Aurora's Blog

Well, this has been pretty surreal, actually writing all these posts!

There have been so many times where I thought “didn’t I already say that?” And I looked back and I hadn’t actually quite said it yet. (And I’m sure there are things that I did say more than once.)

I think I’ve talked about Wheel so much like before the process, through the process, and after to friends and in my head and whatever, that I hardly know up from down anymore when it comes to Wheel of Fortune haha.

So, I sincerely hope I gave you the play-by-play you wanted [if you cared about that], and answered any burning questions you had! [And hopefully I didn’t repeat myself too much on anything.]

If you have any questions at all, please always feel free to drop them in the comments. Thanks a million!

Thoughts on Auditioning.

Thoughts on Gameplay.

A little Bonus Advice.

[I’m gonna be adding some stuff in here about winning trips too. If I don’t, please remind me.]

And let me know if you have any other questions. Thanks so much!

I had a weirdly very specific experience at Wheel of Fortune that I thought I’d at least mention a little, since some people were curious – and that is that we taped on kind of the ‘last normal day’ in the world pre-pandemic.

I taped Wheel of Fortune on March 13, 2020 – the day many people remember as the “last normal day before the pandemic.” For many people, this was the last day they went to work.

To my knowledge, this was the last Wheel tape day before the pandemic (though they may have had one or two the following week before the mayor’s order officially came down, but I thiiiiiink we were the last ones).

And it’s a little surreal to think about now. It was fairly simple. We didn’t even have masks yet! We didn’t know anything!

Contestants did have to sign papers that we weren’t having any symptoms, and I think they also said we hadn’t been out of the country in the last two weeks.

And there was no audience except for our guests. But what was funny was that they sat everyone right next to each other, so the audience would still look full for the camera, but it didn’t help the people, as no one was social distancing or anything.

And we weren’t allowed to touch Pat or Vanna, so if you noticed any slight awkwardness at times you’d expect him to shake our hands or anything, that’s why.

I most definitely wanted to hug him when I won the trip. And I got the sense he would’ve been up for a hug, or at least a handshake. Even though he can be a little sarcastic and make fun of people a little sometimes (as you’ve all seen on the show), underneath it all, he seems pretty warm! So, I got the sense he wanted to shake our hands and stuff. But alas, no touching. Of course, now that seems so silly, because us breathing on him is worse than handshaking. But we didn’t know anything at the time!

The funniest part of it all, to me, was people talking about what they thought was to come. And some of the backstage Wheel of Fortune people were just talking about how obviously they weren’t gonna shut down. Some places might, but not Wheel of Fortune – an institution. They’d figure it out.

Little did we know!

We were all so naive back then.

But yeah, so some precautions. Some innocence. Some rumblings of what was to come. It was a little weird, but not sooooooo different from a normal day, I don’t think.

Well, we are basically done following along on my Wheel of Fortune journey. I may have a few more posts about it, but we’ve pretty much covered it all. And thank you for coming alone with me!

I know that it is beyond extraordinarily unlikely that I will ever in my life get to play Wheel of Fortune again – especially because right now, the rules dictate I can’t.

Once you go on once, you can never go on again.

Now, there are outside possibilities – like, conceivably I could maybe become a celebrity at some point, and get to play celebrity Wheel of Fortune (because I’m guessing in a special circumstance like that, they probably let you play again if you’ve played as a normal person before).

Also, when Bob Barker retired from The Price is Right, they changed the rules so that if you’d been on in Bob’s era, you could now come on with Drew. (The official rule is you have to wait 10 years since your first appearance.) And now Drew has been on for so long, you could’ve been on in Drew’s era, and still come back.

So, perhaps when Pat Sajak retires, they’ll change the rules.

Like, things are always possible… but… unlikely.

I also kind of worry the Wheel of Fortune people hate me, but I didn’t like destroy set pieces or act like a complete jerk. I just had a toddler moment when winning the game. But I don’t think I was mean to anyone per se. So, I think the insecure narrative in my head that they hate me is probably not super accurate. 😉 (Hopefully!)

I do wish they did the Jeopardy! thing, where if you win you just keep going. Can you imagine if I’d been able to keep it together, and play multiple games? [And the insanely ridiculously long blog series of breaking them all down.]

It really wasn’t toooooo bad of a game. I mean, I got the Express Wedge, and the trip, which was an absolute dream. So, if I never get my “redemption,” it could certainly be worse.

And I think the idea that lightening would strike twice – that I could have a theme week that made the puzzle so obvious that I could solve it with no letters, and that I’d happen to be in control of the board at that moment… That’s super unlikely. So, I’ll probably never get that moment back (although again you never know).

I did the best I could with what I had, and where I was in life that day. And that’s all you can ask for, I suppose. I’d love to play again, but with how fickle games of chance are, you never know if it would go better. So, I’ll just try to enjoy the time I had… And go on my sweet, sweet trip!

After talking so deeply about everything, I think my last real piece of advice is one I didn’t take but looking back on it, would try to now (I think).

I think game shows are really meant to be fun.

I’ve talked at length about wishing I’d gotten the viral moment of solving a puzzle with no letters. And while I do let that regret get at me sometimes, I would’ve looked reeeeeeeal stupid had I done that for funsies, and not won the game.

But yes, I think we should be playing to win. But we should be playing to have a good time!

And those are quite interchangeable. But you gotta take the pressure off.

You can’t view it as all the money it could be. Too much pressure on it is gonna take away the confidence, which is gonna make you worse at the game, and have less fun.

And my whole life, I’ve hated when people are like “just go out there and have fun” ’cause I’m like “winning and having fun are synonymous! How can you have fun if you don’t win?!”

But first off, I think Ben had fun, and he didn’t win. He had a good vibe though!

And secondly, there are lots of ways to “win” – there’s having a fun viral moment by showing off solving a puzzle with no letters. That could’ve been a ‘win’ in and of itself, even if I hadn’t won the game.

So just… No pressure. Just take the pressure off.

I’ve gotten this type of advice with a lot of things in my life. I went to a marathon talk once where an Olympian said the race is the reward. The training was the hard part. The race is the celebration.

Same with an improv class I did. The final performance was basically a ‘final exam’, but it was also supposed to be a reward/celebration.

So, if you’re on Wheel, you’ve studied your butt off… The game the reward/celebration. Have the best time playing!

Okay, I’m already getting slightly rusty, because I haven’t watched since my episode taped.

And I did make a few errors on my show, so take what I say with a grain of salt. But since people ask, since I’m geeeeeeenerally pretty good at Wheel of Fortune, I’ll give you the strategies I do have.

1. Know your “definites”

   So, the things that are definitely there. If it’s “what are you doing,” ING is in that puzzle. Start with some combination of those letter. If you’re doing “song & artist,” BY is in that puzzle. Call Y & B in whatever order makes sense.

