The Morning Blend TV show that I manage is housed in the station's marketing / creative services department. I was asked as part of that department's staff to help out with this weekend's Wheelmobile event.
The Wheelmobile is a giant yellow RV (and trailer) that travels around the United States each year putting on events in search of new contestants for the Wheel Of Fortune TV game show.
It's fun to watch potential contestants get called on stage, play a round of the game and solve a puzzle, and show their personalities to show producers on-site in the hopes that they could get a shot of being on the show.
KGUN 9 station personalities and on-camera talent were on stage as well. This was a two day event, and during the Saturday session (which was the one I was at) there was Tina Jennings from the Morning Blend, Chief Meteorologist Erin Christiansen, and Good Morning Tucson anchor Pat Parris to draw names of contestants to go on stage and help to get the crowd at Casino Del Sol's AVA Amphitheatre excited to be there.
A highlight of the event for me was the catering. I enjoyed some eats between shows during the afternoon and had some delicious potato salad. The last time the station hosted this event in 2014, they also had delicious potato salad but in 2014 it had bacon. This batch didn't have bacon and while I wished that it did, I ate it anyway and it was good.
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I won a little money in the casino before the Wheelmobile event started.
Cha ching.
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The crowd gathers at AVA Amphitheatre next to Casino Del Sol
for the Wheel of Fortune Wheelmobile event.
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| A table of Wheel Of Fortune shwag waiting to be won |
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| Vinca, Joe, Tina and Lindsay working the Wheelmobile event |
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| Steve, Andy and Brian checking out video on a GoPro |
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| Gabe and Alex chat with Wheel Of Fortune producer Suzie |
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Alex and Tina, two of my co-workers on the TV show,
do a little dancing as the event gets underway
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| A fake owl in the rafters |
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| Wheelmobile host Marty Lublin pumps up the crowd |
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| Marty Lublin |
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| Andy peeps out his phone on the side of the stage |
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Prize table in the foreground, Gabe shoots video of Marty in action
in front of the attending crowd
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| Audience view of the stage |
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| Closer view of the stage from the audience |
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This woman wore an outfit that got her noticed.
She made it up to the stage as a contestant late in the afternoon
and revealed that she's due for a serious surgical operation.
I was thrilled that her name was drawn to go up.
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| The woman talking to Marty on the left showed off a dance move |
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These five people were next to take a shot at a puzzle
and were getting coached as to what to do when they got their turn.
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| Andy and Tina have a conversation on the side of the stage |
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| And.... somebody spotted the Kenparazzi. |
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Mallory from the Wheelmobile (she plays the Vanna role essentially),
Tina reads more names to come up to the stage, and Wheelmobile host Marty
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| This potato salad backstage was delightful and delicious |
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| I wanted to eat the whole bowl full |
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| But... I settled for a giant scoop on my plate and a piece of cheese pizza. |
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| Gabe and Paul shoot video of the Wheelmobile event |
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| Marty introduces Erin to the crowd |
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| One of the banners on stage |
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| Solving another puzzle |
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| Andy shoots Erin and Pat's picture |
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| This contestant played a mean air guitar |
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| The woman with the zebra stripe outfit (even the shoes) finally made it on stage |
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| And she can dance! |
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| This man in the blue shirt was apparently exhausted from watching the action |
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I wasn't the only one lucky in the casino.
Congratulations Steve!
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It was kind of warm and the most handy thing to wipe sweat
from our foreheads were these wads of cash winnings.
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