Contestant Blogs
This Week's Contestant
Kim S.
| Theme: | Wheel Around The World |
|---|---|
| Hometown: | Williamsport, PA |
| Week of: | 09-24-2012 |
POSTED on Monday, September 24th, 2012
I still cannot believe that I was a contestant on Wheel of Fortune. It seems like a dream! My love for Wheel started back in the early 1980s when I would watch the show with my grandmother on her floor-model television set. She just loved the show, and I have fond memories of watching with her. That TV still works, and I have it in my own home now. How cool is that?!
My husband, Tom, came home from work one day and said he saw an ad on the TV where he was working out. The Wheelmobile was coming to our area, and they were looking for potential contestants! I immediately called one of my good friends, Cheryl, and asked if she would like to join me on the 2-hour trip. Cheryl and I love to play games and try to have a game night every month. A week later and we were on our way! We were going for the experience and to have a good time. Well, did we have a blast!
The Wheelmobile set up an actual stage with a puzzle board that looks very similar to the real thing. They had Pat and Vanna stand-ins and a wheel with prize wedges that they would spin. This would determine what type of prize the people who got called up would win. Some of the prizes included Wheel of Fortune hats, t-shirts and duffle bags. A huge gold drum was on the stage that held the potential contestants' entry forms. There were hundreds of forms in there! The drum would be spun and they would select 5 or 6 names at a time to be called up on stage to be auditioned. We were told that they were looking for people who have a lot of enthusiasm and who know how to play the game well.During the first hour, Cheryl's name was called! We screamed together and she made her way on stage. The second hour came and my name was selected from the drum during the last game to be played for that session! I ran up, was interviewed and completed a game with the other players. I was so excited and had an amazing time! Cheryl and I couldn't believe that both of our names had been drawn and that we both had the chance to audition! We were told that if we made it to the final audition, we would be contacted by mail within 3 months.
About 2 months later, Cheryl got an email stating that she had made it to the final audition and it was going to occur one week later. I was very excited for her, and later that same day, I received a letter in the mail saying the same thing! I was going to be in the morning audition and she was going to be in the afternoon audition, so we weren't going to be together. In the room for my session there were about 65 people getting ready to audition. The contestant coordinators from The Sony Studios in Culver City, California were there and they had a computerized screen set up for the puzzles. They would call names and we would all have a chance to stand up and play the current game. After that, we all had to take a 5-minute test involving word puzzles. It was a difficult test and some puzzles came to me instantly and others did not. When we were done with the test, the contestant coordinators left the room to grade them and to discuss the auditions. They were going to make the final cut. About a half hour later, they came back to announce who had made it to the last and final round. Only about 18 of the 65 names would be called. My name was called about halfway through the list, and I couldn't believe it! I got to stay and complete some more intense rounds of the audition, including the interview, playing more puzzles and pretending to spin the big wheel. Throughout my entire audition, I continued to smile and clap for the rest of the potential contestants and had a great timeeven though my hands were sore at the end! We were told that if we had made it to being an actual contestant on the show that we would be notified by mail within 2 weeks.
Exactly one week later, I got the call!! It was on my answering machine and my 10-year-old daughter, Katie, had heard it at the same time. I started running around the house screaming! I couldn't believe it. Katie was jumping for joy as well and now we had to pack our bags and head to California in 2 weeks!
Want to see how I did? Watch Wheel of Fortune on September 24th to find out!