2. Know your ‘oftens’

   “location” and “vacation” show up a lot in the 3rd puzzle. I haven’t done the actual math/data, but it seems like S in general shows up a lot less in the 3rd puzzle, so I wouldn’t be guessing S until I was reasonably certain it was in the puzzle. If it’s an 8-letter word, I’m probably hoping it’s “location” or “vacation” and the way I’ll know the difference is if I call O and it’s in the 2nd spot of the word as well.
   “Chocolate” shows up often enough in categories having to do with food, that if I saw a 9-letter word in a foot category, I’d be guessing T, and if it’s in the ‘right’ spot, building from there.

3. Buzz in just a SPLIT second before you know the toss-up.

   The idea is that in the time it takes for the ding to go off and Pat to call your name, you’ll fill in the rest in your mind, if you’re super close.

   This CAN bite you in the butt. I buzzed in just a HAIR (one letter) too early on the 3rd toss-up*. But, I did get 4 of the 5 toss-ups, which is reasonably good, so I do stand by the strategy. (I just miscalculated one of the times.)

   [*Side note on this: The whole point of this strategy is that you trust yourself. You trust how you’ve studied. You’re buzzing it early because you believe in you.
   You should have like a feeling, like a gut feeling that you know it, or almost know it, or probably know it, and your brain will catch up in the extra second after you buzz.
   However, in the 3rd toss-up (and only the 3rd) I buzzed not because I was super close to getting it and trusting myself. I buzzed because “oh no, I don’t know it, but too many letters are being revealed. I have to buzz or someone else is going to.” I didn’t know it, and I didn’t even think I knew it. I was just getting scared. So, I wasn’t actually following the strategy. The strategy is not to ring in early all willy nilly. It’s to ring in when your gut says to because you trust yourself. And the one time I rang in because of fear and not my gut, I missed it. So, ring in when you aaaaalmost know it – when your gut tells you (and trust yourself).]

   I already sort of thought this, but I got confirmation that made me feel better, when I heard Ken Jennings talking about always buzzing in a split second before he knew it [just to make sure he beat his competitors on the buzzer] on Jeopardy! and trusting himself that he was gonna know the answer. And if you studied, and you trust yourself, way more often than not you’ll be right. (And on Wheel, you don’t lose money for a wrong answer, so I’m willing to gamble on this.)

4. Trust yourself and follow your gut!

   Speaking of our guts, at the end of the day, trust yours. I’m not gonna say ‘don’t listen’ to the contestant coordinator people, as they’re super smart and doing their job. And also, it would be disrespectful of me to say that after all they do for us.
   However, don’t let them get in your head. You’ll get SO much info between the audition, the packet(s) you get in the mail, the full entire many hours of the tape day [and a full standby tape date, if you’re a California resident!] that it would be easy for them to potentially get in your head a little.

   Don’t have them in your head to the point that you’re starting to second guess yourself, or wonder if this is how they would play, or how they ‘want’ you to play. Don’t get caught up in if you’re doing it ‘right’ (on the subjective things, that aren’t like literally rules of game play, because those you actually do have to get right).

   The contestant people picked you because you can play. So, play the game you want to play. You’re the one going home with what you win or you don’t, and how you come across on TV, and all of that.

   Don’t play ‘for them’. I mean, sure, if you can make it a good game, do so! And I personally like people who gamble more, and keep going, and pick the mystery wedge and all of that! So, hopefully you’re like that! haha. But play the game for you.

These are the most simple, straightforward pieces of advice I have, but if you have any other questions, let me know!

1. Send in a video now. Right now. Right this second. Do it now.The process from me sending in the video to my show airing was almost 2 years. Some people do have the process go faster. It depends on a few factors. But it takes a while. So start NOW.

   That is really, truly, fully my biggest advice. That’s the most important bit. Don’t wait for the Wheelmobile. Don’t worry about your video. Just do. it. now. Go now. Do it now.

2. As far as what to put in the video, I’m not really sure. I shared what I put in mine. Like most game shows, you probably just want to be excitable/enthusiastic and if you can, show a general understanding of the game.
3. At the actual in-person audition, just do as best as you can on the test. And when you play the practice game in the audition, have the confidence like you’re on the stage. Talk loudly and clearly, and call smart letters. (And if you land on “free play” in the fake wheel spins, call a vowel to make them happy, even though in normal game play, I’m against it the vast majority of the time – in the audition phase, play how they want you to play. In the real game, do what you want.
4. Why are you not applying right this second? Do. it. now. That’s the most important takeaway. There’s no time to lose!

I’m gonna get into the step-by-steps and questions tomorrow. But for now, let me just start by addressing the Wheelmobile, which is where I started, but not where I should’ve started.

I made a fairly terrible mistake with starting by going to a number of Wheelmobile events. Anytime they came anywhere close to a place I could get to (in fact, I even think I specifically flew somewhere once just to do that), I would go.

I would highly recommend against doing this. I think that I used to think, “oh, they must get so many videos, that seeing them in person has to be a better strategy.” But, I think differently now.

It is extraordinarily hard to get seen at a Wheelmobile event. There are tons of people. They have you fill out cards with your info, and then they pick them at random. So, you could be the first person in line and still not get seen.

At one, I sat behind a woman who was brilliant and solved every puzzle with such quickness and ease. She said she’d been going for 7 years and never gotten seen, but she would’ve been great for the show.

So, sure, if it’s in town, and/or if you sent a video and never heard back, and/or if you want to go, go.

But also, I don’t know what the true “point” of the events are, because I thought it was to audition, but I think it’s actually just to hype people for the show? Or maybe a little of both?

They spend a TON of time just being silly and getting the audience to chant things. They’re not running it in a way in which they’re trying to see everyone as fast as possible. They’re just chillin’.

So, just be prepared that you’re not going to anything that feels like an actual “audition.” It feels more like a Wheel of Fortune fan event, which isn’t necessarily bad. But it’s good to know what you’re getting into, just FYI.

I can’t believe it took me so long to send in a video. Even if you think you don’t have anything amazing to wow them with in 30 seconds, even if you think they’re so inundated they’ll never watch, whatever. Might as well try. If they don’t like you, or don’t see it, it’s no different than if you sent in nothing at all.

So, just go to their website and find the section about uploading a video. And this is where I’ll pick up tomorrow.

I don’t know if this is necessary, since we kinda did the story of the show itself.

And, it’s a game, so things are always changing. It’s hard to say what was truly ‘lost’ or not, since then we’d also account for things I got I shouldn’t have. And then we’re just describing the game.

But, just for funsies –

What I lost in straight-up player error: ~$6,000, give or take. I rang in on one toss-up too early, before I knew it (losing $2,000), and I couldn’t get “Honey bun.” We don’t exactly how much I would’ve gotten for Honey Bun, but based on what I had and where I was on the wheel, it would’ve been in the general range of $4,000, probably.

So about $6,000 was lost to player error.

What I gained in player error: ~$17,930. I lucked out majorly on the prize puzzle. There was no reason I should’e ever been in control of that. Ben didn’t really have reason to call S. Absolutely no shame towards him, as I obviously also made two mistakes (above), but when he relinquished the board, I had the luck of a lifetime to get Express and get the trip. So, that was an extra $15,930, that shouldn’t have necessarily been mine.
And then Steve ping-ponged back to me the toss-up that shouldn’t have been mine. I’d buzzed too early and lost $2,000. Then he buzzed, and didn’t get it and I took that $2,000 back.

