Ronnie L.

 

I’ve tried to stay off of screens after 8pm, but it’s been difficult. Doom scrolling. TitTok time sucks. Playing apps. Sometimes I’ll keep my phone in another room to help out. That’s why the Friday before I was to be on the show, I hadn’t read the email until well after bedtime.

Before plugging my phone in to charge, I saw that I had an email, quickly clicked it open, read it, and screamed. My husband, Jeff, and the dogs weren’t pleased. I had a week to ask off of work, figure out what I was going to wear, and more importantly over-analyze everything in a panic spiral. 🌪️ 😱 I didn’t watch any reruns leading up to the audition, but I did download the video game version on Nintendo Switch. I auditioned back in April and hadn’t heard back, so I figured I hadn’t made the show and quit practicing. In that week, I played that game non-stop. Obsessed. I played it on the plane until the battery died. Still, it was all I really had. Well, that, and a former contestant, my best friend Justin Orscheln - the king of the Bankrupt spins. 🥺🚫💲 Justin and I have known each other since working together in the same school district where he is now assistant principal. He was key in prepping me for what to expect the day of the taping from the meeting place to signing tax forms and reminding me that above all else to have fun since I’m a natural panic spiral overthinker. 😜🙃

Justin told me that there would be practice spins and interaction with producers with questions Pat would probably ask us. It was really after this practice that I indeed felt at ease and settled in to having fun. Vanna came and spoke with us as well. [At first,] I thought she was a relative of another contestant who worked for Sony and was like, isn’t that against the rules? It wasn’t until she said goodbye and passed me by that I realized who she was. I felt so dumb. She was so lovely and sweet.

I was pleased Pat asked me about my involvement as a skeptic in a paranormal investigation team, but I still have no idea why I said that if I were a ghost, I’d be naked. I mean, I like being comfortable but that’s a bit much. I wanted to say Pat had nothing to fear. I’d never haunt him in the nude. 👻 The actual playing of the game was a blur of fun and excitement. I knew all of the puzzles. I just couldn’t get the chance to have them volleyed over to me. The Before & After I ended up solving, I knew the “home sweet home” part, but only solved the “plate” at the last minute after I spun that final time. Until then, I just couldn’t think of another word that would follow home other than work. I am a retired teacher after all. Luckily that last spin gave me the time needed to look at the screen and the leftover letters to sort it out. I’m no sports fan so I’m sure my friends will be shocked I solved something associated with baseball. 🤔 ⚾️

I decided to be a little more low key and just watch [my episode] with my parents. My dad watches Wheel, and both he and my mom were so excited for me. It’s been very difficult to not let them know how I did, but I’m looking forward to watching their faces as they watch. My father-in-law is [apparently] a bigger fan and will call his brother as soon as an episode ends and talk about what happened. That level of fandom is interesting yet foreign to me. Wheel of Fortune has such dedicated fans. I’ve only begun to realize this and discover the community developed by former contestants. I’m so happy to be a part of that!