MY WHEEL OF FORTUNE ADVENTURE
Skip and I went to a taping of WHEEL OF FORTUNE yesterday afternoon. The taping took place at Nokia Theater in Grand Prairie (only 20 minutes from us) where Clay has performed twice.
(I sent off for the tickets a few weeks ago and they were free with no assigned seats.)
When we arrived Skip let me out while he went to park the van. He said he would join me in line. I showed my ticket to one of the people in charge and he sent me to a line to go through security in a tent set up outside. So I got in the line and waited for Skip and NO SKIP. Soon, I was in a tent going through a long snaking line, and still NO SKIP.
I talked to the people in front of me and said that I can't imagine where my husband could be; and that he had on a shirt just like the man in front of them. They said, "Look there's a man with that same shirt. " Yes it was, but it wasn't Skip!!!
I was now through the tent and security, and I walked up the steps that lead into the building. I was trying to change from sunglasses to regular glasses and I still had my visor on, when all of a sudden, THERE'S SKIP!!
About 150 people are in front of me. Skip comes up to me, has me go under the rope, we pass up all of the 150 people in line , we enter the auditorium and he leads us to seats in a section next to center and only 8 rows from the stage!! (Actually, 3rd row, but they set up 5 rows of folding chairs at the front!)
(These would be great seats for a Clay concert!!!!) 
I'm still trying to get my glasses changed and wearing my visor!! "WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?" I ask Skip. "WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?" Skip asks me!!!
"Why! I went through the line outside and through security like I was supposed to!!" He walked straight into the building and ended up with the VIPs!!!
Thank you Skip! Great seats because you just walked on in and didn't go through the loooong line of security with the rest of us.
Just before everything got started, all of a sudden we see Skip's daughter coming down the aisle and she is seated with two ladies in the middle section on the second row!!!
We had no idea she was going to be there!!
ACTUAL SHOW:
The stage setting was gorgeous. Behind a screen in the center of the stage was a magnificent 3 dimensional skyline of Dallas with huge statues of horses on either side of the screen. To the far right was a general store set up and behind the word puzzle on the left, a silhouette of a western theme.
On a screen behind the contestants were beautiful pictures constantly changing of different places in this part of Texas. It was fun to identify the familiar landmarks.
The word puzzle screen, which was enormous, was angled on the left of the stage and the wheel and contestants were angled to the right of the stage. The center of the stage was empty except for a screen near the back. There were two jumbo tron screens up on the right and left. The wheel for the final spin was rolled out each time for that segment, then rolled off again.
We watched the tapings for 3 shows that will air Oct. 30, 31, and Nov. 1. The theme for all 3 shows was BEST FRIENDS. The contestants were bubbly and all did a good job. Some of the puzzles were easy, but a few were difficult.
Between game segments, Pat Sajak or Vanna White or announcer Jerry O'Connell would talk to the audience.
Pat Sajak even walked down the aisle near us and made his way to the balcony where he asked people there, "What did you do to get these good seats?"
I thought that Pat was very funny and interacted a lot with the contestants and the audience during breaks.
One time between tapings, Jerry O'Connell was talking to a little girl. He asked her if she was enjoying being there. She said yes, but there was no popcorn!
Later on, at another break, Pat Sajak came out and said ," We couldn't find any popcorn, but here's a bag of pretzels Vanna came up with." He gave the little girl the pretzels as the audience clapped and laughed, and then he said, "Now, I'm not taking any more food orders."
Vanna did not have a microphone for a while, but got one when the second show was being filmed. (She and Pat both changed their clothes for each episode.)
When Vanna asked for questions, Skip raised his hand and asked, 'WHAT THE HECK IS MY DAUGHTER DOING DOWN THERE IN THE SECOND ROW?" Vanna asked Gwen about being there, but I think it flustered Gwen so much she didn't answer.
The announcer, Jerry O'Connell, who was standing with Vanna said there were some strange people here. I said to Skip, "You wasted your chance to ask Vanna a good question?"
CLOSING COMMENTS:
We both thoroughly enjoyed being a part of the audience for this show which has been a favorite of ours for a long time. It was interesting to see how the show was put together, how the audience was encouraged to clap at certain points, and to see how many people are involved in putting on a show.
There were applause signs and a man who told us to clap and then when to be quiet. (Don't say answers to the puzzles out loud!!)
No cameras, cell phones, etc. were allowed in the building, and food and water were available but only outside in a tent by the security tent.
We arrived at 2 PM and didn't leave until 6:30, so it takes a long time to film 3 half hour shows. There were to be 2 more shows filmed after we left, and 5 more shows Saturday and 5 more Sunday. So in three days, they would film 15 shows.
There was a buzzer type sound when a contestant hit bankrupt and special music played while the wheel was spinning. (The letter board is electronic and the puzzle blanks appear immediately.) Vanna touched a blank space and a letter appeared. Or the letters all appeared by themselves to show what a puzzle was.
During breaks, Pat Sajak would walk over to some guys near the puzzle board and talk to them and get new cards for the next segment. Also during breaks, a crew person put new things on the wheel.
There was a large electronic screen facing the contestants that we could not see. I believe it listed the vowels and letters already guessed in a game.
I do want to comment that Pat and Vanna seemed to really enjoy what they do. Vanna was always smiling even when the cameras were off. We could see Pat and Vanna chatting when they had a chance, and it made me wonder if they had not seen each other for a while. Pat seemed his usual, witty, jovial self.
I would guess there were about 25 crew people on and about the stage, and probably more that were not seen, back stage.
I will have a new appreciation for the show when I watch it now.
FINAL COMMENT:
If Skip can get me a good seat for a Clay concert like he did for WHEEL OF FORTUNE, then he may get to accompany me on the next Clay trek!!
Prissy
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