So, I still netted + $11,930, give or take from player error alone.

Then we had:

Unclear: In the 4th puzzle, I relinquished control of the board again, which was bad and could’ve been building up money, which you could argue was money I was losing, but that also gave the wheel a chance to get back to me, and have me almost land on the $5,000 space – with a consonant with two instances still on the board.  But I landed on bankrupt.

So, that was sort of player error for letting it leave my control, and sort of Wheel luck for spinning bankrupt. So, I would say math-wise, this is just too hard to know what the total “should” have been, and what ‘fault’ there was.

Played “correctly” but didn’t have it: I don’t fault myself when playing games for the things I did “correctly,” but just didn’t go my way. So, on the bonus puzzle, I picked the category I never got wrong at home. And I called statistically good letters – 2 of which to try to figure out what was in that first word.

You could argue there was maybe a better letter to call than H, but the letters were reasonable. I tried to keep in mind everything I knew as the puzzle played out. And I just couldn’t think of it.

I know some people got it in those 10 seconds, but not me.

The reason I don’t view this as “player error” is because I made actual definitive mistakes in the other examples – not calling the letter that most makes sense, buying a vowel when I should’ve spun, buzzing in before I know the toss-up. Those are things that are definitively wrong.

But, just doing your best at a puzzle and not knowing it is more like Knowledge error – that’s your brain not having it, as opposed to an actual mistake.

So, knowledge gap/error/whatever you want to call it: $37,000 (Oof, that hurts.)

Wheel: ~ $10,000 (give or take). This one is tough to say. Could’ve been a lot more. Could’ve been a little more. But on that first puzzle, I was gonna just keep going. I already had over $5,000, which plenty more consonants left. And I got a lose-a-turn.

(I also think we probably could count the 4th puzzle in here, because at that point, I did have money in the bank, and I was in control of the board, and I was about to guess a letter that was in the puzzle. So, the wheel did do me in there. But since I had ‘thrown off’ where the wheel could’ve been by losing control earlier, I won’t totally make the wheel take the blame for this.)

Conclusion: So, as you can see, there was SO much room for more or less money – that’s kind of how games [at least partially] of chance work. But that’s kind of the breakdown with the money. I’m ultimately happy with what I had, overall.

Boy oh boy. Where to even start?

I had such a *minuscule* amount of “virality” in comparison to what so many people have experienced on the internet. But I had SO much more than I’ve ever experienced. So, here’s what it was like for me.

First off, the internet at large. It was crazy to see random articles popping up from big companies (like yahoo) to small blogs, just talking about how I had a “meltdown” at the bonus puzzle.

Many articles were very lighthearted and felt like they were laughing with me, whereas some of course felt like there were laughing at me.

There was one website, that I’m not even sure if I should give the name of where men rated whether I was ‘f*ckable,’ and if they’d want to. That was very surreal, as they were guessing what I’d be like in bed – based off my Wheel of Fortune appearance? That’s one of the least sexual things I can think of, but because I was loud, they assumed I’d be a “screamer,” etc.

I guess(???) it’s nice that everyone I saw indeed thought I was f*ckable, but like do I care about these random guys on the internet?

(The bad stuff felt worse in the moment. Now that I’ve had a little time away from it, it doesn’t feel so bad.)

Then there was social media. A number of people on twitter were talking about me. But what was really funny was that every time I responded just kind and like a human, every person walked back what they had to say.

Some people said they didn’t like my outfit. I chose it based on all the many guidelines. If I explained that, people would immediately walk it back.

If I kinda joked along with people, also poking fun at what a spazz I was, they’d be like ‘agh! I’m just so jealous of you! I’ve always wanted to be on a game show!’

The thing that surprised me the most was how weird people were about my pigtails! I love pigtails. Wear them all the time! I feel like they’re the best hairstyle on me. Like whooooooo cares? Everyone was so weird about the pigtails. I did not imagine they’d be controversial at all.

The cool part was seeing all the people who loved me! I’d been really embarrassed (for many reasons), and yet, there were people who said I made their night! There were people who said I was their favorite contestant I’d seen in years!

They said they liked the energy I breathed into the show.

So, I loved that people loved me! And I loved them!

Thankfully, I wasn’t so hated [or so loved] that anything got way out of hand. No one doxxed me, or showed up at my home or anything. I had a very tame mini-viral moment.

[And I do always say, I think I’d rather be loved and hated than nothing at all!]

It was definitely a weird couple of weeks, hearing from so many strangers, or seeing so many strangers talk about me in front of me (again, felt worse/weirder in the moment, but better with time). But as quickly as it happened, it pretty much melted away.

And the world keep spinning.

Picking up from yesterday –

There aren’t a lot of game shows where you can make reasonably “life-changing” money. “Life-changing” money is gonna depend on the person – and also on how much you want your life to change/what you need.

Also, maybe game shows aren’t meant to change your life. I thought of Price is Right and Let’s Make a Deal as a lark. Usually the most you can expect to win on those is around $20,000… Maybe more like $40,000-$50,000 if you have an extremely lucky day on Price, win your game (probably for a car, and maybe money on top of it) and make it to the showcase, and have a good showcase as well.

Even at those amounts of money, I usually expect those things to be trips or cars, so you know you’re not gonna get the full amount. You’re kind of going on for fun – which is probably exactly what game shows are supposed to be.

But on Wheel, $40,000 doesn’t seem like the top amount – it seems totally within reach! $37,000 is the MINIMUM amount for the bonus round! Just win that, and you’re good.

And if I could just get to the bonus round and win even the minimum, then I was basically gonna be able to have the surgery in the free and clear. I thought “finally – FINALLY – my life is about to ‘start’ baby!

We can pretend these ups and downs never happened. I will happily take my gorgeous gift from the universe, and I will go audition and dance my little HEART out, in a body that makes people think I can be cast to do that.”

[And I reeeeeeeally don’t want to hear any “body positivity” things here. I work really hard for my body. And I’d like it if extra skin from being fat wasn’t in the way.]

And you can argue that it’s all my fault – maybe I should’ve somehow known about my heart condition before college. Or maybe once I found out – even with all the surgeries and the time stuck in a hospital bed, I should’ve tried to figure out a way to not let my life take a such a downward turn, and not gained the weight (and that’s a fair critique!).

And/or when it finally made an upturn, I shouldn’t have gotten involved with that guy. [Trust me(!), I have thought about it a lot in my life. I don’t so much anymore, because there’s no use dwelling, but that thought has been fully fleshed out in my brain.] And I shouldn’t have let it affect me and blah blah blah. There are shoulds not not have gotten where I am, but this is where I am.

Yes, I could’ve done things differently to not need plastic surgery. I also could’ve saved a lot more money in my life to be able to have it! Yes, there are a lot of things that wouldn’t have put me in the spot I’m in. I do recognize that! You don’t need to tell me hahaha.

