‘Wheel of Fortune’ to hold auditions Tuesday
Five applicants to be selected at random for March shows

Skiff Staff

Students, faculty and staff will have the opportunity to audition for ABC’s popular game show “Wheel of Fortune” Tuesday in the Student Center Ballroom.

Auditions will be held at 9 a.m., 11 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Five applicants will be selected at random for each audition time.

Following each of the three “mini shows” a new pool of contestants will be drawn.

“There is no need to arrive early,” said Kelli Horst, director of the Office of Communications.

“As long as you are there before one of the drawings you have a chance,” she said.

The show is looking for contestants for its March 17 to 18 tapings at the Dallas Convention Center and its “best friends” show, said Lisa Dee, “Wheel of Fortune” promotion director.

“We won’t be looking for just the winners,” Dee said. “A contestant will be a quick puzzle solver and have the enthusiasm that’ll make the crowd want to cheer them on.”

“Wheel of Fortune” will arrive on campus in the Wheelmobile, a 32-foot long Winnebago that tours the country in search of contestants. Known by “Wheel of Fortune” staff as “television’s most ambitious contestant search vehicle.” Show officials hope to audition over 100,000 contestants nationwide.

“Normally the Wheelmobile will be in malls,” Dee said. “When it is on campus, the auditions go with the rhythm of the campus.”

Although show host Pat Sajak and Vanna White will not be present for the auditions, they will come to town for taping in March.

Dee said bringing the show on the road is an expensive process. Planning begins more than a year before the tapings.

Show officials meet with local affiliates to become more educated about the area and how to get the best representatives.

Dave Muscari, WFAA Channel 8’s vice president of strategic alliances, recommended TCU as one site for the Wheelmobile to visit. “We wanted schools of some magnitude,” Muscari said.

“TV Guide” labeled “Wheel of Fortune” “the most popular television show on Earth.” The game show first aired on Jan. 6, 1975. The original hosts were Chuck Woolery and Susan Stafford, a Los Angeles based talk-show personality. Sajak first hosted the show in December 1981. White made her first appearance on “Wheel of Fortune” in December 1982. The show is the nation’s No. 1-rated series in syndication and has held that position for 66 consecutive sweeps ratings periods.

Students are anxious for the chance to audition and maybe end up on television as a contestant for the well-known game show.

“I want to go in there and make mom and dad proud,” said Glenn Brawn, a sophomore business major. “I’d also like to represent TCU.”

Dee said the shows taped in Dallas will air on ABC during the May sweeps period.

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