Manager of Romeoville Event Center to Appear on 'Wheel of Fortune'

Molly Bardson poses at Sony Studios in Los Angeles after completing filming for “Wheel of Fortune.” Credit: Submitted photo.

A self-professed “trivia nerd” from Plainfield will make her TV debut this week on ABC’s “Wheel of Fortune.”

Twenty-four-year-old Molly Bardson will appear on the show Thursday, Jan. 15.

Bardson, a University of St. Francis graduate who works as the general manager for the Romeoville Athletic and Events Center, found out in November that she had been chosen to appear alongside Pat Sajak and Vanna White on the TV game show staple.

Bardson said she moved to Plainfield a year ago to be closer to her job.

“I fell in love with Plainfield,” she said, adding that the village reminds her of her hometown of Grand Ridge, Illinois.

“I love game shows, and I’m kind of a trivia nerd,” said Bardson, who sent in a minute-long video of herself as part of the audition process.

A week later, reps for the show asked her to attend an invitation-only audition in Chicago.

After the three-hour audition, Bardson said she was told if she didn’t hear back within two weeks, it meant she hadn’t been chosen to appear on the show.

Bardson, who previously auditioned for MTV’s “The Real World,” said she got the good news a week later.

“They told me I needed to be in Los Angeles in 12 days,” she said.

She said she and her fellow contestants got the star treatment during the 13-hour taping for the show in November.

“They literally treat you like a celebrity,” Bardson said. “You get a hair team and a makeup team.”

Bardson said she’s eager to see how her TV debut turned out.

“I will be surprised to see how I acted,” she said, noting that the day’s activities were a blur. “I was so nervous with the cameras and the lights.”

Bardson will appear on the Thursday, Jan. 15 episode of “Wheel of Fortune,” airing at 6:30 p.m. on ABC (Channel 7).