But I am in the spot I’m in. And I’m not getting any younger! I WANT to dance for an NBA team before this life is over. I still have a really fair number of years ahead of me where that is not an insane dream, but those years go by FAST. I wanted to have plastic surgery this year.

And maybe I still will! We don’t know. It’s just that, I don’t know. I kind of had this dream that Wheel was gonna be my nice re-set – not just for my physically, or money-wise, but a fun, great story that could be an exciting triumphant story to re-start blogging again!

But that’s not how it happened.

So, there’s more to say and more to talk about. And yes, I will work on trying to find multiple sources of income. [e.g. I’m trying to get people to commission songs. I’ve signed up to teach lessons online. I’m seeing what else I can do for extra cash.] I’ll do my best to make it happen.

Just woulda been nicer to do it without all this extra work. And I am disappointed and embarrassed in myself in many ways, but *shrug*. So be it. You just gotta keep moving forward, I supposed.

Hey there!

Okay, so… Sure. Let’s get into it.

[And, I do realize everybody on Earth has dreams, and nearly everybody needs money. I’m not acting like I’m soooooooo special to have dreams and something I want to spend money on. But this is my specific story.]

I’m gonna tell you something SUPER embarrassing, but it’s the truth of it all, and it’s probably gonna make this make some more sense. So, I’m just gonna tell you ’cause that’s the simplest thing to do.

For those of you who haven’t been reading my blog all these years (or even maybe for those who have) – here is an extremely quick rundown of my life [or at least the bullet points that are relevant to this story; there probably are many more]

The beginning

• Toddler in diapers – watches Michael Jackson, LOVES music, dances her butt off
• Middle school – dance, dance, dance. [Heck yeah, we did Thriller at my recital]
• [Also in here, my dad and I start going to watch The Indiana Pacers play in a different arena every year. I love the NBA. This will become clear why it’s relevant in a minute haha.]
• High School – sets up schedule to take basically ALL performing arts classes Junior & Senior year. Does tap in the morning at the local professional dance academy.
• Berklee College of Music(!!!), one of the best music schools. Gets known around school as a dancer – goes on the local Boston news to teach The Single Ladies dance as a fun ridiculous random thing having to do with… school(?), I forget.

Dum dum duuuuum

• Find out I have a weird congenital heart defect. Goes from being known as “the fun girl who dances” to “the heart girl”
• In and out of the hospital for a year; has open-heart freaking surgery.
• Between aaaaaaaall the various heart surgeries and complications, etc., I gain TONS of weight (like a lot, no joke). And I lose all my fitness.
• I claaaaaaw my way back from all of that. I lose the weight. I pay off the medical bills (with help – thanks parents and loved ones).
• Finally in a stable condition (financially and fitness and everything), I get some headshots. I start dance classes. I start auditioning for things. I make it into my dream writing program in NYC. I think my life is FINALLY truly beginning.
• and then I get date raped/end up in a domestic violence relationship and it absolutely ruins me. I get so depressed, I can barely get out of bed. I gain all kinds of weight again. And it all seems like it’s over.

And then, like a Phoenix… haha

• I get very intense therapy, and get all the tools I need to function in the world again and not be quite SO freaking depressed and anxious all the time
• I somehow lose nearly 100(!) pounds, FINALLY getting back to normal
• [I even FINISH my dream musical theater program – making the cut of the cut program – after deferring because of everything that happened]
• Aaaand I write a musical on domestic violence that makes it into multiple festivals!
• I start up in ballet. I get en pointe. I try out for the Clippers dance team [I told you the NBA would be relevant haha]. [It even goes better than expected! I don’t make the team, but I do better than I think, and am soooo ready for the following year.]
• But now… Again, SO embarrassing. And not to like be gross. But with gaining and losing 100 pounds, I have some loose skin on my thighs! [And some other places, but that is the most egregious!]
• I desperately need some help putting my body back together. That takes a plastic surgery. I want plastic surgery – not to make an impossible body. Not to shave 5 millimeters off my nose. To put my body back together after letting it get out of control a couple of times. So that [ew ew ew ew eeeeeeew, sorry] my extra skin won’t get in the way when I dance – so that I don’t have to worry about looking weird in booty shorts, and that when I try out to dance in the NBA that people are looking at my muscular legs, not my loose skin. (I want to live some dancing dreams, before I get too old to do it.)

Okay, this blog post is kind of way too long as it is, so I’m gonna do a part 2 – tomorrow!

Now that we’ve gotten all the main game play and stuff out of the way, let’s start getting into the reactions and general questions.

The first one is (and I’ll talk more about the reaction to my episode later), but many people have been all over me for not being super happy at the end of the show, and how dare I think about $23,000 is not enough.

I’m super grateful for any extra money ever, of course. Yes. But to every stranger online who keeps telling me how $23,000 would change their life, and I should be grateful for it – I’m ultimately gonna get about $5,800 (give or take).

Still a lot – but like 1/4 of what everybody’s saying.

I already did a post on game show taxes. And we’ll just do a little general math here.

Remember, I won about $14,500 in cash on Wheel. The rest is a trip – and I still pay taxes on all $22,930 (of cash and prizes).

So, let’s say about 10% state tax. And let’s say about 25% for federal. So, that’d be:
$22,930 – $2,930 (10% of total amount for state) = 20,000 – $5,732.50 (25% of total amount for federal) = $14,267.50 – $8,430 (the price of the Barbados trip, so this is not *real* money I’ll see) = $5837.50

Just putting that out there for anyone who thinks I can take the trip of a lifetime, or pay for a semester’s worth of an expensive impressive school… No, I can like, pay my SAG initiation hahahaha.

STILL incredibly(!) cool, yes. Absolutely. But like, just – I know I’m being a little defensive since a lot of people were really intense about me needing to have a better attitude about a ‘windfall’ or what have you, but it’s less than people think. And even if it’s cool, it’s not a truly life-changing amount of money. And Wheel does sometimes have people who win life-changing amount of money.

So, yes, I should be grateful. I also see why I was upset (which I will elaborate on for you in the coming days!)

[Also, you don’t get it until *months* after the show airs, so as of right now, I’ve won nothing!]

xoxoxo

Picking up from yesterday –

So, then I play the game, which I have very much covered, in length.

(And the main behind-the-scenes thing about during-game-play is that we have to turn around completely so we can’t see anything they’re doing on the wheel as they change out wedges. We’re given make-up touchups and water and pep talks.)

When I’m done with the bonus round, the guys have already gotten their stuff and left. I get taken to a room to fill out the paperwork about accepting the trip. You have to sign paperwork whether you’re forfeiting it, or choosing not to forfeit it.

They give you the info for the people you’ll be communicating with. The people in the room are super nice, and congratulatory. They were complimentary and said they thought I was a good player. (They knew I was beating myself up about the bonus round, clearly, the world knew as it was all on camera.)

Then I’m taken back to the contestant room, which is empty as the people in the third show are on stage. I grab my stuff (including my phone out of my locker and everything), and then I’m walked out to where my friends are at the edge of the audience.

I think potentially had you really wanted to stick around and watch everyone else, I’m guessing they would’ve let you (though I’m not sure). But I’d already gone to a full standby tape date. And I figured I could see how everyone did when the shows aired.

