No one realized the irony implicit in the very title “Wheel of Fortune” when the game show set up its stage and cameras in New Orleans only days before the arrival of Hurricane Katrina.
Contestants and fans of the program looked forward to the show, which planned to tape three weeks’ worth of episodes at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center one scorching weekend in August. A local audience and local contestants had been selected earlier this year.
Unfortunately, “Wheel’s” festivities were cut short by the scenes of evacuees in dire straits at the Convention Center, which we all too vividly remember watching on television.
Nonetheless, the 10 shows that were taped are scheduled to air Nov. 7-11 and 14-18 on WVUE-TV/Channel 8.
The “Wheel of Fortune” tapings were a media circus. The big draw was landing interviews with Sajak and White.
When Sajak arrived, media members surrounded him and bombarded him with questions.
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