Auditioning for Wheel of Fortune!

You may have already caught wind via Facebook of Jimmy's "once-in-a-lifetime" opportunity to audition for our favorite game show- Wheel of Fortune! Three words: OH SO FUN!

When we heard the "Wheel-mobile" was coming to Hinckley, a town just north of us, it was a simple convincing to get Jimmy to commit to going. We made it a double date with good friends of ours who also are Wheel-lovers. Thanks to Caleb and Melissa for joining in on our ridiculous fun!

How it worked: 

There were three "shows", each an hour long, and you could apply for each one if there were enough applications available for that specific show. We had arrived late and were not able to be a part of the first show so we filled the time by filling our bellies at the Hinckley buffet... and were reminded why we very rarely eat at buffets. :)

Along with hundreds of other people, we got in line for the second show and found a seat in the large auditorium.  After you fill out a simple application, it gets put in a big drum and then they randomly draw five names out at a time to be brought up on stage for an audition. Within a one hour show, I would guess there were probably about 30-40 names that would get called to stage for an audition.  An audition would include a quick interview to get to know you and then you would participate in one "fast-round" puzzle. Like they do on the TV show when time is running out, the fast-round puzzle is when the contestants call out one letter and then have three seconds to solve. If they aren't able to solve, it goes on to the next contestant until someone solves the puzzle.

How it happened: 

We were all full of excitement but realized our odds of getting called up to stage were very, very slim.   However, within the first few rounds, Jimmy's name was called! What a shock! What an excitement! He ran to stage full of enthusiasm as I screamed, "that's my husband!" We were so pumped to say the least.

Jimmy was the first in his group to give his interview. The point of the interview was to see if you are a fun, energetic person.  I know I am biased as his wife, but he did an awesome job and used his wittiness to get the crowd engaged!  You can see the clip at this link.

After the interviews took place, the fast-round puzzle began. The category was "place".  As the contestants called letters, the puzzle began to take shape. At that point I believe the puzzle looked something like: "The  _ ns_ _e   l _ ne." The gentleman before Jimmy called "I" and we all thought he would definitely solve because most of the entire puzzle was then filled in. However, the buzzer buzzed and it was Jimmy's turn. He called "D" and yelled out "The Inside Lane"! He solved the puzzle! It was quite a bit more exciting then we solve puzzles at home in front of the TV. :)

For getting called up on stage, Jimmy won a "Wheel of Fortune" hat, shirt, water bottle and mini pack... And even better, a free night's stay at the hotel plus $100 gift certificate to the spa! That in itself was worth it in my opinion! :)

What's next: 

Even though Jimmy solved the puzzle and had a great interview, there is no guarantee that he'll get a call back letter. If he would get a call-back letter, we would find out sometime in the next four months. At that point, he would have a second audition at the regional try-outs in Minneapolis.  Regardless of what happens, we had a ton of fun and are thankful for the "once-in-a-lifetime" opportunity! It was a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon with some good friends!