If you’ve ever watched “Wheel of Fortune” and yelled at the television because you thought you could do better, now is your chance to prove it.
Traveling show “Wheel of Fortune LIVE!” will stop at Harrah’s Resort Southern California in Valley Center on Sunday and at Bank of America Performing Arts Center in Thousand Oaks on Wednesday.
Its host, singer Clay Aiken, said he never thought he’d be part of the show he’s been a fan of his whole life.
“I feel like it’s the one show that everyone knows somehow and that is universally known,” Aiken said in a phone interview. “I’ve heard from people who watch it with their kids, parents, grandparents or grandkids. It’s one of the few things that families still do together.”
Aiken said this is the only time the game show has gone on the road for live tapings. The show looks identical to the studio version, consisting of the same board and iconic wheel, but has different people onstage. The production team draws nine names every night for the three preliminary rounds. Later, each winner of the preliminary round returns for the final championship round.
The show’s prizes include merchandise, trips to places like Paris, and cash sums up to $5,000.
“I joke with folks because as host I don’t have to worry about losing, and I love giving out prizes,” Aiken said. “There is exciting stuff to win well before the bonus round. We’ve given away trips to Las Vegas, New York and New Orleans, too.”
Aiken also said not all guests need to play to win. When audience members register before the show, their names are placed into a random drawing whose prize matches the championship round’s.
“To be able to go to the theater by your house and not only watch, but play and win prizes, was such an incredible idea,” Aiken said. “There’s no other place you can go where you can sit at the theater, do nothing at all and walk away with $5,000.”