Holton woman recounts Wheel of Fortune experience
HOLTON (KSNT) – Brandy Stephenson jumped up with excitement when she got an email from Sony Pictures asking if she could be in California in two weeks.
Stephenson said she always wanted to be on Wheel of Fortune, so she decided she would create a video application.
“I went to their website and they had a video audition application so I wanted mine to stand out… I just had to tell my gram [grandma] to be in my video with me,” Stephenson said.
Two weeks later Stephenson got an email from Sony saying they wanted to do a Zoom audition. Four Zoom call contestants participated in a mock game, Stephenson said.
“They wanted to see our personality and how well we knew the game,” Stephenson said. “And after the audition, I thought I had it in the bag.”
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After months went by without any word from Sony, Stephenson Googled how long on average it took contestants to be chosen. She found contestants could wait for 1-2 years before hearing back. Three days after researching it, she got an email saying she’d been chosen. It only took her seven months to be chosen.
After arriving in California, Sony Pictures had Stephenson complete legal paperwork and then contestants went to practice. She said the producers wanted the contestants to practice projecting their voice and spinning the 2,400 pound metal Wheel of Fortune.
Brandy Stephenson with Kansas contestant Kiley Klung. Photo courtesy of Brandy Stephenson. Outside Sony Studios with fellow contestants. Photo courtesy of Brandy Stephenson. Stephenson with mother and uncle. Photo courtesy of Brandy Stephenson. Photo courtesy of Brandy Stephenson.
“We go back to the stage and we do another rehearsal with our chosen groups and then it’s time for the show,” Stephenson said.
Stephenson said the hardest thing about competing on the show was keeping track of the current category. She said when watching the show on TV you see the categories all together but in real life, you need to look around.
Stephenson said the contestant next to her outplayed everyone. Despite the tough competition, Stephenson managed to solve a puzzle, locking in a profit for her. She said the show gives contestants $1,000 for travel expenses but because she won the puzzle, she got to bring home $1,150.
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“One of my things was I’m a huge Elvis fan, so that was the first thing Pat brought up,” Stephenson said. “So I had an older couple reach out to me who are equal Elvis fans who wanted to send me this little Elvis thing. I’ve had people reach out to me from Montana and the East Coast, people saying they’re rooting for me.”
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