Plus, I wanted to meet my friends. Sorta. I mean, I wanted to hide from my friends, because I felt bad that they’d showed up and didn’t even get to run onstage. (And, obviously, I was embarrassed.) But still. I wanted to see them.

So, I met up with them, we walked out of the Sony lot. We got some food. They were understanding, but also like… you gotta pull yourself together. You can’t be this upset about winning ~ $23,000 in cash & prizes.

And that was the day!

If I missed anything, please let me know!

[I do have a few FAQs and stuff I will be answering over the next few days, but that is indeed the gist of it all!]

Thanks for following along!

Picking up from yesterday –

So then, it’s time for the block of shows to start.

If you’re in the first group to play, you stay behind to get mic’d and things. If you’re in any of the other groups, you go to a designated area of the seats to watch. (It’s way on the edge, away from other audience members).

And you’re supposed to stay away from any audience members. Everything has to stay on the up-and-up. There can’t be any appearance of anything that’s not fully above board. So you can’t have your phone. You can’t talk to anyone who’s not a contestant or contestant coordinator (or the lawyer). You have to be watched and good.

So, we all sat there and watched the episode. And of course everyone is very quietly playing along, which is funny, seeing the people around you with the various strategies.

One thing that was interesting when I’d been a standby contestant and got to see all 6 shows, was as far as me and the other standby contestant could tell, when they put the mystery wedge on the wheel, they switched it every time. So, for instance, if the mystery wedge that showed $10,000 was near Free Play in the first game, then in the second game, that space was bankrupt. And in the 3rd game, that space would be $10,000 again.

Or at least that’s how it *looked* to us, from where we were sitting, but we couldn’t be 100% sure. And I’m sure there’s no way they do that every single day, because people would catch on and always know for their game where mystery wedge was (assuming they were watching it be set in the games before them).

I was curious though to watch and pay attention to if that pattern reemerged during this tape date. But alas, I was the second show. So, I didn’t see any wedges being switched out except on one game before mine.

So, yeah, we all watched the first game.

And juuuust a little bit before the game is over, the take the next group down to the contestant room again for last minute make-up touchups, to grab some water, and to get ready to go on your game!

And then as soon as the players who just played are coming back, you’re going out and getting mic’d up and everything.

I was a little bummed that we were being taken back before the bonus puzzle, because I really wanted to see at least one full game to practice/warm-up/get in the swing of things.

But! The good news is, they had the bonus puzzle up on the TV in the room. And I got “Riding a Bike” JUST in the nick of time. (I know bike is always a go-to word if it’s an activity and I don’t know what it is.)

So, I felt confident-ish going into my game.

And then it was our turn to play! And this is where I’ll pick up tomorrow!

Picking up from yesterday –

So, at this point, the make-up stuff is still going. People are going in and out for touch-ups. (We were supposed to come basically camera ready, but they elevated everyone, so we all looked better on television.)

I was in the make-up chair. And I got to pull my color! There was a random little bottle thing we pulled our colors out of. (Most things were as randomized as they could be, for fairness.)

In my heart of hearts, I was hoping for the blue spot. It’s the 3rd spot (lucky number). The prettiest color of those 3. The closest to being directly in line with the used letter board. You’re on the end, so less likely to be distracted by anyone around you (in my opinion).

And I was so super pleased to get blue! (Yay!)

I tried to pretty much remember things in order, although I think I may have not gotten the order totally right, because I thought we were on stage before this, but also after this? Did we go onstage twice.

Well, either way, this was the gist of the day in approximate-ish order of how it happened.

Also on stage, they had people record their hometown howdies, and get a press photo taken (that they’d send us before our episode aired, so we could put it on social media and everything).

And also, someone (a director, I think?) would be looking at us through the camera, and telling other people (on earpieces or something?) whether our outfits worked, or if we needed to change anything.

And yeah, I think (I hope) I covered everything from when I auditioned to when the round of shows were about to start, and I guess I’ll start there tomorrow!

Picking up from yesterday –

So, then… After we get back to contestant holding, they announce our group of 3s [the people we’ll be playing with]!

Now, before this point, during any little breaks or downtime, they’ve been showing former games/puzzles on the TV in the room. I was gonna just be quiet and everything, but as soon as someone else shouted an answer out early, oh, well, baby, it’s on.

I got “Hamburger and Fries” (which I think was a toss-up) after like one letter, people were a little taken aback. And I laughed, but also, inside, I had a little fight in me of like “let’s get it! Let’s GO, y’all!

So, as people had made friends around the room that day [and we had lunch and everything too; they kept everyone well fed], I bonded a little with Steve (on my show). He said he’d studied a lot and we compared study methods/tips. (I studied more than he did. ;))

And we talked about our Wheel strategy. His was more conservative than mine (as we also saw on the show).

And so by the time we got our groups of people, Ben started joking like ‘oh NO’. Not these two nerds haha. (I mean, he was doing it in a funny self-deprecating way, as though he wasn’t gonna be able to keep up with us, now that we weren’t nerds in a bad way.)

So, after we got our groups, one person was designated as the person who would picking a number out of a container to know which show you’d go on.

They tape 6 shows of Wheel of Fortune in a day. So, if you get the 6th show, you’re on a whole different theme week. And I think that could be a little rough, getting so used to one theme week – the one you’ve studied and studied for. I mean, it’s not a surprise. They tell you to expect that. But I was definitely hoping not to get the 6th show (which I didn’t).

In our group, Ben pulled.

I was like ‘don’t get the second show – the ‘unlucky’ show (as 2 is my unlucky number)… He got the second show. And we laughed about that.

So, we had our show number, and the people on the show. And this is where I’ll pick up tomorrow!

Picking up from yesterday –

They also took us around the set, and showed us everything.

It was sort of funny (and really endearing) to me how some people were so amazed by a television set. In that way, I guess it was nice to be an LA person who’s been on a number of them, and in that way sort of has ‘home field advantage’.

It was just interesting seeing people in real time be maybe even distracted by the ‘lights’ and everything, and just feel extra pressure, whereas I very much felt at home. And when I was practicing and playing, I didn’t even notice the audience, or anything like that. I’m locked into the game, baby!

So, anyway, I know a lot of people on the internet have talked about this, so I think it might be common knowledge. But there is a “used letter board” to the upper left (as you face it) of the puzzle board.

The letters are all lit up. The vowels are separated out. And they’ll go dark once called. So, they explain that to you, and say you can always look up there if you need to be reminded if something has been called or not.

Also, to the left of you in general (not by the board, but more to your actual left, instead of in front of you), is where are the scores are kept – so we can see what people have in that round and total, so you can be doing math to know if you think you should keep spinning.

Those are really the only other places you’ll ever have to look. And most of the time, you should probably be focused on the board.

Then we split up and play a practice game. So, 3 people at a time get to go up to the spots on the wheel while others wait behind. (We’re all kind of whispering behind, and the contestant coordinators are coming around asking us like ‘what do you think that word might be? What might you call?)

And I’m pretty strong at this while I’m playing behind. So, that’s good.

