while on the way to the audition. About 20 minutes before the doors opened, I went to go snap a quick picture of the sign in front of the door that indicated when the next audition was and that no photography was allowed inside (I'm such a rebel ). Only problem was, people saw me walking toward the audition room (which was separated by a set of doors that lead to a bank of meeting rooms that the audition was in one of) and started following me. I had to yell back to everyone following me that the doors weren't open yet and that I was just taking a picture, which generated some laughs. However, people at that point decided to just wait there anyway since we were close to the time given in the email.

About 10 minutes after that, the doors did open and we were let in. Gary, the head contestant coordinator (CC), greeted us at the door. I was the second one to check in. I greeted him saying, "How are ya boss?" and shook his hand. He was kinda surprised at what I said, but seemed to like it. He replied, "No you're the boss!" He checked to make sure I had the audition email (which was essentially our entry ticket) and let me in. You either have to have a paper copy of it to hand him, or have it on your phone to show him. I printed a copy of it since I figured it'd be quicker to hand it to him and go inside without having to fumble through my phone first. But I also did have it on my phone just in case I lost the paper copy on the way to the audition. 

Once inside, we were directed to move down the room and sit at the furthest empty chair we could get to. One of the other CCs came around to take our names for a seating chart. They will use this to call people up one at a time to play the first round of mock games. While waiting for the rest of the crowd to fill in and for the CCs to finish filling out the seating chart, we filled out an application that was on our seat using the included hardback to write the application against. I brought and used my own hard-backed folder that I use to store homework since I trusted its' sturdiness and didn't know how rigid theirs would be beforehand. Theirs holds up, but it's a little thin for my liking. The application had a list of questions including the basics: personal info, number to be best reached at, job, hobbies, were you convicted of a felony, prior game show appearances, etc. It also had a space to list what weeks you would be eligible for and interested in playing (college week (if so, list your school), pet lovers week (if so, list your pet), etc). They also passed around pencils for the application and test. I also had my backpack with me since I had to leave for class after and had additional writing utensils with me as backups. The pencils are a great souvenir because they say "I tried out for Wheel Of Fortune", but they are small.

Once everyone was in and the seating chart was filled out with everyone having a chance to fill out the application, Gary gave his opening remarks and a rundown of how the audition would go and some instructions along with introducing the other CCs and the gentleman who operated the computer equipment and projector. Afterwards, to warm us up and get us excited, they played a clip montage of some of their most famous moments (the video is from when they celebrated their 25th anniversary, so it's old). After a couple more words, the audition started. A blank puzzle was loaded and displayed on the projector in the front of the room and the first round started.
Be ready to clap the whole time. IIRC they gave directions when to clap in the opening monologue, but I remember clapping when they called a name to stand up and play, when the person called a letter that was on the board, to show support if they called a bad letter, when they solved, etc. IIRC, they didn't have the crowd clap while the wheel was spinning or to react to a dollar amount unless it landed on $5000 since their traveling wheel was an over-sized version of the spinner you got in the board games and only spun for a split second. However, if their directions conflict to what I say, follow THEIR DIRECTIONS. Basically, just be prepared to clap like a seal for 3 hours.

Everyone was called up one at a time to have a turn to call letters. You didn't spin the wheel, one of the CC's did. If you were up there for awhile, she would direct the arrow to "Lose-A-Turn" or "Bankrupt" to keep the audition moving and give someone else a shot. So don't take it personally if you're on a roll and suddenly she moves the arrow to end your turn. It's just that they don't want the audition running 8 hours. Make sure to react as if you landed on one of those penalty wedges on the show and sit down or be excited if you land on $5000. I was the 4th one called up with about 60% of the puzzle filled. I called a couple of letters and solved my puzzle to win a hat. The CC at the wheel tossed the hat across the room for me to catch it. Only problem was I tripped over the foot of the woman sitting next to me and stumbled while trying to catch the hat, but caught myself (and the hat) so I didn't fall. Gary quipped at me that I shouldn't have taken his stumble literally (in his opening monologue, when he was talking about how we shouldn't nervous and they know people are afraid of doing something embarrassing, he pretended to stumble backwards as a way to loosen us up). It seemed though because of my event, they started handing the prizes to the puzzle solvers for the rest of the audition. After a puzzle was solved, a new one was loaded and the CCs kept going and calling people up. After everyone had a chance to call letters, they called a few people (about 5 or 6) up a second time to call letters again. I wasn't one of them. IIRC, most of them only called one letter and sat down so they didn't have much of a chance to show their skills.

