I’m back from vacation! It was a trip to Los Angeles that I would grade a B-minus. The weather was distinctly not Californian, but being a Nebraskan it was still 76% better than what we get this time of year. Also affecting my vacation report card: 4 out of 5 Uber drivers could not find my hotel. One of them, with the kind of foreign accent that made me wonder where his Khlav Kalash stand was located, dropped me off miles away from my hotel and left me alone, in the dark in the Hollywood Hills. Ay yi yi Delilah! (Oh, by the way, I did get another Uber who was, mystically, able to find the Bermuda Triangle Holiday Inn Express.)
But hey, it really was a very enjoyable trip, all things considered. Especially because I was able to attend tapings of those great American traditions, “Wheel Of Fortune” and “Jeopardy!”. I love seeing tapings of television shows, because well…I love broadcasting. It’s my business don’t you know. (I’m on the radio side of broadcasting because my face scares small children.)
Wheel and Jeopardy! tape at Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City, California. They have a very nice visitors center with soda and snack machines, restrooms, and benches (with heat lamps turned on since the weather was slightly chilly). As with every TV taping I’ve ever attended, there’s a lotta sittin’, a lotta standin’ and a lotta waitin’. But eventually, we were herded to the studio. Here’s a look at some behind-the-scenes tidbits.
Jeopardy!
Everybody Makes Mistakes, even Jeopardy! host Ken Jennings. He bobbled a couple of category names which the producers had him re-read during a break. Doing these kinds of editing fixes has become incredibly simple thanks to digital editing software. Even I use it! But I still do my morning show live, so you can hear every single mistake I make. Not that there’s a lot. Okay, there’s a lot.
I Asked Ken Jennings A Question! During a commercial break Ken took questions from the studio audience, and I asked, “Is James Holzhauer as friendly and pleasant in real life as he is on TV?” The audience got some chuckles out of that. I think Ken did too, but he was quick to point out that James raises money for charity and is an all-around good guy.
The Clue Crew Lives! Remember in the Trebek era, they had remote correspondents called the “Clue Crew”? Well, two of them are now full-time behind-the-scenes participants in both Wheel and Jeopardy. Sarah is now a producer, and Jimmy is a stage manager. He also keeps up the chatter with the crowd and really seems to enjoy his work!
Jimmy Instructed Us Not To Shout Out The Answers. Sorry, The Questions. Because, you know, if you shout out the answer they’re gonna kick you out of the studio, and you’ll have to spend the afternoon wandering around the Sony Store. It’s no way to live. I’ll be honest, I didn’t think they should have to mention such a thing but at least twice I had to silence myself. Years of Wentworth Jeopardy nights with Mama Mary, Big Dave and Cousin Jackie corrupted me from the legal rules of Jeopardy!. (For the record, Mama Mary’s category was The Bible, Dad was Geography, and I, as always, scored well in TV and music categories.)
Wheel Of Fortune
Vanna Is Stunningly Beautiful. You’d think seeing her up close and personal (well, from the cheap seats) would take the bloom off the rose, but nope. She is gorgeous. 68 years old!
Ryan Seacrest Is Doing A Fine Job. Well, I knew that from watching on TV. But what you don’t see are the conversations Ryan has with the contestants during the breaks, encouraging them to win big and ocassionally tossing in some Sajak-style Game Show Host Razz®.
The Wheel Has A Pit Crew. There’s a whole dog and pony show that unfolds as soon as the studio monitors fade to black. Because, if you’re a loyal Wheel Watcher, you know that the dollar amounts change from round to round, and some rounds have special wedges like the “Mystery” or “Express”. Well, when they go to commercial the contestants are quickly whisked off the Wheel stage (always reminded to watch their step!) and a group of three or four guys comes up and swaps out the wedges. And every time after they fiddle with the wedges they spin the wheel, just to make sure it’s in good form.
I’m Clapping As Much As I Can! You know, when you watch “Wheel Of Fortune” you may not think about how much clapping is done in an average episode. I certainly never thought about it until I was sitting in the studio and obeying the applause sign. We applaud when a contestant spins the wheel. We applaud when they guess a letter that is in the puzzle. We applaud when a contestant solves a puzzle. It’s a lot of clapping! The lady next to me, who–coincidence of coincidences!–is from Nebraska, chose to be more selective with her clapping and I can’t blame her. Oh, and although there is no sign that says “Groans Of Anguish”, we all provided those when a contestant landed on Bankrupt or made…let’s be charitable here…a less than wise guess.
Jim Thornton Is An Awesome Guy And I’d Like To Have Him Over For Supper Some Day. Obviously that isn’t going to happen. For one thing, I don’t cook. And for another thing, he lives in California. But in-between describing Hawaiian vacations and such Jim spent lots of quality time schmooziing with us audience members. I got to shake his hand and told him I enjoyed the evening when the winning contetsant asked him to host the bonus round. He said he hears about that one all the time. Nice, friendly guy–a radio guy before becoming a Wheel announcer!
And as long as we’re talking about “Wheel Of Fortune” announcers–there’s only three in the show’s history–how about the late, great Charlie O’Donnell! One of the all time great voices, here in a clip from “American Bandstand” with another broadcasting icon, Dick Clark. Dick used Charlie as his announcer for countless series and specials including “Bandstand”, “The $25,000 Pyramid”, “TV’s Bloopers and Practical Jokes” and the like.