WHEEL!!

Well. . .it's done. I was on Wheel of Fortune. If you want to know when my show airs, email me and I'll give you the date. I did really well--I didn't get to the bonus round, but not because I didn't play well. . .it was one of those luck of the spin things. . .you'll see when you watch it.

The whole experience was really really fun. We were there all day (they taped 5 shows!) and I thought I would be exhausted, but the day went by so fast! I was in the very last show! S., N., my mom, my friend L, and my friends/neighbors C, C, and P came. P is close to N's age, so that was good--they got antsy having to be there for 7 hours, but it probably would have been worse if they didn't have each other!

For me. . .the day flew by. We did some rehearsal stuff, some legal stuff, etc. We got to know each other pretty well, which was nice, because we were all really excited for each other to win. My group (of course I'm biased) was so great! We all did well and we were all so happy for each other. I think that really helped with the nerves, because you didn't have to worry about someone trying to kill you!

They have all these great coaches (I'm not sure what their title is--we called them "Life Coaches") that really get you prepared for what is going to happen. Although, I can tell you that there is a good reason that the people on the show don't solve it as fast as you do at home! You have SO many things to think about. . .don't look at the wheel, only look at the puzzle. Clap for everyone, but don't clap loud, and don't clap near your chest or your face, be excited, be moving all the time--don't stand still. Talk with a loud, clear voice, but don't shout. Ennunciate your words, so they hear you correctly, wait for Pat to say the dollar amount before you talk. Don't say "please" or "I'd like a. . ." just say the letter, don't say you want to spin--just spin. Don't take too long, use vowels, think about "logical letters" and "letter groups," don't look at the crowd, keep things moving. . .etc. etc. etc. It's a lot of pressure for people who are not used to being on TV.

I did screw one thing up. It added about 30 minutes to the taping time. I knew I would embarrass myself, but fortunately, they can edit it together and fix it, so instead of being an idiot on national television, I'm just an idiot in front of the 3000 people in the studio audience. The other two contestants were so nice about it, and so were the producers and Pat. (The Executive Producer came out to explain to us what was going to happen--I was so scared. I just KNEW they were going to kick me off the show!) I will explain more after the show airs--I don't want to give anything away! The other two contestants kept telling me it was OK, and Pat said "Don't worry--in the list of screwups--you're WAY down at the bottom." That actually made me feel a lot better!

All in all, I had a GREAT time. I won some great stuff and I can't wait 'til it airs, because I want to see it--I'm not sure what all happened! I am glad that I didn't get the bonus round, because none of the letters I would have called would have been up there. The girl who went called good letters, and she won it. The only thing that made me sad was that S. and N. didn't get to be on TV. But, then I would have had to explain that to R. when we watched the show, so maybe it was for the best!

So, watch for me on TV, and look for me to be traveling soon--that's all the hint I'll give ya!