A SOMEWHAT SURPRISING Way For My Dream To Come True!
Apr 12, 2014 0:15:18 GMT -5
Prizes, gamedude2330, and 5 more like this
Post by dantastic312 on Apr 12, 2014 0:15:18 GMT -5
When I found out that I was invited to the final audition round for the show, the stories and information that I found on BAV Boards became vital. It is only fitting that I provide my story for the reading pleasure of my friends and fellow board members and any future contestants looking for insider info!
PART 1: RIDIN' ALONG IN MY WHEELMOBILE
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, known as the Poconos, I happened upon a Wheelmobile event at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs. It was pure coincidence. We were driving out to Knoebel's Amusement Park in PA, and I saw a billboard advertising the event, which was going on that very weekend! We stopped by the casino on Sunday, May 20, 2012. There were about 500 people at the show we went to, which was the second of three shows that day. We filled out our audition slips, dropped them in the raffle bin, and took our seats. About 65 people were called up, in groups of 5, to give a brief interview and play the Speed-Up Round from the show. I couldn't understand why some of these people were even there. They were completely lackluster during the interviews, where we were told to stand-out and give it all we had. My advice to anyone that gets on stage is to be original and excited! It's America's Game for crying out loud! Anyways, I didn't get called up to play, but the host did say that they would look over all the audition slips and invite some people to the final round who didn't make it on stage. Yeah, right.
Part 2: IMPRESSING JACKIE, SHANNON, AND ALEX
Yeah, right.. is right! 5 weeks to the day later, I got an e-mail entitled, "WOF AUDITIONS". I stared at that title for about 5 minutes in pure disbelief before I actually opened it. I had been invited back out to Wilkes-Barre (which is about 2 hours west of where I live in NJ) for the final round of auditions. I called the number provided and reserved my spot. For the next two weeks, I researched what happens at these auditions, so I could wrap my head around it. That's when I fell upon BAV Boards. I read others' experiences, and I got a real, genuine feel for what would happen on that Tuesday, July 17, 2012.
I arrived at the hotel about an hour early and eagerly awaited the opening of those ballroom doors. Before I knew it, there were Jackie, Shannon, and Alex, ushering the 75 of us in. I made sure to get a seat in the front row (Another piece of advice here: If they can see you, they'll remember you). We filled out some paperwork and were given the rundown of what we were going to do for the afternoon. There's a projection screen with the puzzle shown on it (probably PowerPoint), along with a Twister-style spinner version of the wheel. We were all randomly called to take our turn. We would play until we lost our turn. I was first. (I want to note that during this round, the Contestant Coordinators don't really care if you solve the puzzle or not. They are more interested in your enthusiasm, quickness, logic, and ability to handle the pressure.) I called my letters in a loud, clear voice, smiled and clapped a lot, and tried to show them how happy I was to be there. After we all took our turns, we were given a written test. We had 5 minutes to solve as many of 16 partially filled-in puzzles as we could. I got 15 and figured out the last one with 3 seconds left and wasn't able to fill it in completely. We were given a break, and this is actually where I met the forum's own MarioGS.
After a 20-minute break, they came back and told us they were going to make a cut. I was the 4th name called out of 16 to move on to the final portion of the audition, and I was ecstatic. I felt like about half of the 16 would be asked to be on the show. Oh, man! I've got a real shot at this! I kept up the same energy and enthusiasm (and smiling and clapping) that I had all afternoon. This round was more intensive and realistic. We stood up in groups of 5 or so and played more puzzles turn-based. I solved the first one (QUARTERBACK TOM BRADY) and knew the other two, but it wasn't my turn. After all the puzzle-solving, we were asked to tell about ourselves, similar to Pat's chat with the contestants on the show. I felt that it all went incredibly well. We were told that we would get a letter in the mail in two weeks if it was "Yes". No letter, no show. So began the longest two weeks ever.
