Puzzle solver takes turn at wheel

Carla Householder has been watching “Wheel of Fortune” since her children were small.

She used the television game show to help them learn their letters and has done the same with her grandchildren.

She continues to watch the show religiously, which means she will see herself as a contestant on the episode to be broadcast Friday, Jan. 26.

She may be surprised by what happens.

”I don’t remember a lot,” she said. “It went so quickly. ... It was a bit of a blur.”

She did follow the advice of “Wheel of Fortune” staffers who taught the contestants how to spin the wheel and use other equipment starting at 7 a.m. on the day of the taping.

The advice was to buy vowels as soon as they won some money.

Householder is not permitted to disclose the results of the episode before it airs. She did say, “I don’t believe I embarrassed myself or my children.”

Surprising herself, she was not nervous. “It was a lot of fun.”

Family trip

The episode was taped Dec. 1 in southern California, and Householder had about two weeks notice of the date.

Contestants are required to pay their way there and to make their own travel and hotel arrangements.

Householder’s children told her to leave all the arrangements to them, and two daughters, one son, one grandson and her other son’s fiancée joined her on the trip.

Her children also helped her make the video required to apply to be a contestant. They made it last May and sent it in.

A week later, “Wheel of Fortune” staffers called to schedule an online interview with her and three other possible contestants.

At the end of that call, Householder was told that they wanted to schedule a second online interview with her.

During the interviews, the potential candidates talked about themselves and solved puzzles both together and on their own. “It was a little nerve-wracking,” she said, although she knew she had solved many of them correctly.

Then she heard nothing until mid-November, when she was notified of the taping date.

Longtime resident

Householder, 69, has lived in Sparta for almost 35 years.

She raised four children there, and her two sons have bought homes in Sparta. Her two daughters live in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

She retired from a career in retail, which included 20 years as a customer service manager at Walmart in Franklin.

In September, she started a part-time job in the cafeteria at Sparta High School, where she helps prepare food and works the register.

She enjoys doing crossword puzzles and is active in her church, St. Kateri Church in Sparta, where she helps with wedding rehearsals and ceremonies.