But then when I got up there, there was another crossword puzzle! (I don’t know why the thing I’m usually good at, I could not get ahold of that day!)

But the clue was “______ line” And one of the words was _UNCH. I don’t think there was any other info that would’ve given us the first letter.

And yet AGAIN – not trusting my gut, and going too ‘Wheel of Fortune general rules of thumb’ about it, I said L since L is in RSTLNE. But it was P!

P was in my gut. I was overthinking it. I wish I could say I fully took that lesson in the practice, and did better in the game. But not. I overthought the game too. But whatever. (You already know that from my game posts.)

I do think… I dunno how to put this exactly, because I don’t necessarily think the right phrasing is “over-coached,” because I don’t think the Wheel people did anything wrong at all. They’re trying to help and make sure everyone is ultra-prepared.

But in my opinion, if you’re really prepared going in, and you have your strategies thought about and everything, I think you should stand in your confidence and don’t let other people get in your head.

My standby tape date, I came READY. And then I was in a slightly worse place in my personal life by this point. And so I was just like mentally weaker in the moment, and like I just had too many thoughts/ideas swirling in my head. Gotta get that mental toughness up! But alas. On we go!

And this is where I’ll pick up tomorrow!

Picking up from yesterday –

3. Related to that, it doesn’t super matter what their opinion is on it, when it’s your game/time on air. I mean, they’re letting you on the show, so to some extent, you should try to give them what they want, if you can.

And as much as I thought I was very well-studied and knew the game very well, they work there. So, their opinion is gonna be super smart/relevant/not to be dismissed.

But at the end of the day, I think you want to try to make it so that their opinions and coaching don’t seep in tooooo much, because I think one of the real tricks to doing well [not only at this game, but in life] is truly trusting yourself. So, I didn’t want to worry tooooo much about their advice when you have to trust yourself when you’re that studied and read, and it’s your big day.

But the one thing I wish I would’ve asked(!) is if anyone ever in the history of Wheel of Fortune has solved a puzzle with ZERO letters in the puzzle – not one. Just looked at it and solved. Because I kind of assumed at some point, somewhere it must’ve happened.

But I haven’t been able to find anything about it online. And had I known I would’ve been the first ever, I might have done it for funsies. I still kind of doubt I would have. But I might have! It woulda been pretty cool. It would’ve been a fun viral moment.

(But it’s possible that they wouldn’t have known this off the top of their heads, and perhaps it would’ve been seen as a dumb of conceited question, so, I dunno. Maybe it wouldn’t have gone over well in the moment, and maybe it would have. Who knows.)

BUT things are so clear in hindsight – when I knew I already went semi-viral for something I don’t like, so I would’ve rather it been for something cooler. And when I already know I landed on the Express Wedge and won the game. It’s the information I didn’t have at the time that makes me wish I would’ve. And I didn’t have that then, so *shrug*.

And I’ll get back to all the pre-show stuff tomorrow!

Picking up from yesterday –

One thing I am in HUGE agreement on with the Wheel of Fortune people is that people are there to PLAY.

So, again, while you are not obligated to do any of the things they suggest, they do talk strategy that they find to be good most of the time. And I’m in agreement with them on a lot of it – including this.

They told people that if you’re spinning, and you figure out a puzzle that still has multi-consonants (like 4 of the same consonant), that it’s usually good practice [if you want] to keep spinning! You could end up with a really big payday that way, and it’s more engaging for the viewers at home.

[Imagine landing on a $5,000 space with 4 consonants remaining!]

And while they were telling us this, I *almost* asked if that were the case that there were lots of consonants, but NOTHING had been called (or even just like one letter) – if it was potentially going to be a very impressive solve, would they rather us just go ahead and go for it, if we felt like it, to have that potentially viral moment.

Just something was pulling at me to ask it. (It’s almost like somehow my gut knew I’d be put in that spot [like it was destined, or something silly like that]!)

And I think looking back on it, while you’re there in person, you should ask literally anything you want. What are they gonna do? Not pick you? You’re already going on the show. I guess you could do something heinous enough to get kicked out, even after you were picked, before you tape. But after quite a long process, I would guess you’d have to do something pretty awful to get kicked out. I think you’d be safe asking any questions about game play or strategy advice you wanted – even if they were dumb or annoying.

This is your only chance to get the words straight from the horse’s mouth. So, you might as well take the opportunity, and not be left wondering things later.

But anyway, the reason I didn’t ask is:

1. What kind of question is that? That’s pretty presumptuous to think you’re gonna be that good at the game that you’re gonna know a puzzle that quickly, and that you’re gonna be lucky enough to be in a spot in which it would even matter anyway. So, do you really wanna be all teacher’s-pet-nerd-alert in front of everybody else, and set a bar that’s really hard to live up to? [Usually better to underpromise and over-deliver, when possible].
2. I generally though it’d be smarter to go for money than viral-ness anyway. So, even if they said, “we’d love a viral moment,” I doubt I would’ve listened, because at the end of the day, I really wanted to win the game.

And this is where I’ll pick up tomorrow.

Picking up from yesterday –

So, as they were telling us about the wedges and everything, more people were getting hair/make-up done (and they were making sure they stayed included).

Then, they took us out to the Wheel.

And they explained some stuff to us, like the stuff that goes “upstairs” vs “downstairs.” And basically what that means is that if it’s on the little padded thing where you might rest your hands or whatever, that’s “upstairs” (so like, a wild card, a gift tag).

Downstairs would be like where the million dollar wedge, or things like that go. It’s where a full wedge is leaned against the thing below your score.

Everyone got to do practice spins, just to get a sense of the wheel.

It was made very, very clear that we were not to spin with a destination in mind and if they caught you doing it, you’d be in trouble. They encouraged us to spin pretty hard, you know, you don’t want it moving just a handful of wedges.

So, everyone got some turns at a practice spin.

They loved calling out if someone got Free Play, “Oh that’s Free Play!” as in “you know what to do, call a vowel.” (I feel like I’ve already talked about the Free Play thing enough, but it’s a strategy thing that’s talked about over and over. They obviously won’t make you call a vowel, but for some reason (that I still don’t fully completely understand, as I already explained my feelings on it), it’s encouraged!

And I know this is a bit of a short post, but I have just a specific thing that’s sticking in my brain that I’m gonna talk about in its own post, and I’ll do that tomorrow!

Picking up from yesterday –

So, after the lawyer visits, the coordinators lead us through any last questions, and they collect all of our IDs.

Random fact, and I’m not sure why this is, but if you do not have a psychical social security card with you, you do not get to play.

(They deeply warned us about this, so everyone knew to bring theirs. And maaaaaybe they do something if you forget yours in a far away state that they’ll let you play but not give you prizes until you’ve proven with your physical card. I don’t know, but I wouldn’t chance it!)

So, they take our paperwork and our IDs. And Vanna comes to say hi, which was really cool!

She pops her head in, and is super nice. And she’s totally gorgeous in person (as she is on screen), even before she gets her make-up on.

