Dee Dee T.

I'm a lifelong Wheel Watcher, and it's always been on my mind to go on the show. When I heard this was Pat & Vanna's last year together, I knew it was time to really go for it. I couldn't believe it when I received the email after the online audition! I immediately booked flights (it's not easy to get to the west coast from my town), and started honing my skills by watching every episode I could find and played on the Wheel app to prepare.

The day of filming was incredible, such nice people, and they really worked to make you comfortable and ready. I particularly loved getting my hair and makeup done, and getting to see Vanna up close and personal when she gave us a little pep talk. I was like a schoolgirl when I got to converse with her on stage! The other contestants and I became friends, and it was easy to cheer each other on. I was very happy with my performance and puzzle solves, but the Wheel had other plans. I got 2 bankrupts and 1 lose a turn during important moments! I still had the high cash total, but not quite enough to overcome the trip amount won by the other contestant; I was happy for him, he was a great guy!

[If I could do it all again, I would] build my muscles to spin the Wheel harder - it was heavier than I thought and it just loved that bankrupt. Still, $14,450 was a nice day's work, and the last-minute vacation opportunity with my family was just perfect! The entire day was one I will never forget, and funny enough, my show aired while I was on vacation in a remote area that didn't have internet so I couldn't even watch it until 5 days after it aired! My friends were posting all over Facebook and having watch parties in Texas, Louisiana and Florida (all the places I've lived).

It was great to see how many people love Wheel of Fortune as much as I do, and I have encouraged a bunch of them to try out. It's more than 15 minutes of fame, it's an achievement few people get to experience and it's very good for your soul to be around such positive energy and hope for the "What if I win a million?"! Thank you to Pat, Vanna and the entire team at Wheel of Fortune, you made my dreams come true.