Milton native John Makely has been trying to become a contestant on "Wheel of Fortune” for 10 years.
His wish comes true Monday, when the show on which he appeared airs at 6:30 p.m. on WMTV-TV/NBC 15.
Makely, who now lives in Los Angeles with his wife and two children, grew up watching "Wheel" with his mom, Kathy Boguszewski of Milton, and younger sister.
The 1996 Milton High School graduate was invited to an open audition for the show last November. He solved a puzzle and won a Vanna White autographed picture. About two weeks later, he received a letter saying he would be in the contestant pool.
“If you live in Los Angeles, they like you to be an alternate,” he said Thursday in a telephone interview.
Makely was an alternate on the last day before production was suspended in March because of the coronavirus pandemic. He was asked to be an actual contestant shortly after he heard the show would start taping again.
About 30 minutes of taping felt like five, he said. “It went by so quickly.”
Makely said he enjoyed meeting the hosts, Pat Sajak and Vanna White.
“Vanna was amazing and said 'hi' to all the contestants before the show, before putting her makeup on,” he said.
The show has made several changes so it can film safety, including increasing the distance between the contestants and Sajak and giving contestants spinning "caps" so they can spin the wheel without touching it.
Makely estimated he saw 30 to 40 people working behind the scenes.
“I was surprised how many people were involved in the filming: the camera people, the production people, the casting people,” he said.
To prepare for his appearance, Makely said he and his 10-year-old daughter watched about 100 shows the week before.
“She’s probably more excited to see the airing of it than I am,” he said.
Makely said he gives a shout-out to Milton and the Green Bay Packers on the show.
“It was probably one of the best experiences of my life.”
September 21, 2020 at 04:00PM
https://www.gazettextra.com/news/local/milton-high-graduate-to-be-on-wheel-of-fortune/article_c999d56f-308a-5c22-ad23-7c13d2dcf93e.html
Milton High graduate to be on 'Wheel of Fortune' - Gazettextra
https://news.google.com/search?q=Wheel&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US:en
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