Afterwards, we were handed a single sheet test that was faced down with 16 partially filled in puzzles. They were yellow and pink colored which were alternated between people to prevent cheating.  After everyone had a test, they played a video of Pat and Vanna giving a pre-test pep talk before starting the test. We had 5 minutes to fill in as many puzzles as possible which goes by fast. In my case, the puzzles were either instagets or stumpers. There is partial credit given for getting some words (but spelling does count) so I figured to fill in "-ing" or other parts of the word I didn't know completely in case there's partial credit for partial words instead of just whole words. I know I got at least half of the puzzles filled in completely, but it was a blur. If they give you a letter in a specific puzzle, for example an A, all A's in that specific puzzle are shown. (But as I said, if they say differently at your audition, follow those directions they give you).

While they were grading, the 4000th episode was played to pass the time. We were allowed to leave to go to the bathroom and stretch our legs while they were grading. After about 20-25 minutes, the CCs came back with Gary thanking everyone for coming, however they would be cutting people at this point. I was the 3rd to last name called. The room was cut from around 75 to around 24 including 3 couples.

*IMPORTANT UPDATE*
If you've been researching other audition experiences from blogs and such, they probably said or implied that anyone who was not asked to stay at this point would not be asked to be on the show. This was true until around mid-2015, when the reasoning for the cutdown changed. Now, anyone in the room from the beginning has a chance at being on the show and nobody is told "Better luck next time" right out of the gate. If your name is not read and you are not asked to stay, this no longer means you haven't made the show; it means that the CCs had enough of a good look at you to determine whether you are contestant material, even if you don't get a chance to introduce yourself. If you are asked to say, they need to see you play some more, so you really need to give it your all in the second half. If you did really well on your test and you are not asked to stay, then this is probably a really good sign for you, so look out for that letter in two weeks (more on that below).

And a note for any couples trying out: there is a possibility that one of you will be asked to stay while the other will not.


Once the non-passers left, the CCs went around with Polaroids to take a head-shot of everyone remaining. Afterwards, they called 6 people up at a time to play a couple mock rounds per group in the front of the room. This time, we had to pretend to "spin" the wheel which made us look silly spinning an imaginary wheel, but I think it's to see if you can get out of your comfort zone in front of a group of people. They emphasized to be quick because they were shortening the timer on the buzzer which cost a few people their turn in this mock round; so don't add any lead in phrases "I'd like a...." or "Give me a...", just say the letter. I was third in my group which was the second to go up. The second person solved the first puzzle so I got a fresh puzzle. I got to call a few letters before the CC bankrupted me. Afterwards, they interviewed us like Pat would after the first toss up. Once everyone went up to play, they went outside again to talk. After about 10-15 minutes, they came back in and called 6 people up to play another round. I was not one of them. My hypothesis for this was they were calling people back up that they wanted to see more of since they didn't have enough to make a decision on what they saw so far, or there wasn't a consensus. So don't panic if they don't call you back up after the conference (they didn't call me back up and I got the letter). If my hypothesis is true, it just means they've seen enough of you to make a decision. Afterwards, Gary thanked everyone and said if we're picked, we will receive a letter in about two weeks (but for many, the letter can come after 15 or 16 days, so don't lose hope if you come up empty on Day 14). He also mentioned regarding the couples, there was a chance one person may receive a letter but not the other. 

Here are my tips. Sorry if I repeat. 
Be ready to clap a lot. Your hands will most likely be sore at the end of the audition and for the rest of the day or so, as mine were from all of the clapping. Also, FOLLOW THEIR DIRECTIONS! They do not want people on the show who can't follow directions which will make for bad TV, so it's best to start following them at the audition. If they ask you to speak up, do it. If they say smile, make sure you're smiling. I will also add this which ties in to following directions: KNOW THE RULES OF THE GAME! I counted over 10 people who didn't know what the "free play" wedge was because they would land on Free Play and call a letter in the puzzle which wasn't there and sit down. The CCs had to tell them to stand back up since it was still their turn. The CCs also said the best strategy is to call a vowel if you land on free play unless you know the puzzle or vowels were gone. There were a few people who had a fresh puzzle or only a couple letters showing and would get free play, but call a consonant which seemed to cause the CCs to remind us a couple times of the optimum strategy. When I got a fresh puzzle in the post-test mock game, the first wedge I landed on was Free Play and called an E. The CCs appeared thrilled that I did that. You don't need to keep exact track of your score, but don't land on $300, get one letter, and try to buy all of the vowels after.

