Erika G.

Erika G.

Theme Week:
Room With A View
Contestant:
Erika G.
Hometown:
Baton Rouge, LA
Week of:
September 28, 2009

Posted on 9/29


Yeah! I won $57,484 including a trip to Aruba! I was super excited about the trip to Aruba. As I told Pat when he announced that I won, my husband and I honeymooned in Aruba. We had a great time and always wanted to go back. Five and a half years ago, after being in labor for 16 hours with our first child, my husband promised to take me back, but we have not had an opportunity to go until now. I was so excited!

Honestly, I didn’t even know how much I had when I made it to the Bonus Round! I was just so happy and proud of myself for making it that far. When I saw on the screen $22,484, I was shocked that I had that much money… I couldn’t believe it. When I solved puzzle in the bonus round I was so happy that I solved the puzzle that I didn’t even think to look at what I had won until Pat showed me the envelope with $35,000 in it! Task Force will forever be my favorite group of people!

When I won, the producers pushed my best friend Laurie and said, “You’re friend just won a TON of money!” She came running toward me and when I saw her, I thought she was about to take Pat out! She remembers slightly bumping into him and thought, “Oh my gosh, I just bumped into Pat Sajak!” It was hilarious! I don’t know if the camera picked up on that, but I saw it and just laughed hysterically!

It took many days to process that I actually won. My experience was unbelievable. Vanna and Pat are super nice! They were very sweet and I love it when people are as gracious in person as they seem on television. That’s why Wheel has been around for 27 years!

So, if you want to be a contestant on Wheel then here are some tips according to me, Blue #3… the $57,484 winner…

  1. Try for it. You’ll never know if you can get on if you don’t try.

  2. Have confidence. Don’t just have confidence in winning the show, but confidence in the entire process from auditioning to making it through the bonus round.

  3. Preparation is key. Mental and physical training is key. You want your mind sharp and you want to feel good about your appearance (the camera adds 15 pounds. I hope you all know that when you watch my show). I DVR’d Wheel and watched it every day for months.

  4. Have a strategy. All well-played games have a strategy, whether it’s a sporting event or a game show. My mom once asked me what letters I would call if I got to the Bonus Round, I told her it would depend on what category and letters I got in the Bonus Round. I had a strategy.

  5. Imagine yourself in game day situations. I imagined the other two contestants making it to the Bonus Round, seeing their face in the little box on the bottom right of the TV screen and thought about how that would make me feel. I wanted to win, so I imagined myself winning puzzles, making it to the Bonus Round and winning the show.

  6. Get game day ready. I knew what I needed to do to get to that frame of mind. Don’t stop motivating yourself until you get your mind where it needs to be to win.

  7. Have fun. It makes winning even better and makes losing tolerable.



Posted on 09/28


Like many contestants before me and for many people at home, I have watched Wheel of Fortune for years and have always wanted to be on the show. I always solved the puzzles and wanted to see if I was as good as I thought. When the Wheelmobile came to Baton Rouge, I saw an opportunity to take a chance on something that I believed I could do. Even though I was never called to the stage to audition, I received a letter a few weeks later saying that if I was still interested I needed to show up for an audition. I was shocked when I passed the first round, and once I was that far I knew that it was up to me to move on and make it as a contestant. If I really put my mind to it, then I could make it. When I got my letter stating that I had been accepted, I felt a sense of accomplishment and pride that I could do anything once I put my mind to it. I felt like I won just for making it through the contestant process.

My husband was laid off from his job Wednesday, July 14. Thursday, several interesting things happened. First, I received a text message from one of my co-workers and close friends saying that she heard Aerosmith’s song “Back in the Saddle” on the radio early that morning and she felt like it was a sign that our luck would change because she never hears Aerosmith and felt the song was appropriate. Aerosmith is hands down my absolute FAVORITE band. Second, while filling my car with gas, I looked down and saw a penny on the ground. I usually never pick pennies up because my mom would stop traffic to pick up pennies, and that always bugged me. However, since my husband was having such a bad week, I thought that I would pick it up and bring it to him for good luck. As I bent down to get it, there were two pennies, and I felt like we were both meant to have good luck. Later that evening, I got a call from Wheel asking if I could fly to L.A. to tape August 6. There were so many things that happened that day that I took as signs that this was something that I should do. We really couldn’t afford to go, but I also felt like it was something that I was meant to do. I really wanted to be on the show and I had been in mental training for months, so I didn’t know if I was taking these incidents as signs when it was really excitement. I decided no, they were signs and I was meant to be on the show.

My husband stayed home with our two children and I made the trip with my best friend, Laurie. She was out of vacation time, but I told her that I needed her there and that she had to tell her boss that I was going to be on Wheel and that she HAD to be there for me. He laughed and gave her the time off. Off to L.A. we went. It was a girls’ trip of a lifetime.

When Laurie dropped me off at the studio, I gave her a hug and told her that I’d see her at the Winner’s Circle. Once inside, the contestants were sequestered like a jury and were in one room all day. There came a time when I was getting so much information and trying to remember so much that I knew that I wasn’t in the frame of mind to win and that I needed to get into that mindset. I talked to some of the other contestants around me and tried to get myself in game day form. I began to loosen up and was able to be myself, and a little more relaxed.

Next, we learned the pairings and who we would be playing with. I was selected from my group of three, along with five other contestants to pick a numbered golf ball to determine which show I would be on. I was devastated when I picked #1 because I did not want to go first. I did not want the Monday show!!!! Tuesday or Wednesday, but goodness… not Monday! I wanted to have some more time to get used to everything and get myself mentally ready. After some practice rounds in the studio it was time… it was finally here. However, I was still not mentally ready. I needed to get my game face on. As I stood in my Blue #3 position and waited for Vanna and Pat to come out, I began to think, “What gets me fired up?” “What gives me the chills?”… LSU. I am a third-generation LSU graduate and hearing the LSU Golden Band from Tigerland play the pre-game show before a football game fires me up and gives me the chills like nothing else does. So I began to hum the pre-game song and the LSU fight song. It worked. I found a little bounce in my step, the corners of my mouth turned into a smile and I got the goose bumps that I get every time I hear those songs. I could finally feel the confidence come together. I about died when Vanna walked out in a purple gown with a gold broche (LSU’s colors). It was once again another sign that this was meant to be and I needed to make the most of this opportunity of a lifetime.