The Wheelmobile is spinning into Seattle!

So I get this E-mail on July 8, 2008..
Hello Wheel Watcher!
The Wheelmobile is on the road...and headed in your direction! Our next events will take place in the Pacific Northwest.
You might be wondering...what is a Wheelmobile event? It’s the chance to try out for America's Favorite Game Show! The Wheelmobile serves as the preliminary screening process before a final Wheel of Fortune contestant audition.
City: Sequim, WA Date: Saturday, July 12th Location: 7 Cedars Casino Show Times: : 2 PM — 6 PM Address: 7 Cedars Casino* 270756 Highway 101 Sequim, WA 98382
* The event will take place inside the 7 Cedars Event Center.
We will begin handing out applications one hour prior to each show. Shows will begin at 2 PM, 3:30 PM and 5 PM. Each show will last for one hour with lots of puzzles, prizes, and fun.

and I am off to Sequim and my hometown of Port Angeles for the weekend. My parents are out of town, so I make arrangements to stay at my friends house in P.A. Saturday night.

When I arrive at Seven Cedars after a two-hour drive, I see the Wheelmobile parked in front and get an up close view as I hustle inside to join the sizable line that has formed. It is a few minutes after 1 PM when I get my application form and fill in my name, address, blah, blah, blah... and finally interests. I love games: scrabble, poker, Wheel of Fortune. Anything else? I have six brothers, I broke my neck playing rugby, and I am a Research and Development Chemist for a large Forest Products Company (well it was large back then).

2 PM and the line begins to move. The Seven Cedars Bingo hall has been transformed into a 500 seat Wheel of Fortune auditorium, and the people drop their forms into the giant hopper and take a seat. I choose a seat in the 4th or 5th row a few seats from the middle aisle and chat with the nice lady and her brother as we watch the Not_Pat Host and the Vanna-Be prepare for the show.

I would describe the host, Marty Lublin, as a cross between Hugh Jackman (sexiest man alive and host of the 2009 Oscars) and Jim Carrey. More like Jim Carrey though. The Vanna-Be was Heidi Jackson, a Port Angeles High School alumni, go Roughriders! The game board was a series of whiteboards like on the UPS commercials and the letters were not turned, or electronic, they were written with dry-erase pens.

They drew 5 forms from the hopper and called out the names, I remember them clearly: not-me, not-me, not-me ,not-me and not-me. They took pictures and sent them onstage to do an interview with the Not_Pat, solve a puzzle and win fabulous prizes. They called 5 more names to wait on deck, all of them not-me.

They went through 25 or 30 people in groups of 5. As 3:30 approached, I planned my move to go to the back and get in line (which was sizable again) so I could try again during the second show. They announced that they would draw the last group, but someone did not show up from the previous group, so they would draw 6 names, the first name would join the group on the stage immediately.

The first name, you guessed it, was me. Not not-me but me! I high fived the nice ladies brother and walked up to the waiting photographer who snapped my picture as I approached, took my name and I was up on stage fifth in line. I stepped forward a little so the audience could see only me.

We did the interview and I was nervous. The crazy lady before me said the magic word...I like to DANCE. Dance? Yes. Then the music starts and she does the bump and grind with the host and of course we all have to dance. When it was my turn he reads from the card, "So you like to play poker" Yes, "Have you ever won any tournaments? Yes, several small ones. "Did you have pocket Aces?" I say, "I can win with any two cards."

It was time to solve the puzzle: no t no s 2 r's 1 n. I pick an E and it doesn't cost me anything. 1 e. The board looks like:

_ _ _ _ r _ _ _ n / _ _ _ _ e r

and I haven't a clue. 1 L, no m, no b 1 p, my turn and the second word is player, I pick an a..2 a's.

a _ _ _ r _ _ _ n / p l a _ e r

and I draw a blank. Player 1 picks a y and I figure it out during that turn. Player 3 picks a C and solves. I give him a high-five and we leave the stage to collect our fabulous prize, a Wheel of Fortune fanny pack. I wave to the audience as I cross the stage in front of everyone else so they can only see me (accordian player was the answer).

So I was done and I could head to P.A. to enjoy the Saturday Nightlife in the big city. On my way out I went to the line of people waiting to try again and said goodbye to the nice lady and her brother. When she heard my last name called, she recognized it and asked do you have a brother Steve? Why, yes I do. I was your neighbor and Steve's best friend in kindergarten. A small world moment.

The Wheelmobile event, you will remember, serves as a preliminary screening process before a final Wheel of Fortune contestant audition. Stay tuned to hear the story of Tom's final Wheel of Fortune contestant audition experience.