Students at Cal State Long Beach were treated to a special promotional audition session on Thursday in the Beach Auditorium for the popular TV show “Wheel of Fortune.”
The auditions ran from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. as students were brought on stage to partake in the game. The Program Council and Associated Students Inc. teamed up to organize the event and host it.
After filling out a simple application, hopeful contestants filed into the auditorium and watched students participate in a simplified version of the “Wheel of Fortune” game.
Contestants were brought up and spun a wheel to determine what prizes that group of students could win, including T-shirts, hats, coolers and duffel bags.
The game consisted of a blank board where contestants guessed letters to try to solve the puzzle. The puzzles have categories to go along with them such as: College life, phrases, slogans, places or things. Vowels were purchased with money earned in the game and players could choose to solve the entire puzzle at any time.
“I think I did really well,” said Erica McBride, a junior nursing and criminal justice major. “It was just a ton of fun. It’s great that we have something like this come to our school to get the students involved.”
“Wheel of Fortune” is in its 29th season and has been doing promotional tours since 1999. According to David Strathearn, director of marketing and promotions for the show, these tours rarely visit college campuses.
“We were really excited to be able to come to such a diverse campus at Long Beach State,” Strathearn said. “There is a wide cross-section of students here and it really represents all of Southern California.”
Students went through an audition consisting of short games to determine which applicants would be fit to appear as contestants on the actual show.
Among the potential contestants was Kyle Durich, who has been seen around campus with his oversized boom box, blaring music and wearing his leopard print underwear.
“I like dancing and it usually makes people happy, so I like my chances [for getting selected to the show],” Durich said. “I have had a pretty bad year so it’s great that there is stuff like this on campus to raise my spirits a bit.”
Those who were selected would be appearing on episodes this season and into the next season as well, according to Strathearn.
Those who do not make the cut to compete on the show would still have the opportunity to attend the studio taping and cheer on their fellow 49ers.
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