Hesselblogger: Wheel of Fortune

With the Audition process a distant memory, Pamela and I were surprised when we received emails and phone calls from the Senior Contestant Coordinator for Wheel of Fortune saying that we had been selected as contestants. Our surprise stemmed from their statement of, “if you don’t hear back in two weeks then you were not selected.” Here we were, 6 months later, trying to figure out what circumstances led to them giving our application another look. Regardless of the reason, we immediately replied “YES” and stared making arrangements for our trip.

The taping was at Sony Studios in Culver City, CA. We drove out the night before with Pamela’s friends Jody and Claudia. They were excited for us and for a chance to be on TV if we made it to the bonus round. Jody handled the drive over which gave Pamela and I a chance to relax and try to get some sleep on the drive over. This was good since we wouldn't arrive until about midnight, with our shuttle set to pick us up and drive over to the studio at 6:30. I should mention that we got a late start because this would be the first time we would both be away from Ryan overnight. It was tough but we were able to put him to bed Wednesday night, do the taping, drive back Thursday evening, and only be gone for just over 24 hours.

Pamela best describes the day of taping as a “whirlwind day.” We arrived at the studio five hours before they would tape the first show but we were active the whole time. They had us situated in the Jeopardy audience seats where we signed all the legal paperwork and went over every single rule of the game in great detail. They took us over to the set where we got to practice spinning the big wheel. In person the wheel is a lot heavier and a bit smaller than it appears on TV. There is a specific technique for spinning that requires a bit of strength and dexterity. Beforehand we had discussed our strategy and decided that I would do all the spinning and allow Pamela to concentrate on the puzzle and calling letters. So I made sure that I had the technique down and Pamela got to give it a few spins for fun as well.

Next they escorted us back to the Jeopardy set to finish with hair and makeup. Everyone had to get makeup, even the guys. I had never worn makeup before, but I can see why people do it. It made my complexion so even and smooth, but what a hassle it would be to put on and take off all the time. I’m lucky I don’t have to worry about that, sorry ladies. Meanwhile they announced who would be paired for which episodes and we drew for day and wheel position. We made out pretty well here; our group would go first (Monday) so we wouldn't have to wait around through all the tapings and could start making our long drive home earlier. Also, I drew the red position that would be right next to Pat Sajak.

The contestant coordinators trotted us back out to the Wheel of Fortune set for one more set of checks. They did camera and microphone checks to make sure we looked and sounded alright for taping. It was also a last minute dress rehearsal for playing on the show with the wheel, puzzle board, scores, and everything. All the preparations were done; it was time to do the show. Pamela and I were taping first. No chance to watch and see the pacing. No chance to practice a few puzzles to get in the groove. This was it. You could tell that people were getting serious as they strapped on our wireless mics and rushed us up on the stage. The lights were on, the music started playing, and out came Pat and Vanna!

Happy contestants, all set to play Wheel of Fortune!

The show is set to air Monday February 3^rd so make sure you tune in and watch us. The results blog will be up after that since we are not allowed to reveal the outcome until the show airs.

[While at the studio we were not allowed to use our phones so we could not take any pictures during the preparation and taping process. They just recently sent the above publicity shot for us to have. However, before we received it, I had already put together something for this blog. The original picture was us from two Halloweens ago, where we dressed up as contestants on The Price is Right. This proves that we are huge fans of game shows, we just had the wrong show.]