WWTBAM Bored

To my immense surprise, I got an e-mail inviting me to a WOF audition. They came to Baltimore a few months ago. I wasn't able to go to the audition, but I sent in a video and promptly forgot about it. Now I have an invitation to their second round.

I know I can be charming and peppy, but I'm nervous about my puzzle-solving abilites. What can I do in the next two weeks to prepare? What are these auditions like?

_'_ L__E T_ _U_ A _O_EL

I've never tried, but there are lots of blogs and other pages on the web about auditioning for WOF. Here's one, with a few test examples (which seem pretty hard to me).
http://voices.yahoo.com/trying-out-whee ... tml?cat=49

Good luck!

I went to an audition some years ago. They are more interested in your stage presence than in your game-playing ability. They like people to hop up and down and clap.

For practice playing the game, sign up at Pogo (free) and play Hangman Hijinks for several days.

The letter frequency chart I use is a little out of date but still relevant:

ETAONRISHDLF

For the final puzzle, which is often shorter, I consider less mid-frequency chart letters because you only get one crack at it and because they can be more helpful: B, C, M

Think about letters that combine with H:

C
G
S
T

And of course, watch the games on TV until then. Look for patterns - certain kinds of book titles, products, quotations they like.

Good luck!

Practice enunciating your G's....

lb13

littlebeast13 wrote:Practice enunciating your G's....

lb13

Found it! And it WILL win!! It's awesome!!!!

Vague Mini wrote:

littlebeast13 wrote:Practice enunciating your G's....

lb13

Found it! And it WILL win!! It's awesome!!!!

But we haven't even had our first Sprots avatar of the year yet!!!

lb13

littlebeast13 wrote:

Vague Mini wrote:

littlebeast13 wrote:Practice enunciating your G's....

lb13

Found it! And it WILL win!! It's awesome!!!!

But we haven't even had our first Sprots avatar of the year yet!!!

lb13

It would be too easy to solve that puzzle: I C _!

I love your Pat and Vanna renderings...

Vague Mini wrote:

littlebeast13 wrote:

Vague Mini wrote:

Found it! And it WILL win!! It's awesome!!!!

But we haven't even had our first Sprots avatar of the year yet!!!

lb13

It would be too easy to solve that puzzle: I C _!

I love your Pat and Vanna renderings...

MBRS and Uly are flattered...

I think I have avatars themed around 5 different game shows, but Wheel is the first one to be represented twice...

lb13

That's great, LB! I appreciate all the illustrations you've done for me.

I was so thrown yesterday, I went into full on panic mode. After reading some stuff online (buyavowel.boards.net seems to be the best site) I've calmed down and I'm going to go and have fun!

I'm glad the audition wasn't last week, when I had the flu and lost my voice!

Rafferbee wrote: I know I can be charming and peppy, but I'm nervous about my puzzle-solving abilites. What can I do in the next two weeks to prepare?

Buy plenty of vowels.

Back when I was with About.com, I wrote an article on Wheel of Fortune tips. While they're more for contestants rather than auditions, you still may find some of it helpful:

http://gameshows.about.com/b/2010/02/01 ... t-tips.htm

chad1m wrote:Back when I was with About.com, I wrote an article on Wheel of Fortune tips. While they're more for contestants rather than auditions, you still may find some of it helpful:

http://gameshows.about.com/b/2010/02/01 ... t-tips.htm

Chad, what were the circumstances of you leaving about.com? Did you just feel that Buzzer Blog was a better outlet for your writing? DId you have to choose one or the other and not both, or was there no connection between leaving one and joining the other? How would you compare the two, from your insider perspective?

TheConfessor wrote:Chad, what were the circumstances of you leaving about.com?

I worked from October 2009 to June 2011 under the Game Shows Guide Carrie Grosvenor (a very sweet woman), doing once-a-week guest articles that were more "observance" and "guide" based, rather than news based. Near the end of the run, it went to once every two weeks, mainly due to downed traffic and creative tiring. A summer break in June turned, partly due to rules changing at About regarding guest blogs, into a mutual separation on the best terms possible, save for one final article in October doing a user-submitted Q&A on my Millionaire appearance. I wrote nearly 70 pieces during my time there, so it was well worth it.

In June of last year, Alex Davis (owner of BuzzerBlog) contacted me, looking for some extra help at his site and wanted to know if I was interested, since I had done the work at About. I, of course, said yes since I thought I would be good at covering news regularly as opposed to the pieces I had done previously. I think I provide a balance to some of the opinions or viewpoints Alex has held as the sole writer for a while. I think About is for more of a "general" fan, in my opinion, whereas BuzzerBlog caters more toward the dedicated fans or diehards.

