THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, May 12, 1995 TAG: 9505120082
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: LARRY BONKO
LENGTH: Medium: 74 lines
AFTER APPEARING as a contestant on ``Wheel of Fortune'' during one of 10 tapings held in Norfolk recently, Karen Wilburn of Virginia Beach came to this conclusion: She plays the game better at home.
In the family room of her home in Virginia Beach, there are no hot lights overhead, roving cameras, constantly moving stage managers, applauding spectators or co-hosts with 1,000-watt smiles to distract her. At home, it is just Karen and the TV set and the ``Wheel of Fortune'' puzzle board.
``It's amazing how much smarter I am at home than on the set,'' the Virginia Beach school psychologist said after taking part in a taping that will air at 7 p.m. May 26 on WVEC. Starting Monday, the 10 shows taped aboard the supercarrier Dwight D. Eisenhower will be syndicated nationally.
While taping aboard the Eisenhower, producer Harry Friedman promised a boost for Norfolk's tourism. He delivers starting Monday.
``As a result of the `Norfolk Week' tapings, you'll see a lot of familiar sights when we air those shows,'' he said. ``You'll see the Chrysler Museum, Nauticus, the Botanical Gardens in Norfolk.''
``You'll also be able to identify scenes from throughout the region, including Colonial Williamsburg. Anyone who watches will know from where the shows are originating,'' said Friedman, whose job is not unlike that of the captain of the Eisenhower.
``Every facet of the show is my responsibility,'' he said.
Even co-host Vanna White's wardrobe, which included outfits worth more than $100,000 when she was in Norfolk? Even her wardrobe, said the producer.
Among the other local contestants on ``Wheel of Fortune'' in the next two weeks are James Williams Jr. of Suffolk; Mark Rankin, an Old Dominion University student who lives in Virginia Beach; and Rebecca Schneider of Chesapeake.
Rankin won nothing. Schneider, a private investigator, left the taping richer by $2,150 in cash and prizes.
Rankin's week was a whirl. He auditioned for the show in Williamsburg on a Tuesday, was booked for the Norfolk tapings the day after and played the game on camera three days later. (The other local contestants were picked in auditions a year ago in Norfolk).
Rankin was surprised to see the wheel was much smaller (7 feet, 8 inches) than it appears on TV. And that it takes a good push to get it spinning. ``The wheel is heavy,'' Rankin said.
Wilburn, who won $1,700, said she did not expect to appear before so large an audience in the Eisenhower's hangar bay, where 800 to 900 people showed up for each taping.
Another surprise for the contestants: Before the tapings, they were isolated from anyone connected with the show except for the contestant coordinators. ``We felt as sequestered as the O.J. Simpson jury,'' said one player.
That is how it is today for contestants, an aftermath of the quiz show scandals of another era.
Rankin is still pouting because he didn't meet Vanna.
And she was so close.
The ``Wheel of Fortune'' shows that feature contestants in uniform open with a flourish on Monday.
``It would have been a lot easier to tape these shows in a converted warehouse,'' said the producer. ``But where else could we have gotten all of this?''
He waved a hand in the direction of a Navy F-14 Tomcat on the ``Wheel of Fortune'' set and the long gray hulls of Navy ships in the background. That scene has Norfolk written all over it.
See how they did it in a half-hour show, ``Behind the Scenes of `Wheel of Fortune' in Norfolk,'' airing at 7:30 p.m. Friday on WVEC.
Starting Monday, millions of viewers here and abroad will see the picture postcard of Norfolk and greater Hampton Roads.
There are mayors in this great land that would kill for that kind of exposure. Love ya, Vanna. by CNB