PART 3: PATIENCE IS A VIRTUE.. (A LOT OF PATIENCE)
Two weeks came and went. No letter. IF YOUR LETTER DOESN'T COME IN EXACTLY TWO WEEKS, DON'T PANIC! My letter came 20 days after the audition, and I've heard that it can come as much as 4 weeks later. I freaked out. I called everyone I knew and told them the news. I was in absolute disbelief that my lifelong dream was going to come true. The letter said that I would be given about two weeks notice of my tape date, sometime in the next 18 months. I read contestant blog after contestant blog to get a rough idea of the average time it took to be called. It seemed like it would be about 3 or 4 months... or so I thought.
The months passed. Wheel was coming to NYC to tape 4 weeks of shows in March, 2013. I was almost positive that I'd be called for one of these shows, since I live so close to the city. Wrong. I did see the shows, however, but from the audience. After the NYC shows, I was getting a little paranoid. It had been over 8 months, and I hadn't heard anything yet. I started wondering if they lost my name, couldn't read my phone number on my audition paperwork, and other stuff like that. The tapings for Season 30 were over, and, after the hiatus between seasons, I started getting excited about my phone ringing again. "It has to be soon," I kept telling myself. A year had passed, then 14 months, then 16 months, and nothing. Then, on December 17, 2013, my friend and I took a trip to Las Vegas. We had just gotten upgraded (for free) to a queen suite at Mandalay Bay and got settled in our incredibly large room. I pulled out my iPad, logged into the hotel's WiFi, and checked my e-mails. I couldn't believe what I saw.
"WHEEL OF FORTUNE TAPING- 1/17/14", it said, and it was from Jackie! I was awe-struck. I called the number she provided and got everything set up. I was so happy that I had a month to prepare. My family and I booked a week long trip in California; we were going to spend three days in LA and the weekend in Disneyland. We were so excited, but also wary of the weather, since we had such a terrible winter in the Northeast this year. To make sure there were no glitches with me getting to the studios on Friday the 17th, we booked our flight for the Tuesday night prior. We got to California without a hitch, and, before I knew it, it was Thursday night.
PART 4: A "SOMEWHAT SURPRISING" DAY AT SONY PICTURES STUDIOS
I was so nervous the night before that it was very difficult to finally fall asleep. I had to be up at 5:30 AM on Friday to get ready. The shuttle was going to pick us up from the hotel at 7:15 that morning, and I wanted to be in the lobby by 6:30 just to be safe. I put on my suit with purple dress shirt and grabbed my teal shirt as backup (as we were encouraged to do). The funny thing about this was that when I met Emil (yes, NEW BABY BUGGY Emil) in the lobby, he was wearing the same-colored teal shirt as my backup, and the purple shirt I was wearing was his backup. There were about 4 fellow future contestants in the lobby when I came downstairs
Being so pent up with nervous excitement, I decided to be the one to break the ice. This was the best part for me. Everyone became instant friends. These people were so incredibly nice, excited, and just genuinely happy to have this opportunity. The shuttle came, our families waved to us like we were going off to college, and, 15 minutes later, we were at the studios.
Alex met us and ushered us inside Stage 11. We went into the green room, got introduced to the staff, and filled out paperwork, paperwork, and more paperwork. Afterwards, we were brought on set and practiced spinning the 2,400-pound wheel. This was when we met Vanna. A no make-up, hair-in-a-bun, track-outfit-wearing (still hot) Vanna. We were all star-struck. She wished us good luck and was off to get ready for showtime. So cool! When we went back to the green room, we were put into our respective groups. These would be the people who we'd be competing against on the show. Thankfully, every show was going to have two girls and one guy, so I didn't have to go up against Emil (and he didn't have to go up against me ). One of us from each group of 3 was also appointed to be the "ball picker". Whatever number was on the ball would be the show that we would be on. Any number from 1 to 5 would be for European Vacation week and number 6 would be America's Game. My group was Brook, Patti, and myself, with Patti picking the ball. She picked #4. Perfect. Not too early, not too late, and right after our pizza-break for lunch. Then, we came up as a group to draw numbers to see which position we'd be in. I wanted 1, so I could stand next to Pat. Got it! We all got make-up (yes, guys too), played a full practice-version of the show with Gary as the host, and, before we knew it, we were sitting in the audience awaiting the start of the first show.
