Modeled after the Emmy-award winning television game show, “Wheel of Fortune LIVE!” is set to make its first appearance at the Bankhead Theater this month as part of a national tour.
The interactive show offers fans the chance to play from their seats as well as on stage with a replica of the iconic prize wheel, word puzzles and prizes.
Guiding the evening event will be Mark L. Walberg, host of popular series including “Antiques Roadshow” and Netflix’s “Temptation Island”.
“‘Wheel of Fortune’ is one of the most beloved game shows in American history, and being able to bring that experience right into our community’s backyard is going to be an absolute hoot!” Livermore Valley Arts spokesperson Ruth Egherman told Livermore Vine.
Upon arrival at the Bankhead, attendees can register to be a potential contestant in the live game show. Potential contestants are then called onto the stage in groups of five to compete in toss-up puzzles.
During toss-up puzzles, letters of a phrase are revealed until a participant correctly guesses the phrase.
Three toss-up winners will move on to play a full-fledged game of Wheel of Fortune.
A member of the audience will also get to play as co-host to reveal puzzle letters, a role made famous on TV by Vanna White.
“I love that our contestants come straight out of the audience,” Walberg told the Vine in a recent interview. “They haven’t been particularly briefed or culled for their expertise, so we get all ranges and levels of play, which lets me have some fun hosting.”
Similar to the television show, on-stage contestants will vie to enter a “bonus round” where they can win prizes such as trips to Paris and Hawaii or up to $10,000 in cash. A member of the audience will win a matching prize as well.
Audience members can also win cash and other prizes between on-stage rounds by playing puzzles from their seats, according to the “Wheel of Fortune LIVE!” event website.
“There’s so many things that divide us these days in life,” Walberg said. “So for 90 minutes, everybody in the room has one thing in common with each other, that we all like to watch “Wheel of Fortune” — we like to solve the puzzles.”
About four years ago, Walberg began guiding “Wheel of Fortune LIVE!” when the touring series first kicked off.
“I’ve always loved doing game shows – I don’t do as many shows as I used to, but it’s fun to give away prizes and cash and help people enjoy the show they’ve loved for their whole life,” Walberg said.
Walberg does not host every live show, having recently returned from filming season two of Netflix’s “Temptation Island” in Hawaii.
But to Walberg, the host is not the focus of a game show.
“The game and the contestants are the stars of the show and so I do everything I can to make it great for the contestants, make it great for the audience,” Walberg said.
In addition to winning prizes, Walberg hopes that attendees have a “great time celebrating the show that we all love — that we all have in common — that they enjoyed themselves, had some laughs and got to solve some puzzles”.
The live show is not for broadcast, nor will it air on television, the event website states. On-stage participants must be 18 years or older.
“With puzzles, prizes, and chances for audience members to join in on the fun, it’s exactly the kind of shared excitement we love to create,” Egherman said.
“Wheel of Fortune LIVE!” is set to begin at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 10 at the Bankhead Theater. For tickets and more information, visit the LVA website at livermorearts.org.
