‘Wheel of Fortune’ takes mom for spin

Angie Wisdom has been waiting five years to prove that “T” is one of the most commonly used letters.

The Newport Beach resident gets her chance at 7:30 p.m. tonight and before a big audience on ABC’s broadcast of “Wheel of Fortune.”

Wisdom has been watching the show for more than 20 years, applying to be a contestant since 2003, and said she has always been “pretty good at tying words together with a few amount of letters.”

She finally got a call last September notifying her that she had been chosen to audition for a spot. Wisdom said she did well at the all-day audition set up at the Radisson Hotel in Studio City, where about 100 would-be contestants were put through a series of qualifying tests.

“They test your personality and your ability to solve puzzles, and they even have a small version of the wheel. It’s just like you’re there,” Wisdom said.

There’s a written test consisting of about two dozen puzzles you have to complete in five minutes, and at the end of what she described as a very long day, Wisdom went home with hope.

Wisdom got a call in mid-December and reported to the Wheel of Fortune set at Sony Studios in Culver City on Jan. 10.

The show filmed from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wisdom said she was a little nervous at first, but once she got going she felt comfortable, and knowing she was on TV didn’t affect her playing.

“Everybody was so nice. Pat Sajak does a really good job of making you feel comfortable and relaxing you,” Wisdom said.

One thing people may not realize is how heavy the wheel is. Wisdom said she didn’t have any strategy when it came to spinning it, and overall she was happy with the way she played. She avoided some of the more common mistakes people make, she said, like calling out letters already on the board.

“It was just a blast, the fastest 20 minutes of my life.”

Wisdom won’t get to appear on the show again, since it doesn’t allow contestants to appear more than once, but she will watch the show at home tonight with about 25 friends.

Her husband, Shane, and sons Ethan, 2, and Evan, 4, will also watch. Nothing unusual for the boys, Wisdom said.

“The boys watch the show all the time, and they’re all excited.”

SUE THOENSEN may be reached at (714) 966-4627 or at [email protected].