I sat next to Emil, and we'd whisper to each other whenever we knew the puzzle, which just confirmed the fact that we were happy we didn't go up against each other. The first three shows came and went, and we were back in the green room having our (absolutely delicious) pizza during a 45-minute break. During that break, the audience was swapped out for a new one, and Brook, Patti, and I were mic'd up. This was it. The three of us were wished good luck from our other contestant buddies and everyone on the show's staff, and we took our positions at the wheel. We practiced spinning once more, called a random letter in a loud, clear voice, and we were set to go. Being in the red position, I could see Pat and Vanna waiting behind the puzzle board for Jim to announce them, and my heart was beating so hard and fast, I was shocked my mic didn't pick it up. I took a few more deep breaths, wished Brook and Patti good luck, and that was it. Episode #5974 of Wheel of Fortune was upon us..
Part 5: FROM SONY PICTURES STUDIOS, IT'S AMERICA'S GAME!
Pat Sajak and Vanna White made their way out on stage. I don't think I've ever been so excited in my entire life. I didn't have time to relish in the fact that Pat was standing about three feet away from me, though; it was time to go to work.
1ST TOSS-UP: ON THE MAP
_ _ _ * C Z _ C H
R _ P _ _ _ _ _
The Z was the last letter to appear, and I rang in as soon as I saw it. "THE CZECH REPUBLIC!", I pretty much shouted to net a quick $1,000. My interview with Pat went well, and, afterward, my nerves settled.
2ND TOSS-UP: FUN & GAMES
S _ _ V _ N G
R _ D D _ _ S
Brook was able to get SOLVING RIDDLES, and I knew that she would be a force to be reckoned with. Jim described the Italy trip that was on the wheel, which was worth just over $10,000, and it was back to business.
ROUND 1: QUOTATION
Brook had earned the right to begin the round, but she caught the Bankrupt sitting right of the Million Dollar space. It was my turn. I employed my strategy. I called a T, of which there were 2 at $700 a piece. The other part of my strategy was to buy vowels early and often. I did just that, buying 1 A and 3 E's. I spun again, and again landed on $700 for 4 R's. I knew the third word was YOUR, so I bought the O, which there was only 1 of, and then the U to guarantee that the I was in the puzzle. Now, I knew what it was, but I couldn't leave a trio of S's up there. I landed on $800, got the 3 S's for another $2,400 and solved..
_ R I _ E R S
S T A R T * _ O U R
E _ _ I _ E S
I announced "DRIVERS START YOUR ENGINES" to bank another $5,350 and bring my score to a solid $6,350. Things were going well..
ROUND 2: BEFORE & AFTER
We stepped down and were given water and our make-up was touched up during the commercial break. Alex reminded us that the next round was the Mystery Round, and that I would start. We stepped back up to the wheel, touched our flippers for good luck, and we were back.
Pat told us the category and told me that it was my turn to start. I landed on $450, which was just one space away from the Italy trip. I got 2 T's and bought my vowels again. 1 A and 5 E's helped me out considerably. I spun again and hit the Mystery wedge. I knew there was at least 1 R, and I was hoping there wouldn't be many more because I really wanted to flip it. When Pat told me there were 4 of them, I had a critical decision to make. I had $4,400 and knew the puzzle. I was risking $4 grand to gain 6. I didn't think it was worth it. If I flipped it and it was Bankrupt, my lead would've only been $4,000, but by solving, my lead was almost $9,000..
_ _ E - _ A _
_ T R E E T
_ E R _ _ R _ E R
ONE-WAY STREET PERFORMER brought my winnings to almost $11,000 in cash. Pat asked me if I wanted to flip the wedge just for fun, and I told him I did. He then said that I didn't have to because if it was $10,000, I'd feel bad. "I have $10,000!", I quipped to him and when I finally did flip it, it turned out that it was the $10,000. Oh, well...
