So you want to be on Wheel of Fortune? As someone who made it onto the show, admittedly not on my first attempt (or second or third), I can offer some perspective.
First, you have to apply. This seems obvious, but a lot of people think “they’ll never pick me” and so they never bother doing the initial application, which is hardly onerous. After that, some of the usual advice, like remembering to speak clearly and be confident, applies. But my advice really is:
Give them a reason to choose you.
The Wheel producers are casting for a television show, and they audition more than 10,000 people each year for fewer than 600 spots in a 39-week season. If you are invited to an audition, whether in-person or virtual, you will have only a few precious minutes to make your impression. Make it a good one. Present the most game-show-ready version of yourself: the version that America would want to watch and want to root for in a fast-paced game. Head into an audition with answers to questions like these:
- What is it about yourself that would make you a good game show contestant?
- If you have 15-30 seconds to tell America about yourself, what would you want them to know about you?
- If you told your 30-second story, and somebody asked you a follow-up question, could you produce an answer quickly and concisely? This kind of stuff happens in auditions and interviews all the time. Prepare what you want to say, but expect somebody to ask a question for you which you don’t have scripted answer. It’s a great sign if they do this, and you need to be able to roll with it (think “yes, and“) if it occurs.
Don’t give them a reason not to choose you.
There are several specific things I recommend avoiding. I may have been guilty of one or two of these during my first audition.
- Wheel will provide you with instructions before your first audition. If the instructions say “We may ask why you want to be on Wheel. Don’t tell us it would be a dream come true or it’s on your bucket list,” then don’t tell them it would be a dream come true or it’s on your bucket list. If you do, you’ll have just shown them you’re not paying attention to instructions, and that doesn’t make for an ideal game show contestant.
- At my first in-person audition in 2015 (many years before my more successful one), in one of the practice games, somebody called a letter that had already been called. Upon realizing his mistake, he exclaimed “Shit!” My advice: Don’t do that.
- If something does go awry – your virtual audition has a lag, you get tongue-tied, you miss an easy solve during a practice game, etc. – don’t get visibly frustrated or angry. These things happen, and the producers will want people who can adapt and move on (remember “yes, and” from above), not those who look like they’re about to fall apart at the first sign of trouble.
- Remember that you’re auditioning with others. Don’t disengage when the producers are talking with other contestants. Don’t look disinterested or grumpy, even if you think a fellow auditioner is the most boring person who has ever lived. Instead, listen to what those others are saying, nod if appropriate, smile if appropriate, and generally just show interest in being part of this unique experience. (Even auditioning for a game show is something most people never experience. Act like it means something to you.) Producers want people who are in the moment and are pleasant even when the spotlight isn’t on them. Just as an actor is still acting even when not delivering lines, a game show contestant is still a contestant even when it’s not their turn.
If the producers offer you feedback, listen to that feedback. It may not come packaged with an invite to be a contestant, but they are explicitly telling you what you’re doing right or wrong, and if you pay attention, you can use that information to improve your presentation the next time you audition.
Continue preparing up until tape day.
When you are selected to be a contestant, continue practicing and strategizing in the lead-up to your tape day.
- At home, most of us shout out answers as soon as we know them. On stage, that may be a… less advantageous strategy. Try playing along at home as if you’re in the studio:
- Spin an imaginary wheel in front of you.
- Decide whether you’d want to spin, buy a vowel, or solve in various scenarios. Do it constantly, because in the studio, you’ll have to make decisions after every spin and every letter you call.
- Hold a pen or pencil in your hand and practice buzzing in when you solve a Toss Up rather than blurting out the answer. This may look stupid (ask my wife, who had to endure all my prep), but it truly helps.
- Practice other types of puzzle-solving games. I found that games like Quordle and Octordle prepared me for the experience of looking back and forth (quickly!) between the puzzle board and the used-letter board while searching for potential next letters to call.
Remember your strategies on tape day.
- Buy your vowels! They’re still only $250 apiece after all these decades, they make it much easier to solve a puzzle, and buying one can provide you with something else of value: time. Buying a vowel buys you a few more seconds to ponder your next move. And especially buy the last vowel.
- Especially buy the last vowel! Remember, whenever there are no more vowels in the puzzle, even if there are still multiple vowels that haven’t been called this round, Ryan will let the players know that the vowels are gone, and the option to purchase a vowel will disappear. That means that in cases where somebody has called the fourth vowel, and no such announcement is made, the fifth vowel must be in the puzzle. That is the only true guarantee of a letter’s presence in the puzzle, so if you’re still unsure what the full puzzle is, calling that last vowel guarantees you another turn, and it may just be enough to clinch the round for you. (I was proud to call the fifth vowel twice in my episode, fully confident it was in the puzzle both times.)
- Enjoy the experience, savor it, soak it in, all of that. But stay focused, because the show tapes in close to real time (my guess is ~35 minutes per episode) and will be over before you know it, so you might as well win something while you have the chance.