By Christine Valletta, For Iron County Today
I was featured in my first national TV debut on Wheel of Fortune on October 3rd. It was billed as BET MGM Big Winners Tournament!
I had decided three years ago, after retiring, that I wanted to get on a game show. What easier way to supplement my old age if I won big! Applying for a game show is much easier now. Back then, unless you traveled to their studio in LA, many shows would travel the country and hold open casting in big cities. I did just that 30 years ago on Maui, where I’m from. Hundreds would show up, and you’d wait until you were contacted by mail or phone call.
In December 2021, I applied online for “Don’t Forget the Lyrics.” After filling out the online application, uploading my pictures, and making a 30-minute video of myself, I received a phone call within days requesting a Zoom meeting! During the Zoom call, the casting person questioned me on how to play the game. After a 10-minute interview, he said, “This game is not for you. How about trying the game show ‘Press Your Luck’?” I said YES! That was my all-time favorite, but they weren’t accepting applicants at the time. He forwarded my name to another casting person, who reached out a month later when they WERE accepting for that show.
I wasn’t accepted, and over the next year, I tried different game shows, getting as far as a one-on-one interview with Jeff Apploff, the creator of “Beat Shazam,” “Don’t Forget the Lyrics,” and in 2023, “Loteria Loca,” a popular show in Spanish-speaking countries. I did two Zoom interviews and was in the top 30 considered for a trip abroad, but that was cut to 15 people, and I wasn’t chosen. When that show aired in America three months later, CBS canceled it. True fact: if your game show gets canceled before your episode airs on TV, you DO NOT receive your winnings!
Meanwhile, I got to meet Ryan Seacrest and Vanna White! I went home with only $1,000 and priceless memories!