ROUND 3 (PRIZE PUZZLE): THINGS
After some more water and cosmetic touch-ups, it was time for the Prize Puzzle. I was nervous this round. Usually, whoever solves this puzzle wins the game, and I knew I had two excellent players to my left who were hungry for a solve. Patti started things off this time and had a good round building up. She had the Million Dollar Wedge and $4,400 in front of her with about half the puzzle filled in, but the L she called wasn't there. Brook's first spin earned her the Wild Card, and then $650 with a D. I knew what it was as Brook spun again. Fortune smiled on me. She spun Lose A Turn. I didn't care that I didn't have any money. This was the Prize Puzzle, and I wanted that trip..
_ A _ - D _ O _ _ I N G
I C E * _ O _ _ A T I O N S
I'll be seeing some JAW-DROPPING ICE FORMATIONS on my $11,327 9-day tour of Iceland, which I'm taking August 21-29! My total was just over $22,000 as we headed to the 3rd Toss-Up and Round 4.
3RD TOSS-UP: PLACE
With the $5,000 space coming to the wheel, and, again, knowing how good Patti and Broom were, I couldn't take my lead for granted. This next toss-up puzzle was important..
_ I R C U S
B _ _ * _ _ P
I topped $25K with CIRCUS BIG TOP. Watching the episode back, I noticed that I beat out Brook by only about a half a second. On to Round 4..
ROUND 4: PHRASE
There was something weird about this round. I couldn't see what the solution to this puzzle was for the life of me. There were actually two full turn cycles among the three of us that were edited out. This round also saw my one and only Bankrupt, but not a bad one as I only had $750. Patti's rotten luck continued as she hit Bankrupt as well. Brook netted $1,000 with 2 M's and solved..
G A M E * _ E T
A N _ * M A T _ _
GAME SET AND MATCH earned her another thousand to bring her total up to $3,000. Pat told us that we had time for another puzzle, but not very much as the Final Spin bells rang..
ROUND 5: LIVING THING
I could've pulled an "Emil" in this round. Pat spun $500, so each consonant in the puzzle would be worth $1,500. Patti started off with 3 T's. I thought to myself, "Turtle.. What kind of turtle? Snapping? No. Painted? Yeah, that fits!" If I started the round, I might've gone viral!
Brook called the R, and it was off to me. I picked the N and solved for $1,500 more..
_ _ _ N T _ _
T _ R T _ _
PAINTED TURTLE was right. Pat came over and said that it seemed to be my night! With $26,577 in cash and prizes, I'd say so too! I couldn't believe it. I was going to the Bonus Round!!
BONUS ROUND: PHRASE
My make-up got touched up and my sweat blotted and fanned. John, the stage manager, brought me over to the bonus wheel. He had me give it a practice spin and told me to make sure that it goes around at least once when I do it for real. He also wished me good luck, complimented my gameplay and puzzle-solving ability, and congratulated me on how much I won already. Then, Pat came over. We chatted for about 30 seconds before we were back on air. I joked that I had never seen those people who claimed to be my family before, but it was my dad, my mom, my brother, and my sister-in-law. My aunt and uncle were in the audience, too, but only 4 can come down. I spun the bonus wheel and landed on the S in AMERICA'S. I handed the envelope to Pat, said "Hi" to Vanna, and took my position in front of the puzzle board. "Phrase," Pat said, "R, S, T, L, N, E". The puzzle was relatively large, which I was happy about because they tend to be easier. Vanna kept lighting up letters. SURPRISE was obvious, and I used that to figure out the rest of the puzzle. I decided to call the letters I knew were there, which were M, W, P, and A. "Yeah, yeah, yeah", Pat said. "I don't know why we're even bothering with this. Well, let Vanna move out, so we can build a little tension. Well, you have only 10 seconds. Gee, good luck."
S _ M E W _ A T / _ _
A / S _ R P R _ S E
I mustered up all the poise I could and, overcome with emotion, I solved it. "SOMEWHAT OF A SURPRISE!" I couldn't believe it. I bent over and grabbed my knees. Pat opened the envelope. Another $35,000 in cash! "Well, what a player! $61,577!", Pat said as my family came over to congratulate me. Absolutely incredible. I never thought it would go THAT well. It was a completely surreal experience and journey. I have to thank my family and friends for all their love and positivity the whole time and my whole life. I want to thank all my contestant buddies who taped on January 17, especially Brook and Patti for being such great competitors. Also, everyone on BAV Boards for such helpful information and advice. Thanks to everyone at Wheel of Fortune. That staff is comprised of some of the nicest, down-to-earth people I've met. Thank you for making it such a special day and for making my dream come true. Last but not least, thanks to you for reading!
