Contestant Blogs
This Week's Contestant
Colin S.
| Theme: | Spring Fling Las Vegas |
|---|---|
| Hometown: | Brooklyn, NY |
| Week of: | 03-28-2011 |
POSTED 3-30
Talk about the moment of a lifetime! After a long day of intense preparation from our extremely helpful contestant coordinators, I was definitely ready to compete in the show I've been preparing to be on since I learned how to read!
It felt great when I solved the first Toss-Up puzzle, because then I knew I was going to be coming home with at least $1,000. It was great finally getting to meet Pat and experience his charm first hand. Its great to know that what I've seen on television my whole life is not just an act--he's truly a swell guy!
When I won the next Toss-Up for $2,000, I was psyched because I knew I now had more than the house minimum, so I considered myself a winner already. After having some not-so-great luck with the Wheel early on (the Wheel which was much heavier than I ever could imagine!), I knew that to stay in the game, I had to win the Prize Puzzle. When the Prize Puzzle got to me, even though there were hardly any letters in the puzzle, the optimist in me was able to see, "There's not a cloud in the sky," and proceed to win a 7-day trip to Puerto Rico!
Now I was almost in the lead, but all I needed was at least one more Toss-Up, and fortunately I was able to win it, and find my way into the final Bonus Round puzzle.
It's one thing to watch it on television or play it on your computer, but when you spin the prize Wheel and wait for the R, S, T, L, N, E and have the dramatic pause before Vanna turns any letters over, it's scary to imagine that you won't get any letters at all! My puzzle was a "Phrase," and before I chose my letters, the puzzle read L _ _ _ _ _T _ _ _. I took a deep breath, and remained optimistic, and smiled once I realized what the puzzle was. I asked Pat for a G, H, F and an A, and he smiled as he always does when he can tell a contestant is about to win. I shouted out, "LAUGH IT OFF," and then the real fun began!
I knew the prize was a big one, but I had no idea it was going to be a brand new 2011 Lexus IS 250 convertible! Other than marrying my lovely wife Carrie, this was hands down the most exciting moment in my life.
This was truly the moment of a lifetime, and every piece of it from the Contestant Coordinators, Pat and Vanna's magic, and the surprisingly heavy wheel, is permanently tattooed in my memory forever. I'm honored to be able to share this experience with you all. As for the car and the trip to Puerto Rico...sorry, that's all mine! :)