Thanks for asking. I'll answer anything else you have if you so desire.

Rafferbee, the best advice I can give is to follow the contestant coordinator's instructions accurately and to be reactive.

For the instructions, the main one is speak up! Project your voice an extra bit so you can be heard through the entire room. They don't want mumblers or people so quiet the sound engineer has to crank it up to 11.

Reactive is IMO the main one. Be aware that they're watching you even while you're waiting to get in. Engage the others waiting with you in conversation. Be animated. When you get in, pay attention to everything and everyone around you. Clap for the wheel spinning, clap for the others when they're trying to solve the puzzles, clap for your own wheel spins. If they ask general questions of the group, be sure to raise your hand if you know the answer or fit in with what they're asking. Smile. Be bright and reasonably bubbly, but don't fake it because that's hard to sustain. Call out the letters or your answer loud and strong. Be happy.

During my WoF audition many years ago, I solved a final round puzzle that had stumped the on-air contestant (the puzzle aired a couple of weeks after the audition). It was a complete guess on my part, one letter showing of a four-letter word. When I got it, the coordinators sounded surprised and I did one of those "whew" reactions, sagging a bit with eyes upraised and hand to the heart. It wasn't an act, it just happened, but I think that may have sealed the deal for me. They definitely don't want you just standing or sitting there waiting your turn.

Good luck!! I had a great time on the show and you will, too.

This is all so exciting, Rafferbee, best of luck!

I'm curious to anyone who would know, now that I live near LA, there aren't any special auditions that I'm missing, are there? Or do I have to wait like everyone else for the Wheelmobile to come through?

Obviously this is all a moo point as I wait out my year of ineligibility.

Everything gsabc said was spot on. Energy and excitement are key elements. Act like you are happy to be there and remember that they are watching (and often taping) you every moment. They are screening much more for personality than for puzzle solving ability. Even so, my second level audition included a written puzzle solving test that eliminated about two thirds of the 75 people that they invited. Once we made it past that obstacle, the focus was almost entirely on who had the energy that would translate well on screen. Good Luck.

Rafferbee wrote:To my immense surprise, I got an e-mail inviting me to a WOF audition. They came to Baltimore a few months ago. I wasn't able to go to the audition, but I sent in a video and promptly forgot about it. Now I have an invitation to their second round.

I know I can be charming and peppy, but I'm nervous about my puzzle-solving abilites. What can I do in the next two weeks to prepare? What are these auditions like?

Good luck, and please let us know how it goes. --Bob

I passed the test, yay! Thanks for all your advice, especially gsabc. I smiled and clapped until I felt like my hands would fall off. There were 50 people there and 20 passed the test. I won a tote bag during the first round and was complimented by the contestant coordinators on my loud, clear voice.

The test was HARD. It was a lot harder than the Jeopardy test for me. I only got nine out of the fifteen puzzles finished in the five minutes.

They did leave after our second round of gameplay, then call five people up for another round of playing. I don't know if that meant those are the only five they're considering, or if they were on the fence about them.

The nice thing is I'll get a letter in two weeks if I'm chosen as a contestant, and if I don't I'm out of the pool. Its nicer than Jeopardy which just leaves you to wonder for 18 months.

My game show swag

Rafferbee wrote:I passed the test, yay! Thanks for all your advice, especially gsabc. I smiled and clapped until I felt like my hands would fall off. There were 50 people there and 20 passed the test. I won a tote bag during the first round and was complimented by the contestant coordinators on my loud, clear voice.

The test was HARD. It was a lot harder than the Jeopardy test for me. I only got nine out of the fifteen puzzles finished in the five minutes.

They did leave after our second round of gameplay, then call five people up for another round of playing. I don't know if that meant those are the only five they're considering, or if they were on the fence about them.

The nice thing is I'll get a letter in two weeks if I'm chosen as a contestant, and if I don't I'm out of the pool. Its nicer than Jeopardy which just leaves you to wonder for 18 months.

My game show swag

Looks like you hit the trifecta of game show swag!

Rafferbee wrote:

My game show swag

Do you have to give back the bag if you hit a bankrupt?

Good luck RB!!!

lb13

Awesome! Congrats!

Yay! Best wishes.

Congratulations. That is great news. My GF (BAM) and I (WOF) could combine our swag and only have 2/3 of yours. That's awesome.

Cool! Good luck!