April 2023 – Forest Hill’s own Amelia Kearney was on Wheel of Fortune on April 20! Mrs. Kearney said the experience overall was incredible, and she shared some insight about what it was like. In her introduction on the show, she started by saying, “Shoutout to my foxes!” She then went on to win the next puzzle which was “Planting a Tree.” She said after winning her first puzzle, she felt like she was able to relax and just enjoy the game! Her goal was to make sure that she won at least once, and it would make the trip all worth it.
Mrs. Kearney is a fan of Wheel of Fortune, but she actually applied on a whim. When Pat Sajak and Vanna White came to the Orpheum this past fall, she was inspired to apply just to see what would happen. After being selected for a first and second round interview, they emailed her to say that she had been selected. Next steps were all the logistics! Mrs. Kearney had just two weeks to plan her trip to Los Angeles, and with encouragement from her friends and family, she decided to make it happen.
She arrived in LA, and filming began the next day on Thursday, February 2. The show actually films six episodes in one day, and Mrs. Kearney was in episode four. She was able to watch the shows that were taped first as a member of the audience, so between that and the practice runs, she felt confident when they started filming! She said that the wheel is much smaller in person, but it weighs 2,400lbs! She was of course able to meet Pat and Vanna, and she said, “Vanna is incredibly nice to both the contestants and the audience members. She took time out of her day to ask if the audience had questions for her and to get to know the contestants,” Mrs. Kearney had the chance to ask Pat if she had made the right decision to solve a puzzle when there was still a letter space left blank on the board. At first he said, “There’s no right or wrong answer,” but later he told Mrs. Kearney that she had made the right decision to solve.
Mrs. Kearney had so much encouragement from not only her friends and family, but her fellow Forest Hill Foxes as well. She says that after getting to be on the show, she would encourage anyone who is interested in applying to go for it! She ended by saying, “It was just overall such a great experience. Getting to be on an actual set and go to LA…I have nothing bad to say about the entire experience!”
Congratulations to Mrs. Kearney!