Senior Emily Sweet, is a Marketing and French double major, member of Pi Beta Phi, and now Wheel of Fortune Champion. She gave us the inside scoop on what it is like to win big on TV.
What was the audition process for ‘Wheel of Fortune’ like?
The audition process was super easy. My Sophomore year I sent in a video I made my roommate take of me on my phone, it took literally ten minutes at the most. But I never heard back until two years later out of the blue! It was totally random. I went to an audition this past summer and was accepted onto the show the next week! I filmed my episode in September and then waited 6 weeks for it to air!
Was it hard knowing you won and not being able to tell anyone?
Yes! I brought four friends from LMU to my taping of the show, so only us five knew about my win. But the rest had to be a big secret so I couldn’t even tell my family. It was so hard keeping my win a secret but luckily I managed not to tell anybody! I think people were surprised I played it so cool for like over a month once they watched the show.
What was it like being on the show, and watching yourself on TV later?
It was so fun! The 30 minutes went by so quickly, it felt like barely 10 minutes had passed and suddenly I was all finished. I totally thought I’d look silly on TV. I was prepared to be super embarrassed, luckily I didn’t say anything too dumb! It was so cool knowing over 8 million people regularly watch ‘Wheel of Fortune’, and a little overwhelming.
Did you do any practice puzzles, or prep before the filming?
I downloaded the ‘Wheel of Fortune’ game on my phone and played that which I think really helped. I actually used to play it on my phone in high school too so I knew the game pretty well before I went on it. But in the weeks before, I would play it for like an hour every day.
What did you win as the prize?
I won a new car, $25,000, and a trip to Jamaica. I’m going in May as a Graduation trip!
What was it like being around Pat and Vanna after watching them on TV for so long?
They’re both so nice and you can tell that they really enjoy their job. It was definitely cool though, seeing celebrities, I was a little star struck.