PART 1: RIDIN' ALONG IN MY WHEELMOBILE
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, known as the Poconos, I happened upon a Wheelmobile event at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs. It was pure coincidence. We were driving out to Knoebel's Amusement Park in PA, and I saw a billboard advertising the event, which was going on that very weekend! We stopped by the casino on Sunday, May 20, 2012. There were about 500 people at the show we went to, which was the second of three shows that day. We filled out our audition slips, dropped them in the raffle bin, and took our seats. About 65 people were called up, in groups of 5, to give a brief interview and play the Speed-Up Round from the show. I couldn't understand why some of these people were even there. They were completely lackluster during the interviews, where we were told to stand-out and give it all we had. My advice to anyone that gets on stage is to be original and excited! It's America's Game for crying out loud! Anyways, I didn't get called up to play, but the host did say that they would look over all the audition slips and invite some people to the final round who didn't make it on stage. Yeah, right.
Part 2: IMPRESSING JACKIE, SHANNON, AND ALEX
Yeah, right.. is right! 5 weeks to the day later, I got an e-mail entitled, "WOF AUDITIONS". I stared at that title for about 5 minutes in pure disbelief before I actually opened it. I had been invited back out to Wilkes-Barre (which is about 2 hours west of where I live in NJ) for the final round of auditions. I called the number provided and reserved my spot. For the next two weeks, I researched what happens at these auditions, so I could wrap my head around it. That's when I fell upon BAV Boards. I read others' experiences, and I got a real, genuine feel for what would happen on that Tuesday, July 17, 2012.
I arrived at the hotel about an hour early and eagerly awaited the opening of those ballroom doors. Before I knew it, there were Jackie, Shannon, and Alex, ushering the 75 of us in. I made sure to get a seat in the front row (Another piece of advice here: If they can see you, they'll remember you). We filled out some paperwork and were given the rundown of what we were going to do for the afternoon. There's a projection screen with the puzzle shown on it (probably PowerPoint), along with a Twister-style spinner version of the wheel. We were all randomly called to take our turn. We would play until we lost our turn. I was first. (I want to note that during this round, the Contestant Coordinators don't really care if you solve the puzzle or not. They are more interested in your enthusiasm, quickness, logic, and ability to handle the pressure.) I called my letters in a loud, clear voice, smiled and clapped a lot, and tried to show them how happy I was to be there. After we all took our turns, we were given a written test. We had 5 minutes to solve as many of 16 partially filled-in puzzles as we could. I got 15 and figured out the last one with 3 seconds left and wasn't able to fill it in completely. We were given a break, and this is actually where I met the forum's own MarioGS.
After a 20-minute break, they came back and told us they were going to make a cut. I was the 4th name called out of 16 to move on to the final portion of the audition, and I was ecstatic. I felt like about half of the 16 would be asked to be on the show. Oh, man! I've got a real shot at this! I kept up the same energy and enthusiasm (and smiling and clapping) that I had all afternoon. This round was more intensive and realistic. We stood up in groups of 5 or so and played more puzzles turn-based. I solved the first one (QUARTERBACK TOM BRADY) and knew the other two, but it wasn't my turn. After all the puzzle-solving, we were asked to tell about ourselves, similar to Pat's chat with the contestants on the show. I felt that it all went incredibly well. We were told that we would get a letter in the mail in two weeks if it was "Yes". No letter, no show. So began the longest two weeks ever.
PART 3: PATIENCE IS A VIRTUE.. (A LOT OF PATIENCE)
Two weeks came and went. No letter. IF YOUR LETTER DOESN'T COME IN EXACTLY TWO WEEKS, DON'T PANIC! My letter came 20 days after the audition, and I've heard that it can come as much as 4 weeks later. I freaked out. I called everyone I knew and told them the news. I was in absolute disbelief that my lifelong dream was going to come true. The letter said that I would be given about two weeks notice of my tape date, sometime in the next 18 months. I read contestant blog after contestant blog to get a rough idea of the average time it took to be called. It seemed like it would be about 3 or 4 months... or so I thought.
