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Pat and Bob K.
- Theme Week:
- Sweethearts Week
- Contestant:
- Pat and Bob K.
- Hometown:
- Las Vegas, NV
- Week of:
- February 8, 2010
Posted on 2/9
The big day arrived and we had to be down at the Venetian before 8 a.m. No problem for us since we are both early risers. All the couples met where we were told and we were ushered to a room in the convention area. It was quite a long walk and we were instructed not to speak to anyone other than the staff from this point forward.
The first order of business was to make sure everyone was checked in and then the paperwork began. We read and filled out a bunch of forms. Once that was completed, we received a lot of instructions and were given an idea of what to expect for the day. The contestant department was great! Throughout the morning, they kept reminding us to buy vowels and if the puzzle was a "what are you doing" type, not to forget the "ing". They all gave us such great advice. We were split up into groups of three couples and then one person from that group had to pick a ball out of a container to determine the time of our groups' taping. Bob got to pick and he did a great job since we got to be the first taping. Then one person from each couple in our group had to pick to see our position on stage. Bob picked and we got to be right next to Pat!
Next we had to have our make-up done, then it was on to taping promos for our local television stations, and then we got to rehearse on stage. We all tried our hand at spinning the wheel, and it was heavy so all the girls decided to let the guys do the spinning.
The time arrived for us to get set for the first taping. The entire group was led out to the stage/audience area. We were told not to even look at the audience. Final preparation was done and our group was called to the stage. It was time! When Pat and Vanna walked out I got so nervous, I squeezed Bob's hand too tight. We missed the first toss up and then Pat started the interviews. When he got to me, I totally forgot what I had rehearsed and even forgot to say hi to our five granddaughters. At least, Bob got all his info out and even got a laugh from the audience. We missed the next toss up as well. At that point we decided I would just concentrate on the puzzle board and not even watch as Bob was spinning. Bob did a great job spinning that wheel, he landed on the Million Dollar Wedge, the Wild Card, bankrupts, lose a turn. I even tried to buy a vowel before we even had some money. Everything just seemed like a blur.
My favorite moment was when Bob landed on the jackpot wedge and I called a letter and there were 3 of them. Bob went to spin again and I grabbed his hand to stop him and said "I'll solve". Bob looked at me and said "you will"? But I knew at that moment I could solve it. Pat was so funny when this happened and commented "now we know why this marriage works"! We solved another puzzle after landing on the $2,500 wedge, I think. I can't remember all the specifics as I was just concentrating so hard and running all word possibilities to try and solve.
When the "ding ding" was sounded for the final spin, my heart was beating so fast. I knew we were in the lead, so what Pat landed on would make a big difference. Pat landed on the $300, so I knew Bob and I would be going to the bonus round. We tried to solve the last puzzle, and we shouted out our answers. Unfortunately, our answers were different, we lost out turn.
On to the bonus round, where we did not fare so well. Both Bob and I got hung up on saying the word "page" and the ten seconds went by so quickly. We won over $19,000, most of it cash, and we had the most amazing time of our lives.
Posted on 2/8
I have been an avid WOF watcher since the show has been on. I remember when a contestant won, they got to buy merchandise. Over the years, some things have changed but my loyalty to the show has never waivered. I remember when I joined the Wheel Watchers Club and got my Spin ID; my number is pretty low. One day at work I received an email to fill out an application to audition and I thought, why not. Much to my surprise a few weeks later, I received an invitation to audition for Sweetheart's Week.
I couldn't wait to tell Bob. He looked at me like I was crazy (he didn't know I had submitted an application). He was a little skeptical and I told him how much this meant to me, so he agreed to do the audition. I was so excited and I spent hours playing WOF on line whenever I had a free moment and, of course, we watched the show every night.
At the audition, there were about 50 couples and we were split into groups to play mock games. We solved one puzzle and received a WOF t-shirt. After everyone had their chance to play, we were given the dreaded written test. Each member of a team received a different test. Immediately, I went to work filling in the ones that came to me right away. All of a sudden, time was up and we had to pass the test to the contestant coordinators. Bob thought he did terrible and I didn't think I did that great either. So now we all had a break while our tests were graded. I always hated tests in school and this was no different.
After the break, the coordinators started calling names and asking those couples to stand. It was nerve wracking; our names were not called. It turned out that those couples were thanked for their participation, but their audition was over. The remaining couples looked around and we all started smiling….we were still in the running. We played more mock games and this time Bob and I won an autographed photo of Pat and Vanna (a great keepsake). The audition came to a close and everyone was told that if we were selected, we would hear from them in a few weeks.
Throughout the whole process leading up to the audition and afterwards, neither Bob nor I told anyone. It was just our little secret, even though we really wanted to tell our family and everyone we knew.
A few weeks passed and we did not hear from the contestant department. We had given up hope and figured we were not selected for Sweetheart's Week. Our granddaughter came over for a visit and we shared our experience with her and told her how much fun we had even if we didn't make it this time. She was more optimistic than we were and said she knew how much I loved WOF. She reminded me that whenever she and her sisters spent the night, we always had to watch the show and I would solve so many of the puzzles.
A couple of days later, after I got home from work, my cell phone rang. I was busy in another room and couldn't get to it. As soon as I picked it up and saw the number with a California area code, I dialed it right away. The young lady who answered the phone said her name, and her name was the same as my granddaughter. This totally confused me for a moment, as I couldn't understand why my granddaughter was calling me from California. Then it hit me when she said you and Bob have been selected to be contestants on WOF. Oh my gosh, I couldn't believe it. She started giving me all the details and I got so excited, I almost couldn't speak. I started writing everything down and tossing the notes to Bob. After we finished the call, Bob and I immediately texted all of our granddaughters and friends with the good news. It was such an exciting day!
Watch Bob and I tonight, February 8th, to see how we fared in our once in a lifetime opportunity!