A WHEEL of Fortune contestant has revealed the behind-the-scenes secrets of the game show’s audition process – and provided the trick to beating the puzzles.
US Sun spoke exclusively with Ted Slauson, subject of The Perfect Bid: The Contestant Who Knew Too Much, about his experience on the long-running game show.
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Ted Slauson beat The Price is Right by watching episodes religiously and documenting and memorizing the correct cost of the show’s recurring prizes.
It’s a practice that helped contestant Terry Kneiss win a double showcase by placing a perfect bid of $23,743 and ended up preventing Slauson from participating.
While the game show sage is no longer welcome to watch The Price is Right, his daytime TV experience goes beyond the price guessing game hosted by Drew Carey.
THE AUDITION PROCESS
When asked about being chosen to compete on Wheel of Fortune, Slauson told the US Sun: “When I auditioned, it was in 2001 or 2002, the whole first part is: everyone is there.
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“They call you randomly, you get up, do a few laps and then sit down, and they ask someone else to get up and then they play the part.
“It’s literally like a test, and you have to fill in as many puzzles as you can,” he revealed.
Slauson explained: “They give you a few cards to start with and then narrow the group down to the people they think would make the best competitors.
“They test them some more, and then they, you know, if you hear from them, great. And if you don’t have it, you won’t have it”, he revealed.
Slauson revealed that he was the second person called during the first part of the audition.
“It kind of surprised me, because I never get picked first for anything,” he said.
“And so [the first contestant] had chosen, like a card that was in the puzzle a few times, maybe, and I chose a card and [the show producers]you know, I lit them up, and then I bought a vowel, and they lit up.
“I looked at him and said, ‘I’d like to solve the puzzle.'”
Slauson said, “Everyone kind of looked at me like, ‘What?
“They were diamond earrings,” he continued.
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“I think all I had was the N, I think, the I and the N in diamond, and I had, like, blank, blank, R, R, I, N, blank, blank, so no there was a lot there to get to,” he said.
“Everyone was like, wow. Like, they couldn’t believe I did it,” Slauson revealed before adding, “And you would think that would get me on the show.”
SECOND CHANCE
Slauson revealed that around 2015, during the Wheel of Fortune Wheelmobile, he was again chosen to audition when the show visited San Antonio, Texas.
“I went to that event,” he recalled.
Slauson recalled having to do “a couple 20 seconds” about himself and what he does in his career before the trial game began.
“Five of you at the same time are playing the same puzzle, and it’s like a quick round where you each pick a letter and light it up if it’s there,” he said of the fast-paced audition.
Although her first audition was a breeze, Slauson admitted to having a much tougher time during her second.
“For some reason, I was just looking and couldn’t figure out what it was,” he confessed.
Wheel of Fortune Host Timeline
Although Pat and Vanna have been a fixture on the game show for decades, there have been other hosts
Chuck Woolery was the host from 1975 to 1981
He co-hosted alongside Susan Stafford (1975 to 1982)
Vanna White took over as host in 1982 and has been since then.
After a contract and salary dispute, the show got rid of Chuck and brought in Pat in 1982.
Pat hosted Susan for a season
He then left the game show in 1989 to host a late-night talk show for CBS.
For five months, NFL player Rolf Benirschke took his place
In July 1989, Bob Goen hosted the show on CBS
He hosted for a year and a half until the show was canceled in 1991
The show was then moved to ABC, with Pat and Vanna hosting for the foreseeable future.
In 2023, Pat announced his retirement and Ryan Seacrest was quickly named his replacement
Slauson revealed that he chose what he considered to be “logical guesses” for a puzzle that ended up being “Frozen Yogurt.”
“OE was frozen, so I figured it was something [with a] D, like something boiled,” he admitted before adding that the puzzle included: “No, D.”
“The second time, I picked an S and thought, ‘Okay, well, maybe that’s the plural of something.'”
“No, S,” he joked before adding, “I’m serious. Now, I’m sure that has nothing to do with it.”
Slauson stated: “[Wheel of Fortune producers] we’re looking for people who are choosing logical letters.”
“Just like when I auditioned for the first time, there was a guy who, when it was his turn, the first letter he chose was A,” he recalled.
The game show expert continued, “You have to pick a consonant, so he picked B, and then I think he made a second move and picked C.”
“I say, man, you’re not picking the lyrics you normally would,” Slauson scolded.
TRICKS OF THE TRADE
While Slauson can’t memorize prize prices like he did with The Price is Right, he did open up about his puzzle-solving strategy for Wheel of Fortune.
“I think with Wheel of Fortune, because if you watch the show a lot and you like crosswords and cryptograms and things like that, and you start recognizing letter combinations, it’s easier to solve puzzles quickly,” he said.
He continued, “So you’re not guessing the lyrics.
Everyone was like, wow. Like, they couldn’t believe I did it.
Ted Slauson
“You’re pivoting and using the dollar amount times whatever it is of a certain type, and you can really strategize.”
American Idol host Ryan Seacrest has replaced longtime Wheel of Fortune host Pat Sajak, 77.
Pat retired earlier this summer after hosting the game show for 41 seasons.
Ryan has already begun filming new episodes with co-host Vanna White, 67, ahead of the show’s Season 42 premiere on September 9.
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This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
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