The months passed. Wheel was coming to NYC to tape 4 weeks of shows in March, 2013. I was almost positive that I'd be called for one of these shows, since I live so close to the city. Wrong. I did see the shows, however, but from the audience. After the NYC shows, I was getting a little paranoid. It had been over 8 months, and I hadn't heard anything yet. I started wondering if they lost my name, couldn't read my phone number on my audition paperwork, and other stuff like that. The tapings for Season 30 were over, and, after the hiatus between seasons, I started getting excited about my phone ringing again. "It has to be soon," I kept telling myself. A year had passed, then 14 months, then 16 months, and nothing. Then, on December 17, 2013, my friend and I took a trip to Las Vegas. We had just gotten upgraded (for free) to a queen suite at Mandalay Bay and got settled in our incredibly large room. I pulled out my iPad, logged into the hotel's WiFi, and checked my e-mails. I couldn't believe what I saw.
"WHEEL OF FORTUNE TAPING- 1/17/14", it said, and it was from Jackie! I was awe-struck. I called the number she provided and got everything set up. I was so happy that I had a month to prepare. My family and I booked a week long trip in California; we were going to spend three days in LA and the weekend in Disneyland. We were so excited, but also wary of the weather, since we had such a terrible winter in the Northeast this year. To make sure there were no glitches with me getting to the studios on Friday the 17th, we booked our flight for the Tuesday night prior. We got to California without a hitch, and, before I knew it, it was Thursday night.
PART 4: A "SOMEWHAT SURPRISING" DAY AT SONY PICTURES STUDIOS
I was so nervous the night before that it was very difficult to finally fall asleep. I had to be up at 5:30 AM on Friday to get ready. The shuttle was going to pick us up from the hotel at 7:15 that morning, and I wanted to be in the lobby by 6:30 just to be safe. I put on my suit with purple dress shirt and grabbed my teal shirt as backup (as we were encouraged to do). The funny thing about this was that when I met Emil (yes, NEW BABY BUGGY Emil) in the lobby, he was wearing the same-colored teal shirt as my backup, and the purple shirt I was wearing was his backup. There were about 4 fellow future contestants in the lobby when I came downstairs
Being so pent up with nervous excitement, I decided to be the one to break the ice. This was the best part for me. Everyone became instant friends. These people were so incredibly nice, excited, and just genuinely happy to have this opportunity. The shuttle came, our families waved to us like we were going off to college, and, 15 minutes later, we were at the studios.
Alex met us and ushered us inside Stage 11. We went into the green room, got introduced to the staff, and filled out paperwork, paperwork, and more paperwork. Afterwards, we were brought on set and practiced spinning the 2,400-pound wheel. This was when we met Vanna. A no make-up, hair-in-a-bun, track-outfit-wearing (still hot) Vanna. We were all star-struck. She wished us good luck and was off to get ready for showtime. So cool! When we went back to the green room, we were put into our respective groups. These would be the people who we'd be competing against on the show. Thankfully, every show was going to have two girls and one guy, so I didn't have to go up against Emil (and he didn't have to go up against me ). One of us from each group of 3 was also appointed to be the "ball picker". Whatever number was on the ball would be the show that we would be on. Any number from 1 to 5 would be for European Vacation week and number 6 would be America's Game. My group was Brook, Patti, and myself, with Patti picking the ball. She picked #4. Perfect. Not too early, not too late, and right after our pizza-break for lunch. Then, we came up as a group to draw numbers to see which position we'd be in. I wanted 1, so I could stand next to Pat. Got it! We all got make-up (yes, guys too), played a full practice-version of the show with Gary as the host, and, before we knew it, we were sitting in the audience awaiting the start of the first show.
