‘Wheel of Fortune’ Contestant Details Getting on Show & How It Was the ‘Perfect Time’
Despite not winning Wheel of Fortune, Heather Vianna said it was the perfect time for her to be on the game show. The contestant opened up about how she got on the show as well as filming the episode.
Viana, from Rockland, Massachusetts, went home with $3,800 on April 15. She played against returning champion Heidi Edwards and Terry Smith, who won the game.
The research coordinator for Harvard Medical School told the Taunton Daily Gazette that being on Wheel of Fortune was a “once in a lifetime opportunity.” “It was amazing,” she said.
Although Viana is busy with work and running a community garden share program called the Mantis Project, where gardeners can leave, obtain, and trade garden supplies, plantings, and cuttings for free, she applied to be on the game show in the past, and never gave up hope of being on it.
Her first application was sent in three years ago. Every year since, Viana got a call from a rep for the show, asking if she was still interested, which she said that she was. Viana finally got the call to be on Wheel this year.
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She was given three weeks’ notice to fly out to California, where she taped her episode on February 19, which was the fourth episode of the day. The contestant had a 6:30am call time, so it was a long day.
The timing worked out well for her as her sister lives in San Diego, California. So, she took a week off, visited her sister, and then flew to Los Angeles to film her episode. Viana revealed that Wheel doesn’t pay for contestants’ flights or hotels, but when she showed up, she was given $1,000, so in a way, she was reimbursed.
To prepare for the show, Viana watched a lot of old episodes. She told the outlet that she was “always a fan,” but stopped watching religiously in her teen years. However, when she met her husband of 17 years, he rekindled her love for the show, and they watch it together every night. They also share a daughter and two dogs together.
“It’s much easier playing from my couch,” she joked.
Wheel of Fortune, weekdays, check local listings, stream next day on Hulu and Peacock
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