By ALEXANDRA NEWMAN

Chesterton resident Kourtney Pogue has returned from Los Angeles where she was a contestant on Wheel of Fortune for Hawaiian Week, which has yet to air.

Like Val Brown, also from Chesterton, she shared her experiences of the audition and a little bit about the experience in Los Angeles. She is not allowed to reveal details about her taping or the outcome, but she said “It’s worth watching.”

Pogue also received an invitation only audition for the Wheel’s College Week in Chicago. The local women were at the same January audition.

“The audition had about 60 people and it began with a mock game of wheel where a puzzle was on a screen and the contestant coordinators would call out someone’s name,” Pogue said in an e-mail to the Chesterton Tribune. This continued until everyone was called at least once and had a chance to call out a letter or solve the puzzle. Unfortunately, I was called twice and both times my letters were not in the puzzle.

“Then the second part of the first round was a puzzle quiz. The staff passed out a paper with 16 puzzles on them and, in most cases, only two or three letters were filled in and we had to fill out the rest. Honestly, I don’t know where it came from, but I recall filling out almost half of these in the five minute time limit. They told us to wait in the lobby and that in about 20 minutes they would call us back. This was one of the longest 20 minutes of my life, but then I found out my name was called along with about 15 other people.

“Right before the next round started, I noticed Valerie Brown from Chesterton was also there and it was really helpful to be able to cheer each other on. We started the final round where we divided into games of four people and played a couple rounds and practiced introducing ourselves I knew that they liked players that kept the game moving, so I kept mine short and sweet. They informed us that we would receive a letter in three weeks if we were chosen, and that we had a chance that we might not be called for College Week.

“I received a phone call from a contestant coordinator on the 23rd, which was only a week after my audition. Of course, I tried to call her back and we ended up playing the worst phone tag game, but eventually she congratulated me and told me they needed me in Los Angeles to film an episode for wheel, not College Week.

“I started jumping up and down and calling everyone I could think of. I had told people for years I wanted to go on this show. I make sure I am home every night to watch the show and I couldn’t believe I would be spinning the wheel. It took awhile to sink in and I received my packet in the mail in a couple days that confirmed my dream come true.

“I flew with my mom Tina, my brother Ryan, and my sister, Kristin to Los Angeles after my last class on Thursday. Thankfully, even though it was snowing in Indianapolis, where I flew out, there were not any delays. I arrived at 7:45 at Sony Picture Studios in Culver City, Calif., where I met with the same staff I auditioned with and the other 17 contestants that would be taping one of the six episodes that day.

“We were divided into groups and drew numbers for show order and, unfortunately, my team pulled a five, so it was going to be a long day. We practiced spinning the wheel and calling out letters and filmed a short promo that will run on ABC right before my episode airs.

“While we were going over the rules in our green room, Vanna White popped in with no makeup, her hair in a ponytail, and she was wearing casual clothes! She was gorgeous even without all the ‘glam’ from the show. She wished us good luck and I think that was when I realized that it was all really happening.

“Coincidentally, this was not the first time I had seen Vanna White, because I was actually in Los Angeles and saw her get her star on the Walk of Fame. Anyway, the other shows came and went, and it was finally my turn! I can’t give out any details about my taping or the outcome, but it is worth watching.

“It was an amazing experience because there are so many people that try out and only a few hundred are picked each season. It is pretty hard not being able to give out details about the show or anyone’s prizes or winnings, but I think it will make it that much more fun when they get to watch it air for the first time.”

Meanwhile, Pogue is back at IUPUI in Indianapolis. There she is a junior psychology major. She currently is a cheerleader for the Indiana Ice Hockey Team.

She is a 2005 graduate of Chesterton High School.

Posted 2/21/2008