Be ready to react appropriately, whether you land on bankrupt, solve the puzzle, land on $5000, etc. See how the contestants react on the show? Best to react like that. Be excited (or sad if bankrupt), but not over-dramatic or drawn out since on the show they're moving on to the next contestant or asking you to decide your next move a second or two later. I say this because Gary says he wants people with good natural enthusiasm, so don't look like you're forcing anything. I basically snapped my fingers ("RATS!") when I landed on bankrupt; and gave a mini excited fist pump and clapped when I solved the puzzle, so consider what you'll do beforehand. I say this because even though they want natural enthusiasm, I want you to keep in mind your surroundings so you don't yell, "SON OF A B****!" or something if you hit bankrupt. :lol:  This wasn't brought up in the monologue, but there were a couple times that someone solved the puzzle and Gary said, "By the way, it's a prize puzzle....and you're going to Maui!" (or whatever destination he makes up) so be ready to react to that if he tests you in case you solve it. Also, in my view, be loud, but don't scream when giving a letter or solving. They should be able to hear you across the room, but it shouldn't sound like you're screaming bloody murder either. It seemed the people I thought would be picked were loud, but stayed consistent in their voice level when calling out letters.

Dress: The email says neat and casual, but I followed Katemonster's advice and dressed as I would on the show. 

Test tips: If my math is right, 16 puzzles in 300 seconds means you have 18.75 seconds per puzzle, so make sure to allocate your time so you get a chance at all puzzles. If you can't get it instantly within the first 5-10 seconds, go on so you're not spending 30+ seconds on one you might not get anyway; which in turn, causes you to not finish and possibly leave some puzzles blank that you might have known. I basically skimmed the test for a couple seconds then went to each one individually. If I didn't immediately know it, I moved on to the next until I had a look at each puzzle. Then I started to focus more on each individual one. It allowed my brain to think about one I wasn't sure of as I was looking at the next puzzle. Be aware that you're under a clock so you don't diddy daddle, but don't let it dominate your thoughts either. I think they gave a 2 minute and 1 minute warning. (Edit: Some have said that they didn't have any clock warning at their audition, so either way, you should be mindful of the clock without the help of the CCs.) Once you have about 30 seconds left, start filling in guesses or at least parts of a possible word as there's nothing to lose at that point and something is better than nothing (like -ing or "s" if you think the word is plural). If you want to study, play the Facebook game and the smartphone game for practice.

Don't try to show off or be cocky during the mock games. There were a couple people who got called up and immediately went to solve. But Gary pointed out in the monologue to try to get some money first. Spin a time or two and call one or two letters, then solve (unless they call you with only vowels left or something). As they said, "If you want to show off your skills, do it on the test." So don't do what that girl did on the show with "I've Got A Good Feeling About This" (Youtube it if you don't know what I'm talking about) since this is just the audition. They want to be able to see how well you play and they can't assess you if you immediately solve the puzzle.

Also, be careful when solving and make sure you read it correctly. It's common sense, but during the post-test mock games, they called the three couples up who passed as a group to play. One couple had the puzzle during their turn filled in except for a couple letters. The puzzle was to the effect of, "I_'s a _eau_iful day in _his neigh_orhood." The couple went to solve and the husband said, "It's a beautiful day in THE neighborhood." I think the whole room made an audible cringe.

Also, have something ready to say when they interview you like Pat would at the beginning of the show. I'd say 15-20 seconds worth, but no more than 30. Your name, what you do for a living or if a student, which college and major. Mention if you're married/kids or or just married or engaged, (but don't say you're single if you are, this isn't the Dating Game) and a hobby or two would be good. 

Lastly, don't freak out and have fun! It's ok to be nervous (who isn't during that audition?), but freaking out won't help (and don't say you're freaking out to them). I do strongly emphasize to be excited to be there and have fun and show it! It's an audition, not an audit. If you look like you're genuinely having fun, it will probably look good to them as it will look good on TV.


If you want some visuals of what to expect, I found a video on Youtube that had a local NBC news station in Atlanta reporting on the final auditions there. www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ECsfsy3WkE 


Here's another video when they were in Green Bay doing final auditions from their local Fox affiliate:
www.fox11online.com/dpp/news/final-auditions-held-for-wheel-of-fortune-contestant-hopefuls


And a video from an Oregon affiliate:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=4a9cABHFIEw



Good Luck! And let us know how it went!