Post by johnholder on Sept 25, 2014 19:14:15 GMT -5
Hi everyone! I know a few of you from other game show forums. Here's my Wheel story. I attended the Wheelmobile event in Charlotte, NC, on May 23, 2003. I put my card in the drum, stood around for three hours, and didn't get picked. I went home and forgot about it. Five months later, I got an e-mail that I'd been randomly drawn from the audience to take the contestant test. They rented out the ballroom of the nicest hotel in Charlotte. I passed the test, and apparently the contestant staff liked me. I remember Gary and Stacy being there, and I think Jackie was too. At the end of the process, I was told that I would be in the contestant pool for 18 months. On September 13, 2004 (yeah, I'm good with dates), Gary called to give me a tape date. I flew out to LA and did the first show of the week that taped on September 30. They were the Christmas week shows (theme: "Happy Holidays") and all the puzzles were winter-themed (LAST MINUTE SHOPPING, ROSY CHEEKS, etc.) I figured that out five minutes before the other players did, by which time I had an insurmountable lead. I solved the first two Toss-Ups, the puzzles in Rounds 1, 2, 4 and 5 (I was so quick we went to six rounds) and then won the Bonus Round for $35,000. My total was $59,350, all cash except for a $1000 Hickory Farms gift tag, which I used to do some nice entertaining. The show aired on December 20, 2004, I rented out a restaurant and threw a party for about 150 people, and used the money to go back to school and earn a Ph.D. I'm planning a tenth anniversary celebration in a couple of months. Nice to be here!