I sat next to Emil, and we'd whisper to each other whenever we knew the puzzle, which just confirmed the fact that we were happy we didn't go up against each other. The first three shows came and went, and we were back in the green room having our (absolutely delicious) pizza during a 45-minute break. During that break, the audience was swapped out for a new one, and Brook, Patti, and I were mic'd up. This was it. The three of us were wished good luck from our other contestant buddies and everyone on the show's staff, and we took our positions at the wheel. We practiced spinning once more, called a random letter in a loud, clear voice, and we were set to go. Being in the red position, I could see Pat and Vanna waiting behind the puzzle board for Jim to announce them, and my heart was beating so hard and fast, I was shocked my mic didn't pick it up. I took a few more deep breaths, wished Brook and Patti good luck, and that was it. Episode #5974 of Wheel of Fortune was upon us..
Part 5: FROM SONY PICTURES STUDIOS, IT'S AMERICA'S GAME!
Pat Sajak and Vanna White made their way out on stage. I don't think I've ever been so excited in my entire life. I didn't have time to relish in the fact that Pat was standing about three feet away from me, though; it was time to go to work.
1ST TOSS-UP: ON THE MAP
_ _ _ * C Z _ C H
R _ P _ _ _ _ _
The Z was the last letter to appear, and I rang in as soon as I saw it. "THE CZECH REPUBLIC!", I pretty much shouted to net a quick $1,000. My interview with Pat went well, and, afterward, my nerves settled.
2ND TOSS-UP: FUN & GAMES
S _ _ V _ N G
R _ D D _ _ S
Brook was able to get SOLVING RIDDLES, and I knew that she would be a force to be reckoned with. Jim described the Italy trip that was on the wheel, which was worth just over $10,000, and it was back to business.
ROUND 1: QUOTATION
Brook had earned the right to begin the round, but she caught the Bankrupt sitting right of the Million Dollar space. It was my turn. I employed my strategy. I called a T, of which there were 2 at $700 a piece. The other part of my strategy was to buy vowels early and often. I did just that, buying 1 A and 3 E's. I spun again, and again landed on $700 for 4 R's. I knew the third word was YOUR, so I bought the O, which there was only 1 of, and then the U to guarantee that the I was in the puzzle. Now, I knew what it was, but I couldn't leave a trio of S's up there. I landed on $800, got the 3 S's for another $2,400 and solved..
_ R I _ E R S
S T A R T * _ O U R
E _ _ I _ E S
I announced "DRIVERS START YOUR ENGINES" to bank another $5,350 and bring my score to a solid $6,350. Things were going well..
ROUND 2: BEFORE & AFTER
We stepped down and were given water and our make-up was touched up during the commercial break. Alex reminded us that the next round was the Mystery Round, and that I would start. We stepped back up to the wheel, touched our flippers for good luck, and we were back.
Pat told us the category and told me that it was my turn to start. I landed on $450, which was just one space away from the Italy trip. I got 2 T's and bought my vowels again. 1 A and 5 E's helped me out considerably. I spun again and hit the Mystery wedge. I knew there was at least 1 R, and I was hoping there wouldn't be many more because I really wanted to flip it. When Pat told me there were 4 of them, I had a critical decision to make. I had $4,400 and knew the puzzle. I was risking $4 grand to gain 6. I didn't think it was worth it. If I flipped it and it was Bankrupt, my lead would've only been $4,000, but by solving, my lead was almost $9,000..
_ _ E - _ A _
_ T R E E T
_ E R _ _ R _ E R
ONE-WAY STREET PERFORMER brought my winnings to almost $11,000 in cash. Pat asked me if I wanted to flip the wedge just for fun, and I told him I did. He then said that I didn't have to because if it was $10,000, I'd feel bad. "I have $10,000!", I quipped to him and when I finally did flip it, it turned out that it was the $10,000. Oh, well...
ROUND 3 (PRIZE PUZZLE): THINGS
After some more water and cosmetic touch-ups, it was time for the Prize Puzzle. I was nervous this round. Usually, whoever solves this puzzle wins the game, and I knew I had two excellent players to my left who were hungry for a solve. Patti started things off this time and had a good round building up. She had the Million Dollar Wedge and $4,400 in front of her with about half the puzzle filled in, but the L she called wasn't there. Brook's first spin earned her the Wild Card, and then $650 with a D. I knew what it was as Brook spun again. Fortune smiled on me. She spun Lose A Turn. I didn't care that I didn't have any money. This was the Prize Puzzle, and I wanted that trip..
