Ryan ChartrandJack Knoebber is a game show junkie. For the past six months, the art and design junior has consistently watched “Wheel of Fortune” on TiVo every night, stepping up his viewing habits from before. And when he recently received a new phone, he made sure to download the “Wheel” game as soon as possible. He’s a self-described obsessed fan.
“I’ve always liked that kind of stuff,” said the art and design sophomore. “I’ve also always like crossword puzzles, and they’re kind of the same thing. “I’ve always been good at those kinds of things.”
But having this object of obsession has finally paid off for Knoebber. Three weeks ago, he drove down to Los Angeles to record an episode, which will appear on television June 6, for the game show.
The process has been long and intense, but ultimately enjoyable for Knoebber.
After signing up two years ago on the “Wheel of Fortune” Web site and not receiving a response, Knoebber made a second attempt four months ago, “not really expecting (to get an e-mail) at all.”
But two months later, that’s just what he got.
So, on Feb. 2, Knoebber skipped class and drove solo to Culver City to make the 2 p.m. group audition. Once there, prospective contestants were separated into groups of 50. Those groups then played a massive “Wheel of Fortune” replica game, where each of the would-be contestants were called on twice to solve – or try to solve – word puzzles.
It wasn’t just about picking the right answers, though. “The whole time they’re testing to see if you can be enthusiastic and loud, to see if you can look good on TV,” Knoebber said. “Everyone is trying to clap for themselves and be really happy.”
Next, they were required to take a written crossword-like puzzle with the goal being to fill in as many of the 30 words as possible in five minutes.
“(Afterwards, everyone) was freaking out, talking about the test, comparing answers and smoking cigarettes. Everyone was really nervous,” he said.
Based on these two indicators, the pool was then narrowed from 50 to 20; Knoebber’s name was called toward the end of the “very intense” process.
In total, the audition lasted about three hours, Knoebber said. He and others left the audition with the promise that, if chosen, they would receive a letter in the mail within two weeks.
“I was kind of down, but I still had hope,” Knoebber said. “It seemed really surreal to even go to the audition. I kept thinking that I wasn’t going to be picked.”
But a call, not the anticipated letter, came sooner than expected. While in one of his art studios the following Monday, Knoebber got a call from “Wheel of Fortune” asking if he wanted to be on the Feb. 19 episode. “I was so excited. I was shaking and going crazy,” he said.
On Feb. 18, the night before the Friday taping, Knoebber made the drive to Los Angeles once again. His girlfriend, who lives in Idaho, flew out for the taping and his roommates from Cal Poly drove down to support him.
At 7 a.m. Friday morning, a sleep-deprived Knoebber and other contestants showed up at the “Wheel of Fortune” studio to begin the long process of reviewing rules and legal information, putting on makeup (“they made us look all pretty”), and practicing with the heavier-in-person metal wheel.
When the audience finally arrived at 11 a.m., the contestants drew numbers to see which episode they would appear on. Knoebber drew the last episode, which meant that he was required to stay at the studio until 6 that night.
During the recording of the other episodes, Knoebber sat in the audience “clapping (his) heart out” under the strict guidance of audience control personnel.
But it was all worth it once he got onstage.
One of the highlights was standing next to Pat Sajak behind the wheel.
“It was really cool meeting him!” Knoebber said. “I always thought that he had a fake personality. But in real life he’s really nice and really personable.”
In a somewhat embarrassing, albeit ironic, moment, Knoebber froze up after buzzing in, only to finally recall the answer: speed reader.
Overall, Knoebber came in third place. But considering he walked away with an amazing experience and a little over $4,000, third place is not too bad. (On the show, Knoebber won $7,500, but the government taxes the show at about 40 percent, leaving contestants with a little more than half of their earnings.)
“I was excited that I got last place, but left with more than the (automatic) $1,000, like some of the other people who came in third place,” Knoebber said.
Knoebber pointed out that there are thousands of people who sign up for game shows every year; only a couple hundred of those people are selected to appear for tapings. But that’s not reason to give up hope – and Knoebber stands as an example.
“It seems crazy to be on a game show – it’s still surreal, like it never happens. But (people on game shows) are just normal people. I met some people who have been on three game shows before – it’s just luck,” he said.
“If anyone wants to be on one, sign up. You could get picked; it’s chosen randomly.”