Arts & Entertainment
Freedmans Enjoy Wheel of Fortune Experience
The Deerfield couple says one thing about the filming of the show surprised them.
Tonight’s episode of Wheel of Fortune will feature a pair of familiar faces for viewers in Deerfield.
Joel and Dana Freedman, Deerfield residents and both longtime fans of the show, will spin the wheel as part of the show’s Disney week.
“It has been one of my wife’s lifelong dreams,” said Joel. “She’s wanted to do this since she was a kid.”
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The audition process turned out to be “pretty tricky,” Joel said. First the pair had to submit a written form and a video before they could show up for an audition held last October in Chicago.
“We did our best and were hoping for a call,” he said.
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A few months later, that call came and the couple had a perfect reason for a January family vacation to Hollywood with their children Seth, 9 and Maya, 6.
The taping of the show is, surprisingly, not too much different from what Americans have seen on television for the last several decades.
“It’s very quick,” Joel said of the filming. “There are no brakes, the game moves by very quickly. It’s unique in that it’s just how you see it on TV.”
The Freedmans were thrilled with their experience on one of America’s most popular game shows, but don’t expect them to pop up on Jeopardy! or Family Feud just yet.
“We’re going to enjoy this one for awhile,” Joel said. “It’s likely a once in a lifetime game show thing for us.”
UPDATE: The Freedmans dominated Friday’s episode, coming home with an impressive amount of cash and a Walt Disney World vacation. Joel’s response of “Over Yonder” in the championship round came within seconds.
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