_ A _ - D _ O _ _ I N G
I C E * _ O _ _ A T I O N S
I'll be seeing some JAW-DROPPING ICE FORMATIONS on my $11,327 9-day tour of Iceland, which I'm taking August 21-29! My total was just over $22,000 as we headed to the 3rd Toss-Up and Round 4.
3RD TOSS-UP: PLACE
With the $5,000 space coming to the wheel, and, again, knowing how good Patti and Broom were, I couldn't take my lead for granted. This next toss-up puzzle was important..
_ I R C U S
B _ _ * _ _ P
I topped $25K with CIRCUS BIG TOP. Watching the episode back, I noticed that I beat out Brook by only about a half a second. On to Round 4..
ROUND 4: PHRASE
There was something weird about this round. I couldn't see what the solution to this puzzle was for the life of me. There were actually two full turn cycles among the three of us that were edited out. This round also saw my one and only Bankrupt, but not a bad one as I only had $750. Patti's rotten luck continued as she hit Bankrupt as well. Brook netted $1,000 with 2 M's and solved..
G A M E * _ E T
A N _ * M A T _ _
GAME SET AND MATCH earned her another thousand to bring her total up to $3,000. Pat told us that we had time for another puzzle, but not very much as the Final Spin bells rang..
ROUND 5: LIVING THING
I could've pulled an "Emil" in this round. Pat spun $500, so each consonant in the puzzle would be worth $1,500. Patti started off with 3 T's. I thought to myself, "Turtle.. What kind of turtle? Snapping? No. Painted? Yeah, that fits!" If I started the round, I might've gone viral!
Brook called the R, and it was off to me. I picked the N and solved for $1,500 more.._ _ _ N T _ _
T _ R T _ _
PAINTED TURTLE was right. Pat came over and said that it seemed to be my night! With $26,577 in cash and prizes, I'd say so too! I couldn't believe it. I was going to the Bonus Round!!
BONUS ROUND: PHRASE
My make-up got touched up and my sweat blotted and fanned. John, the stage manager, brought me over to the bonus wheel. He had me give it a practice spin and told me to make sure that it goes around at least once when I do it for real. He also wished me good luck, complimented my gameplay and puzzle-solving ability, and congratulated me on how much I won already. Then, Pat came over. We chatted for about 30 seconds before we were back on air. I joked that I had never seen those people who claimed to be my family before, but it was my dad, my mom, my brother, and my sister-in-law. My aunt and uncle were in the audience, too, but only 4 can come down. I spun the bonus wheel and landed on the S in AMERICA'S. I handed the envelope to Pat, said "Hi" to Vanna, and took my position in front of the puzzle board. "Phrase," Pat said, "R, S, T, L, N, E". The puzzle was relatively large, which I was happy about because they tend to be easier. Vanna kept lighting up letters. SURPRISE was obvious, and I used that to figure out the rest of the puzzle. I decided to call the letters I knew were there, which were M, W, P, and A. "Yeah, yeah, yeah", Pat said. "I don't know why we're even bothering with this. Well, let Vanna move out, so we can build a little tension. Well, you have only 10 seconds. Gee, good luck."
S _ M E W _ A T / _ _
A / S _ R P R _ S E
I mustered up all the poise I could and, overcome with emotion, I solved it. "SOMEWHAT OF A SURPRISE!" I couldn't believe it. I bent over and grabbed my knees. Pat opened the envelope. Another $35,000 in cash! "Well, what a player! $61,577!", Pat said as my family came over to congratulate me. Absolutely incredible. I never thought it would go THAT well. It was a completely surreal experience and journey. I have to thank my family and friends for all their love and positivity the whole time and my whole life. I want to thank all my contestant buddies who taped on January 17, especially Brook and Patti for being such great competitors. Also, everyone on BAV Boards for such helpful information and advice. Thanks to everyone at Wheel of Fortune. That staff is comprised of some of the nicest, down-to-earth people I've met. Thank you for making it such a special day and for making my dream come true. Last but not least, thanks to you for reading!
