Contestant Blogs

Shelly T.

POSTED 3-8

Well, there I was at Sony Studios, talking with the other contestants waiting to get in to practice spinning the Wheel, and who walks in? Vanna! What a sweetheart! I love that she is so genuinely kind and down-to earth. It was a treat getting to meet her before the games began. After the contestant coordinators gave us all of the rules, regulations, and legal lingo, it was game on!

Finally on stage, woo-hoo! I got the first Toss-Up puzzle! All I could think was "Oh my gosh, I did it! The button really works!" I had practiced clicking a pen a million times while playing every day on Facebook to prepare for the real thing. And it really helped, a lot! I didn't get the second Toss-Up, but I had my game face on and I was not giving up now. From that point on, I told myself to settle down, concentrate, and don't give up, just get it done. And I did! I got that Million Dollar Wedge, and didn't even realize it until Pat told me to reach down and get it! I was concentrating so hard on the letters and working the puzzle, I didn't even know what I had spun half of the time. But it worked and I won again, and again, and even got the Prize Puzzle with that trip to Cabo!

I was so excited I didn't know what to do with myself. After winning the third Toss-Up and the final puzzle, I made it to the final Bound Round with that Million Dollar Wedge! I couldn't believe I made it all the way through without hitting bankrupt. I was so determined to get that Million Dollar envelope! And here was this once-little-girl from Moundsville, WV, standing on stage in Los Angeles with Pat Sajak, ready to do what I'd come there for. Win the Big Money!

I spun that Wheel and got the one category that I hoped I wouldn't "Thing." How vague can it be? After the R, S, T, L, N, E and my letters were put up, I didn't have a clue what it was. I started to panic and very quickly reminded myself that I wasn't here to lose, and I needed to concentrate and get it done, right now! I knew the second two-letter word could have been a ton of different options, so I concentrated on the last word which seemed to be the most difficult part of the puzzle. If I could get that one word, the rest would fall into place. While Pat was talking about the Final Puzzle, I didn't mean to be rude, but I sure wasn't listening to him, I was thinking and reasoning like crazy! When I figured out that the last word was "view," I started filling in all of the two letter words I could think of, as quickly as possible, and finally figured out that it was, "of view." Then the word "point" came into my mind and I had it all pieced together before Pat said, "You have ten seconds." I hesitated for one second, for good measure, and then blurted it out! "Point of View." When he said I had gotten the puzzle my head was spinning! All I could think of was "Oh my gosh, what is in that envelope? Is it the million?!" Well, as you now know, it was $45,000! I was so thrilled that I didn't even know until hours later that my Million Dollar envelope was only two clicks away! How close was that?! I didn't even care at that point, I had won, and did exactly what I said I would, "If I could just get on the show," and the rest is history. I did my family and friends proud. This little labor and delivery nurse from Concord, NC kicked it! Game Over!

That day will forever be precious to me. I can't believe how amazingly my life changed that day. I now have enough money to live my dream and become a nurse midwife! I can pay for my schooling, and fully expect to do my level best to put the money I've been blessed with, to work for the people of Concord, NC where I presently live. God has blessed me beyond my wildest dreams, and I will pay it forward by caring for all of my future patients to the best of my ability, with the skill, and opportunity that God has given me. Thank you Lord, and thank you Wheel of Fortune, for thirty of the most amazing and productive minutes of my life. I will be forever grateful!