Contestant Blogs
This Week's Contestant
Carrie B.
| Theme: | Pure Paradise |
|---|---|
| Hometown: | Athens, GA |
| Week of: | 01-16-2012 |
POSTED 1-17
The morning flew by so quickly, and I was standing behind the Wheel, waiting for Pat and Vanna to come out on stage. I was so nervous. Pat took his place next to me, and we grabbed our buzzers for the first toss-up. It wasn't until I solved the second toss-up that I started to relax a little. There is so much to pay attention to when you are playing - the puzzle board, the used letter board (that shows the contestants what letters are available) and another board that shows how much money we've won. The contestant coordinators really did a great job of prepping us for the show, though - I focused on the puzzle when the other contestants were spinning, and I bought lots of vowels!
However, I was a little scared to keep spinning once I knew what the puzzles were - I didn't want to hit bankrupt! I solved the second toss-up, and then another puzzle, and then I got stuck on a third puzzle. The category was PEOPLE, and I just couldn't figure it out. I bought all the vowels, and I just had to keep spinning and spinning! It actually worked in my favor because I got some money in my bank, and luckily I never hit bankrupt or lose a turn. Finally the phrase came to me - FRIENDLY CO-WORKERS - and I yelled that I wanted to solve. Pat laughed after I solved the puzzle and said that he actually saw a light bulb go off when I figured it out :) I know if I'd been watching at home, I would have solved that puzzle a lot faster, ha!
Once I'd solved a few puzzles, I felt really confident and comfortable, and the game became super fun. I ended up solving every puzzle except the first toss-up, the prize puzzle, and the last puzzle. It worked out great, because all of the contestants on our show won something - Ricky won the prize puzzle, and Stephen won some cash - but I still got to go to the Bonus Round!
The Bonus Round was so fast - I was whisked down to the bonus round wheel, and they let me practice spinning it a few times. Then Pat came over and asked me who was with me, and my husband Jacob, my twin sister Cathy, and her husband Wes all got to wave! Then it was time to spin for real. After I spun the wheel, he grabbed my hand and walked me over to look at the puzzle. I immediately had a word in my head once I saw the puzzle - EARLY - and so I asked for a Y as one of my letters. I ended up getting a few letters on the board, but I just couldn't figure out the puzzle (it was WORLD CHAMP). I was disappointed, but I couldn't be too upset, because I won $13,900, all in cash!
I had a blast being on Wheel of Fortune! I met such nice people, and the contestant coordinators were so much fun! Pat and Vanna were so nice too. I learned that it's a lot harder to play well when you aren't sitting on your couch at home, but I also learned that I could do it, with a little luck! Thanks to Wheel of Fortune for an incredible experience, and to my family for coming with me along the way!