Yorkville Resident to Appear on Wheel of Fortune

Editor's note: This article originally posted Feb. 6, but I'm highlighting it today to remind you that the Wheel of Fortune episode including Yorkville resident Tim Freeman is airing tonight. Tune in at 6:30 p.m.

Wheel of Fortune has awarded over $190 million in cash and prizes - and Yorkville residents will have to tune in Feb. 22 to learn if fellow resident Tim Freeman got his share of that prize money. 

In May, Freeman, 30, got the opportunity of a lifetime: He was chosen to be a contestant on Wheel of Fortune. More than 10,000 people try out each year to be a contestant on the show, and fewer than 600 contestants are selected, according to the show's website, wheeloffortune.com.  

“It was a wild experience. I never thought that I would be picked,” said Freeman, who went to Los Angeles to tape the show Dec. 10. 

Yorkville Patch writer Angelica Garza was lucky enough to chat and exchange e-mails with Freeman, whose television debut will be at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 22. He shares his experience, from what it was like to be a contestant on the show to meeting hosts Vanna White and Pat Sajak in person.

Garza: We all want to know: How did you get on the show?

Freeman: My wife and I actually both applied online two years ago. It is a very quick application that probably took about 5 minutes. In May 2010, I received an e-mail from Sony Studios stating I was selected to audition at the Omni Hotel in Chicago. This was quite a shock, because I had forgotten that we had applied so long ago.

So my wife and I went downtown for the day, and my audition was intense. It was a conference room filled with approximately 75 potential contestants. Each person had an assigned seat, and the contestant recruiters were constantly observing and taking notes. I played a quick WOF game in the morning and then took a five-minute quiz that consisted of twenty puzzles. It was definitely a very hard test.

After the quiz, the WOF contestant department convened to narrow the search to 20 people and I made the cut. Next, we all took part in a few more puzzles and had to talk about ourselves for a while. When the audition was over, we were told a letter would be sent to those accepted within two weeks. If you didn't hear anything, then you weren't selected. And two weeks later, my wife got the mail and was jumping for joy, because we received my letter. We were so excited.

Garza: Tell us about your experience on the show.

Freeman: The entire experience was so surreal and the fastest 20 minutes of my life. There is so much to think about when the game is going on. Now I understand how people make mistakes when playing the game.

Garza: You must have been nervous.

Freeman: I was definitely nervous during the actual show, but looking back, I think the audition was the most difficult part. During the show, I was able to look in the audience at my wife (Jenny), which helped calm my nerves.

Garza: How much interaction did you have with the other contestants?

Freeman: I had lots of interaction with the other contestants and zero interaction with my wife and friends until my show was over. In fact, each contestant was banned from using the phones, talking to family, or even looking in their direction while waiting for our shows to begin. They record six shows a day, and I was not able to tell my wife which show I was going to be on. I ended up being on the second show of the day.

Garza: How long did you have to stay in Los Angeles? How long was the taping process?

Freeman: We stayed in L.A. for three nights and the taping process was from 7 a.m. to 12 p.m. (noon) since I was on the second show. Those who played on the sixth show were done at 6 p.m.

Garza: So was this your first time to L.A.?

Freeman: This was our first time in L.A., and we loved it. Too much to do.

Garza: Is Vanna White as gorgeous in person as she is on the show?

Freeman: Vanna White actually stopped in before the shows began to wish us luck. She had not received her hair and make-up yet, so she looked normal and was still gorgeous in sweatpants.

Garza: What was Pat Sajak like?

Freeman: Pat Sajak was more business and didn't have too much small talk. So my interaction with him was really limited to the actual show I was on, although he was very personable when he did talk to each contestant.

Garza: Are you a long-time viewer of the show?

Freeman: Yes, I have definitely watched this show as kid, and we do currently at dinnertime every day with our children. Our youngest son, Joe, learned to clap watching Wheel of Fortune.