The contestant coordinators also go over the general rules of Wheel of Fortune. The explain the various wedges, the wild card, all of it. They have replicas of those pieces they hold up and show us.

They talk about the various categories and general smart game play.

They mention on Free Play that you can also try to solve the puzzle… I actually forget what the final outcome of the question was, but I did wonder if you can take a gull on puzzle guess on Free Play, if it’s wrong, do you keep spinning. I *think* the answer was no. But I don’t remember… I do remember there being some of thing about Free Play that seemed like something I was unaware of before… and I think it was that you could just guess the puzzles. But I don’t know if that’s true, because if it is, then if it was wrong, but was a free play, you’d get to keep going.

I’m sure I was overthinking it, and it was a moot point anyway because I don’t think I’d ever use Free Play to guess the puzzle.

The coordinators said over and over at the audition and on the day that they thought Free Play would be good for vowels. I still vehemently disagree with this, as I’ve stated, but hey, to each their own.

Now… I don’t know if I felt more worn down this day because I’d, within the past month, been back in the hospital for my heart issues popping up, or if it was because I’d been on such a weird sleep schedule for work, or if it was because it was the top of the pandemic, or if it was because I’d already been to a tape date and was going through the whole thing again, but I did feel a little worn down at the rules/advice part – especially as they continued them while we were out on the stage.

And like I don’t blame them at all. I don’t think they’re doing anything wrong. They’re trying to get a good show. They’re trying to remind people of things. They’re trying to download info to people who may or may not have been studying. They’re trying to do their jobs, but I do think because I was in a more exhausted/vulnerable state than the average day, I was kind of worn down and became slightly more in my head with all of it, I think.

I mean, it’s fine. It didn’t affect my gameplay in any markedly different way. Like, I don’t think the outcome would’ve necessarily been different just off of all this drilling alone, but like, I dunno. I was a little worn down haha.

Anyway, I’ll pick up with more of the day tomorrow!

Picking up from yesterday

So, we had a visit from ‘Erin’ [again, fake name just to protect the privacy of Wheel of Fortune people].

And not only did she go in depth on the eligibility parts of the paperwork, she also said that if EVER at ANY point in the day, we saw ANYTHING that we thought wasn’t fair – an outcome we think should’ve been called differently (e.g. a puzzle solve that wasn’t counted for pronunciation reasons, but you believe your pronunciation is actually generally acceptable, or like if you said B and Pat heard C, and there was no C, and you lost your turn, but there was a B, or just blah blah, aaaaaanything that you deemed unfair or wrong in aaaaaany way) –

She was like “if you have ANY problems, you just tell them you want to speak to ‘Erin’. You do not have to explain yourself or anything. Just say you want to talk to me, and I’ll jump up and talk to you ASAP, and we’ll try to get it worked out.

To my knowledge, nothing happened on either of the tape dates I attended that involved calling her in. But IF something had happened, they reminded us that it’s WAY easier to fix day OF while you’re standing right there, while they may be able to do another puzzle, or have lawyers look over it in real time.

Basically, to my knowledge, people don’t get to re-come on the show if there was an issue. So, you gotta get it taken care of right then and there.

BUT they run such a tight ship, and they cover themselves in so many ways with paperwork and going over rules and things a million times, that I’m assuming issues are rare.

And this is kind of a short post, but seems like a good place to stop. So, I’ll pick up here again tomorrow.

Picking up from last time –

A woman named [redacted], ’cause I don’t know if I should be sharing the names of staff, so I guess let’s just call her Erin, because why not, comes in and goes over some legal stuff with us.

She has everyone verify that we haven’t been main contestants on more than 2 game/reality/dating shows in the last 10 years. And she asks if we’ve met anyone from Sony/Wheel/affiliated people.

And everyone gets a chance to ask as many tiny questions as they want, as they very, very thoroughly do this paperwork with us.

The only one that I had a question about was that it asks if you’re “professionally trained,” or have appeared as an entertainer. I was like “I’m really not professional. But I technically have my Equity card, and I did perform off-Broadway once, but like… in a beaver costume, so I don’t think anyone cares.”

I think a lot of people started over-thinking their answers and asking pretty specific questions like that about any number of things on the form, because the Wheel people were just so methodical, and really trying to make sure we were thorough about it all.

So, it’s like, dang, okay, if you wanna be thorough, I guess let’s all get thorough and ask every minuscule question we can think of haha.

There were some parts you had to initial, or specifically put n/a, instead of just leaving blank, and some parts I feel like we glossed over a little, maybe?

Or at least, I didn’t remember a lot of things until I started perusing it for this blog post.

We had to verify that we have never [bolded] been on any version of Wheel of Fortune, which is sort of surprising, because I think they’d have a giant database of that, but maybe not! (Apparently not)

I also didn’t realize we agree to play with anyone who has a physically disability who has reasonable accommodations to play (with the Wheel and everything). Obviously I so super agree to this. It’s just interesting to me it even has to be in writing. Like, duh, if someone’s in a wheelchair, of course I still want them to be able to play and someone else can spin or whatever is necessary?

But I understand why they have to put it in writing if it’s changing things at all for anyone.

There is a paragraph that feels very reality-show-eque haha that they can take our likeness, voice, etc. and ‘rearrange’ things (not the actual show, obviously, I’m assuming, but if they wanted to put things on social, or do a special, or whatever whatever). We just have to be prepared that Wheel of Fortune can use whatever about as, as much as they want, wherever they want, however they want, anywhere in the universe in perpetuity, which tbh, is to be expected.

Sometimes things you’d expect like “yeah, obv Wheel can use my clips” sound so intense in papers like this.

Also, we’re not allowed to sell the companion part if we win a trip. I’d never even think about doing that – going with some stranger just to get some extra money? No thank you. But clearly, some people must, since it’s in there.

Also, just like with the lottery (or at least I think that’s how it works with the lottery?), if you win the million, it’s not a million today.

It’s either a million over 20 years, or $778,000 lump sum now.

Anyway, you get the gist. So, we have this big ol’ honking contract. And this is where I’ll pick up tomorrow.

Picking up from yesterday –

So, once we get to Sony, we go into this contestant room for Wheel of Fortune people.

It’s stocked with bagels, drinks, snacks. They do a great job of keeping us fed all day.

On the side of the contestant area is a make-up area. They’re right next to each other/connected by a door that’s generally kept open the whole time.

So, some announcements and things can be given while people are in make-up, because make-up needs to cycle through people, and you can hear in there.

(Some of the more important announcements, they’ll stop down make-up, but for some of the simpler things, they won’t.)

Three people can go to make-up/hair at a time. So, three people start in on that. People are snacking. The day is starting.

We all get little lockers in the back of the room where we have to put our phones (and really, basically everything we have, as we’re not allowed to have much while we’re there).

A contestant coordinator comes in and explains “Hometown Howdies” to us – which is where people will tape a little thing for their affiliate stations.

They have a little board where it gives the script, and says something like “I’m [name] from [city]. Watch ME play Wheel of Fortune tonight on ABC 6.”

So, we go around the room and one at a time, someone stands, says their little script to practice, and then gets notes on it (which for most people is just ‘louder’ and ‘more enthusiasm’), then sits down.

