Contestant Blogs

Kearstin M.

POSTED 9-9

Pinch me, no, really pinch me. Am I truly here? I still, to this day, cannot believe that I taped Wheel of Fortune. Save for my wedding day and the birth of my daughter, it was the best 20 minutes of my life. When can I do it again?

The day of the taping I felt like I was in a dream and just going through the motions. At 7:00AM, I left my very proud Mom and Grandmas at the hotel, with my nerves in tow - my stomach was in knots. I kept repeating to myself, "get it together Kearstin and enjoy the moment." I arrived at the studio with fifteen other players. We were all excited and awe-struck, yet you could tell that everyone had some nerves to calm. Presuming we had time to pass, we inquired of each other - "what do you think Vanna and Pat are like", "what has your journey been like", "what do you expect"?

There was no time for answers, as we were quickly thrown into the mix. So after paperwork, practice wheel spins, airbrushed make-up and a Diet Coke it was time for the taping of show three, my show. I stood behind the wheel with the other two contestants and wished them good luck. No sooner had I taken a deep breath, the all too familiar music started playing. "Here we go", I said to myself.

The first toss up round appeared on the board. I looked at it and the letters may as well have been written in a foreign language. Before I knew it, a buzzer was ringing and the puzzle had been solved. "How the heck did he get that", I thought? This was going to be a long game.

After introductions, we played the next toss up puzzle. As if it were second nature, like I was sitting on the couch at home, I rang invictory! I had $2,000. The nerves instantly went away. At the commercial break I was on cloud nine, I couldn't stop smiling. By the end of the next two puzzles I had the wild card, a trip and the Million Dollar wedge. If I would have been at home on my couch, I would have been thinking "wow she is one lucky girl."

We then moved onto the prize puzzle, "where do they want to send us?" My turn came up and I was able to put quite a few letters on the board. Unfortunately, my turn ended with a wrong letter. The moment my turn was over I knew the puzzle. The luck of the wheel worked in contestant #2's favor and he won the trip to Mexico.

Toss Up #3 saw my most embarrassing moment. The whole day the contestant coordinators said do not solve a puzzle unless you are 100% sure. Well, Toss Up #3 came I saw the word 'town' in the puzzle and instinctively hit my buzzer. My mind went blank, "Pat, I don't know." I was befuddled, Pat said something but I had tuned out, thinking about the puzzle. I, then, shouted out the answer as another contestant buzzed in. When asked, in the past, about a most-embarrassing moment, I never really knew what to answer with. Now I can say that I have one, I am anxious to see if it makes it to national television. I am praying that it doesn't.

In the end, I did not make it to the bonus round. I did not get to see what the million dollar wedge would have brought for me. I can, however, say I was on Wheel of Fortune and lived out a lifetime dream. I can also say that I took a vacation with my Mom and two Grandmas, making new memories with them that would not have happened without my great fortune and Wheel.

Thank you to everyone that works so hard at what they do at Sony Studios. You all have made a lasting impression on me and have been a part of my dream.