UCLA graduate student Brian Odegaard wins $11,000 on “˜Wheel of Fortune’ after a lifetime of following the show
Psychology graduate student Brian Odegaard competed on “Wheel of Fortune” on Friday, winning $11,000 in prize money.
Credit: WHEEL OF FORTUNE PUBLICITY AND PROMOTIONS
By Laurie Allred
March 28, 2011 12:56 a.m.
Correction: The original version of this story contained several errors. Brian Odegaard will donate a portion of his winnings to the charity Kiva. The show took 35 minutes to film.
Since the age of three, a young Brian Odegaard living in Minnesota religiously watched the “Wheel of Fortune,” wishing one day to spin the infamous wheel.
Friday, Odegaard’s childhood dream became a reality when he became a contestant on “Wheel of Fortune,” one of television’s longest running game shows, which premiered in 1975.
Odegaard, who is currently in the psychology graduate program, became a contestant by competing against hundreds of applicants.
The process emphasized “Wheel of Fortune” simulations and challenging puzzles applicants had to solve.
Odegaard said that, even though he guessed the wrong letter in his first turn, he solved the puzzle and earned a coveted spot as a contestant.
However, during the taping of the show in late February, things did not go as smoothly for Odegaard. Early in the episode, one of his competitors won the “Vacation of a Lifetime” prize to London, then hit “bankrupt” and lost the grand prize. His other competitor solved the second and third puzzles. At that point, Odegaard had not solved a single puzzle.
“I had absolutely no money, and there were five minutes to go in the show. I was really nervous. I had lost a turn and hit bankrupt,” Odegaard said.
His luck changed during the last portion of the show, and Odegaard wound up solving the third toss-up worth $3,000 by answering “John Stamos.” Odegaard then solved the final puzzle, worth $8,000. The answer was “Childhood Sweethearts.”
A portion of the $11,000 Odegaard won will be donated to the charity Kiva, an organization that gives resources to small business owners in developing countries to get their businesses started.
Odegaard, who was an alternate on the show last November, said he was glad to solve two puzzles at the end of the show given his rough start.
“I wanted to keep an open mind. You could be very skilled, but depending on the luck of the wheel, you could do poorly. … I didn’t want to be the guy who did not win any money,” Odegaard said.
Andrea Niles, Odegaard’s friend and fellow psychology graduate student, attended the taping and said she was tense during the last five minutes of the show.
“He’s really good at the puzzles, and I was thinking about how to console him if he left with no money. When he got the puzzle, I was so happy,” Niles said.
Meredith Sears, who also attended the taping and is a psychology graduate student, said Odegaard practiced countless hours before he appeared on the show.
“I know he and Andrea watched a lot of “˜Wheel of Fortune’ beforehand, and he would guess things before the contestants did,” Sears said.
“Wheel of Fortune” films more than six episodes in a single day in Culver City. The episode Odegaard appeared on took 35 minutes to film.
Odegaard said that during filming, contestants had to pay attention to several technicalities that proved to be distracting.
“You have a crew that is giving you instructions for filming, telling you where your hand should be while clapping, projecting with your voice, smiling,” Odegaard said. “In addition to being excited and nervous, you have to do all these things that are very important for the taping.”
Odegaard said he was also surprised by the weight of the giant wheel, which he struggled to spin.
In the future, Odegaard said he plans to try out for other shows like “Jeopardy” and “Are you Smarter Than A Fifth Grader?”
He also said he still has fond memories of “Wheel of Fortune” from his childhood; he learned to read through the show and had a “Wheel of Fortune”-themed third birthday party.
“My mom made this round “˜Wheel of Fortune’ cake and spelled out “˜Happy Birthday’ with letters on the cupcakes,” Odegaard said. “The only thing I remember was picking up the newest version of the “˜Wheel of Fortune’ board game. That was the present I loved the most.”
