Terrence M.

Wheel of Fortune has been such a fun and vital part of my life since I was a little boy! Around age 5, I developed a fascination with game shows. I was enthralled with all of the lights, music, enthusiastic contestants, and amazing prizes! Wheel of Fortune was my favorite show of them all! When I was about 6, my mother bought me the Wheel of Fortune board game. Between watching the show and playing the board game, I became fascinated with words. There is no doubt that Wheel of Fortune played a huge part in my reading development at an early age!

When I turned 13, I wrote a letter to the Wheel contestant department, hoping that they would choose me to be on one of their Teen Week episodes. It should be simple right? Write a letter and they will just let me on! 😄 I was definitely a little naïve with how the contestant process worked. Wheel did send a letter back, explaining the contestant process, and since I wasn't living in or around LA, I didn't really have much of a chance to audition.

Throughout the years, I kept on trying! I went to numerous Wheelmobile events in and around the St. Louis and Kansas City areas, holding on to hope that one day, someone would give me a chance to audition. Unfortunately, my name never got called at those events. Fast forward to July 2023, I received an email from the Wheel of Fortune contestant department stating that they wanted to do a quick, 5 minute interview! I was BEYOND excited! It was almost as if I had already been chosen to be on the show! This was FINALLY my chance! After that interview and a follow-up second interview with tests, I just had to wait!

About a month later, I received an email saying they wanted me to join them for Shopping Spree Week! I opened that email and my heart started racing. I was at home alone, working. I immediately started jumping up and down and screaming. I'M GOING TO BE ON WHEEL OF FORTUNE! 😃 This is what I've dreamed of since I was 5 years old! I could not believe it. It was so hard to focus back on work after getting the news!

I felt like I'd been practicing to be on Wheel my entire life, but I immersed myself in watching old episodes on Pluto TV (So cool they have a Wheel of Fortune channel!). I also watched YouTube videos of old bonus round puzzles and toss-ups, and played video game versions of Wheel on Playstation. Anything that would help me prepare!

Being on that stage was absolutely surreal! I remember walking out and just taking it all in. Those game show lights that I was so obsessed with as a kid were shining down on me in real life! I really could have cried (but didn't want to ruin the makeup🙂). I honestly was so surprised at how calm I was! I didn't want to be in my head too much, worrying about making a mistake or fumbling words. It was a perfect combination of positive nerves, adrenaline, and calmness. When I finally had the chance to spin that wheel, I wished I could have slowed down time so that I could savor that feeling for as long as possible!

After solving the first puzzle, I honestly felt so relieved and excited at the same time. No matter what, I was at least going home with more than the house minimum! Then came the Mystery Wedge round. Prior to the show, I had given a lot of thought about whether to flip that wedge if I landed on it. Sure enough, I landed on the wedge and didn't really have a whole of money to risk. I went for it and it unfortunately didn't work out in my favor😒. I was so thrilled that I got to make up for it with the final puzzle though!

It was so cool seeing certain things that contestants often look at off camera, such as the used letter board. I always wondered what that looked like! That board was honestly so helpful. I found that it was best to just look at that board and the puzzle. I tried not to look down at the wheel after spinning, that way, I could focus all of my attention on solving the puzzle. I felt that I played so well and was ultimately so proud of myself! I went into this situation just being so excited and grateful to have been there. Though it took 35 years, I got to live my biggest dream! It was truly an honor to have been a contestant on Pat's final season as well! I felt like I was part of a historic season/moment!

When it comes time for my show to air, I definitely plan on having a watch party with my closest friends and family. Anyone who knows me, knows how important Wheel of Fortune is to me. I wish my Mom and Grandma could have seen me live my biggest dream, but I take solace in knowing they would have been absolutely thrilled for me ♥ To all of the future contestants out there, I'd just like to say, good luck and have fun! I will cherish this as one of the greatest moments of my life!!!