Contestant Blogs
This Week's Contestant
Jana W.
| Theme: | Road Trip |
|---|---|
| Hometown: | Bismarck, ND |
| Week of: | 04-11-2011 |
POSTED 4-15
I dug out my summer clothes and headed to sunny California, happy to leave North Dakota's January weather behind. My husband, mom, and two sisters came along to cheer me on. We arrived in LA the night before my taping, and I couldn't fall asleep that night.
I was going to be on Wheel of Fortune the next day!
I woke up before my alarm, way too excited to sleep, got ready, and headed to Sony Studios with my husband. He walked me there since our hotel was only a couple blocks away. I took off my shoes and walked bare foot. I mean, why not? There was no snow on the ground, and I was going to enjoy it!
When we arrived at the studios I made friends with some of the contestants right away. (I even keep up with one of them on Facebook to this day). We all headed inside where we had to fill out tons of paperwork, get our make-up done, learn the rules and get pumped up for the show. Then we headed out to see THE WHEEL! It's much smaller than it looks, and so is the studio, but the set looked amazing for "Road Trip" week.
Early in the morning, Vanna casually walked up behind one of our contestant coaches and said "hi," like she was no big deal. What I couldn't believe was that she was eating a doughnut! She's a size four and eats doughnuts! And if you're wondering, she looks beautiful even without make-up on.
In the months leading up to my taping I wasn't nervous at all, until I stepped up to the Wheel to get my chance at practicing. The contestant team told us a million things to remember: smile, call the letters loudly, clap away from your microphone, and look at the puzzle, not the Wheel. Plus, the Wheel is way heavier than it looks! Six shows were taped that day, and I was on the fourth one, just enough time to really get me nervous! Before I knew it, I was standing in my place, watching Pat and Vanna walk out to start our show. It was all so surreal!
The one thing I prayed I wouldn't do is call a letter that had already been called. Well, sure enough, I tried to buy an "A," and it was already called! Somehow, I didn't let that get the best of me and the rest of the game was in my favor. I managed to spin the Million Dollar Wedge, the Wild Card, the new Half Car Wedge, a trip to Colorado, and I solved the Prize Puzzle, which earned me a trip to Cabo San Lucas! Going to the Bonus Round was amazing, especially with the chance at a million dollars! I ended up solving my puzzle, "Autograph," and winning another $30,000! I was only two clicks away from winning the million dollars!
My husband and I feel so blessed with what I won on Wheel. We've been married for over six years and will finally get a honeymoon. What's even better is that we've been planning on adding to our family of four by adopting internationally. Now we have the money available to make that happen. Thank you Wheel of Fortune for making my dreams come true! You have changed my life!