Angelinos don’t do “hometown howides,” because our local stations don’t care/don’t play them. But we still get to practice them for funsies!

And I felt special, like I got a little ‘gold star’, because they were very proud of how I delivered the lines with the inflection the way they wanted it – plenty loud and enthusiastic!

It is so funny to me the difference between being an LA person and people from other places. Because, not to knock them at all, I’m sure other people have plenty of skills I don’t have.

But I am SO used to being able to “turn it on”and kind of get that inflection of like upbeat-game-show contestant that they want, that when people seem bewildered by it, I get bewildered at their bewilderment!

But then again, try to put me in their day-to-day – I’d have absolutely no idea how to like cook for a toddler, or drive a manual car, etc. But I sure can hit my mark, and smile big. I’ve been practicing that since I was a toddler!

Anyway, enough about being overly-trained on how to be an over-the-top LA person.

Then, it’s time for paperwork central!

And that’s where I’ll pick up tomorrow.

Picking up from yesterday –

In the big packet, we get a mini-packet of things from Pat Sajack – his “secrets to winning on Wheel.”

He basically talks about how important he thinks it is to buy vowels. And he talks about how he’d always use “Free Play” for a vowel.

I’ve always vehemently been against using Free Play for a vowel in most cases. Yeah, sure, it’s “free.” So, you don’t have to buy your vowel. BUT they still give you $500 for any consonant you call while on Free Play! So, if you landed on Free Play, got a consonant for $500, and then bought a vowel for $250 right after, you’ve still netted $500!

Now, $500 is a pretty low amount, so maybe you want to burn the turn to spin for more money, so you call a vowel just to do it. But I don’t think it’s “saving” you money, per se.

Also, there are only 5 vowels, but 21 consonants! And vowels, for the most part, must appear in every word. I think in general, with context clues and just probability, I think you generally have a better chance of calling a vowel in the puzzle than a consonant (if you’re lost as to what the puzzle is, and don’t have other things to build off of).

So, I’d call what I’m less likely to get correct.

I think what free play is best used for is stuff like:

– something you think is a strong possibility, but there are other good options and it’s risky to call on a normal turn, so you’d luck out in having the safety net

– a “good letter” in a puzzle in which you are almost certain of a part of it, but you don’t know the other part. So, if you’re almost CERTAIN about like a “T” and “N” are in the puzzle, and that will complete RSTLNE, and you don’t know what another word is, guess like a P, or a C, etc. – something reasonable, but iffy.

The only time I can generally imagine using Free Play for a vowel is if I’m really lost on a puzzle and we only have two vowels remaining, and free play is gonna give me my answer.

Because if there are only 2 vowels left, and you call one on Free Play, you then have a ton more information.

If that vowel is in the puzzle, and there’s still another vowel remaining, and it’s the last vowel available, then you can immediately buy it after Free Play, and have all the vowel information.

If the vowel is not in the puzzle, same deal, buy the one that is.

If it’s in the puzzle and you get the sound that you’re out of vowels, congratulations. You still have all the vowel info.

I mean, I guess you could argue that I said in my second puzzle I may have used free play for a vowel when there were 3 vowel possibilities left, because there were only 2 letter spaces left on the board, and I was at a loss, and I needed whatever info I could grab onto.

But in general, I think vowels are a bad strategy on Free Play, overall. And yet, Wheel of Fortune very, very much encourages you to use Free Play for vowels.

Anyway, his other things are like pay attention to the category, which I totally agree with, and to be willing to take gambles and how frustrating it is if someone doesn’t pick up the mystery wedge when they only have like $1,000. I also super wholeheartedly agree with that. Like he says if you don’t really wanna play, “why are you here?”

And he says pay attention to the scores… Like if someone built up a ton of money and got lose a turn, and the next person called a wrong letter, and then you’re in control, if the game is close between the two of you, you may want to try to block them from getting the puzzle and not just spin hoping to rack up a little more, as you may get bankrupt and hand their windfall back to them.

And I think that’s fair.

I mean, he knows the game better than nearly anybody. So, of course I agree with most of his sounds tips, but that Free Play thing! It gets me every time!

And this is where I’ll pick up tomorrow!

Picking up from yesterday –

It also tells you not to bring any outside reading material. (In game shows, they just have to be so careful to know no one is cheating… I don’t really know how you can cheat at a puzzle game with a newspaper, but just in case!)

They give you a mini-packet that has all the common game categories, and explains what they are (e.g. person, titles, landmark, what are you doing, living things, in the kitchen, and on and on and on and on). (The mini-packet of categories is 6 pages long.)

They give us a little pink sheet of tips on how to be a great contestant, which are all pretty straightforward. Study. Be confident. Have fun. That kind of stuff.

They also give you a full contestant release, so you have a chance to read it before you get there (even though the lawyer will go through the whole thing with you).

And Pat Sajack has a little “tribute to Wheel’s Contestants,” which is very cute! It basically just says people come from all over the world to play Wheel, and he appreciates them all, etc.

I know this post is a little on the short side, but I need a full one to talk about another thing from the packet – Pat Sajack’s secrets to winning on wheel.

Okay, so my tape date!

[This blog post is just kind of over-explaining, so if you want to skip this one, feel free to go for it.]

I got the notice that I was invited to play “Surfin’ Safari, which will tape on Friday, March 13, 2020.

I had sort of a lot going on at the time. (That’s mentioned in another post.) So, it wasn’t the best time for me to go on.

And part of me wondered if maybe I would’ve been better on another theme week, or if “Surfin’ Safari” could really be my jam.

But I didn’t want to start pick-and-choosing theme weeks. And even though the timing wasn’t perfect, I felt like I had to push through the fact that I’d gotten used to working nights, and I’d recently been really ill (in the hospital for 3 or so days), etc. Like, it was time to just do this – as, by this point, I was at the very tail end of the one year and 6 months mark.

Again, they made it super clear that they won’t pressure you to go on, and they’ll extend it if you need.

But I didn’t want to take any chances. (And now, knowing that day was basically the last day things were normal before the pandemic, not taking chances is probably even better.)

So, I went on the show.

You got to pick your four people who were going to go as your audience members. I very much enjoyed the friends who went, but my core supporters like my dad, and B, and Alex – they were all doing things they absolutely couldn’t get out of.

So, again, a slight sign that this isn’t the best ever time to be doing this tape date, but whatever. It’s time. At this point, between when I originally sent in my audition tape, almost two years prior, and doing Wheelmobile events for a few years after that, like… it was TIME.

So, on March 13th, I wake up super early in the morning.

I watch a full episode of Wheel just to kind of shake my brain awake. I head out in an Uber pool. (Isn’t it crazy to think we were still using Uber pools – without masks?!

This was truly like the last innocent day, basically.

I was way overly excited and made slight friends with my Uber driver before other people got in. Then the other people didn’t seem as ready to party at like 6am, so i had a little quiet ride to the studio where I tried to just calm my mind, and remember the ‘rules of thumb’ of Wheel of Fortune as best as I could.

And then I got to the studio!