Crystal H.

Crystal H.

Theme Week:
Fall Foliage
Contestant:
Crystal H.
Hometown:
Orlando, FL
Week of:
October 5, 2009

Posted on 10/7

 

Standing behind the big wheel was the moment of truth.  I knew it was now or never. I kept reminding myself that no matter what happened, I needed to take in the experience.  It was only moments later I heard the announcer speaking, the music playing, and saw Pat and Vanna walking out.

I missed the first toss-up and was pretty disappointed.  But I was still pretty determined to get one puzzle right.  Little did I know it would have been the prize puzzle!  I remember Pat coming over to me and telling me that I would soon be taking a trip to Cabo! I was so excited, that I didn’t listen to the announcer talking about the trip.  I was in shock.  In fact, Pat had to remind me to wave to the camera. At the end of the show, I ended up getting two puzzles, some money, and a fabulous trip.

When the show was over and I walked to the back, I still couldn’t get over the fact that I was just on Wheel of Fortune! It flew by so fast.  The contestant coordinators were in the back telling everyone what a great job they did, we signed some more papers, and I finally met up with my family who was anxiously waiting in the audience to congratulate me!

Looking back, I still can’t believe that I was actually a contestant on Wheel of Fortune!  And, I won! I am looking forward to taking a fabulous trip with my husband, hopefully before he is deployed, and anxious to spend some money that I did not have before. 

All in all, it was a fabulous time.  I would do it all over again and not change a thing!  I am more of a fan now than I even was before.  Oh, and Wheel of Fortune, if you ever need someone to replace Vanna while she is on vacation – please, call me anytime!



Posted on 10/5

 

Looking back, the events leading up to the actual taping of the show seems kind of surreal. I truly never thought that I would actually be picked to be on Wheel of Fortune! I remember applying online one night while watching the show.  I never knew that those few minutes would create such a memorable moment in my life.  When I got the e-mail to audition, I was ecstatic! The audition was a few weeks later and I was pretty nervous.  I had no idea what to expect! The audition process was really exciting though.  I was in a room filled with a lot of others hoping to get on the show.  I filled out the paperwork, took the written test, and gave it my shot at the simulated round at the end.  We were told to wait and we would hear back.  It seemed like forever, but it was only 3 weeks later when I got the letter saying I would be a contestant! Now I just had to wait.

It was about 9 months later when I got the call to be on the show – well, the truth is, I actually missed the call! I was working all day and didn’t get it until later that night. I was so surprised! I spent hours calling everyone stored in my phone to let them know the good news. Of course, I also had to call the contestant coordinator back – so, I called the next day and accepted! Now I knew it was time to practice!

I played online, watched the show every night (with my dog of course!), and made sure I was aware of all the categories that could be picked.  My flight from Florida to California even offered valuable time to practice on my computer, thank goodness for on-board internet.  That night, I was so nervous. I knew I had to get to bed early though; it was going to be a long day!

When we got to the studio, we were shown the set, the contestant room, met the contestant coordinators, and the make-up artists. They made me feel so calm and relaxed!  While I was getting my make-up done, Vanna walked in.  I was so excited to meet her.  She is as beautiful off camera as she is on!  She was so sweet and gave us one important tip, “Remember to buy vowels”.  It was at that moment everything started to sink in.  Then we had the chance to practice yelling out letters and spinning the wheel.  Wow! I had no idea how heavy the wheel was!  The other contestants were great. We kept talking about what our goals were and how excited we were to be on the show. It was then time to find out which show we would be on.  All of the contestants were split into groups of 3 and asked to pick a number.  I got to pick the number for my group.  We were the second group – meaning we would be taping the second of six shows to be taped for the day.   We then got to do one final practice round and we were given our name tags. That was the moment my nerves kicked in! 

Soon, it was time for the shows to begin.  All of the contestants were talking about what they were hoping to accomplish. I just wanted to solve one puzzle.  I was so excited that I was there, but being able to solve one puzzle on national television, and not in the privacy of my own home, would have been icing on the cake.  I mean, I was already happy since my family was in the audience.  In fact, my husband was given leave from the military so that he can share in this once-in-a-lifetime experience with me!

The first taping went by so fast! Before I knew it, I was in the back getting my make-up touched up and getting ready for my big chance.  In my head, I kept prepping myself: Stay calm, Buy Vowels, and enjoy the fact that I was officially a contestant about to spin the wheel on Wheel of Fortune! Watch me play on Tuesday, then read my post-game blog on Wednesday!