My Tips on Prepping for the Show

Have you passed the audition and waited for a tape date on taping your show? Here’s some tips I wanna give you…

• If you’re on the show, smile and be enthusiastic but not too over the top.
• Call out logical letters. That means you should start with any of the letters RSTLNE when you start a round with a blank puzzle. Don’t forget to buy vowels along the way when you have the money. There’s only five of the vowels (AEIOU) so you have a better chance of picking one that’s in the puzzle and it helps fill in the gaps. Avoid wasting money on a vowel that won’t help much if the puzzle is obvious (unless you want to buy more time in solving the puzzle since you only have like 5 seconds between actions).
• Avoid repeating any letters that have already been called and there’s a used letter board off to the side in the studio, so please be sure to look at that when you make your next move.
• REMEMBER the category. When the category is WHAT ARE YOU DOING?, always remember the action verb ends in -ING, so please pick those letters first if they have not been called yet.
• If you land on any of the top dollar value amounts, call a consonant that comes in multiples. On my episode, I saved one of the two remaining multiples on $3,500 in R3 and was THIS close to hitting BANKRUPT.
• When you’re trying to solve the Prize Puzzle Round, solve it as soon as you know it since there’s a great trip at stake.
• When you’re solving, say all of the words in the puzzle carefully. And if you’re dealing with a Crossword Puzzle, DO NOT add AND in your answer. I’ve seen people lose because of that serious mistake. And don’t give any rotten guesses at the puzzle; chances are you’re probably gonna go viral.
• In the Toss-Ups, buzz in first as soon as you know it before your opponents do. If the first person who attempted to solve and is wrong, NEVER REPEAT what the person just said when it’s your turn to solve.
• If you acquire the Wild Card, use it on top dollar ($2,500, $3,500, or $5K). You can also take it to the Bonus Round to call an extra consonant.
• If you land on a Mystery Wedge and call a correct letter, Pat will tell you how much you’re risking. Remember that the letters you pick are worth $1K if you choose to take the money for it. If you have like less than $5K in your current bank, you may flip. But if you have the prize wedge or Million Dollar Wedge in your possession (this only applies if you have a considerable lead regarding the latter), DON’T do it.
• If you call a correct consonant on EXPRESS after you land on it, GO FOR IT. Remember that you can still buy vowels along the way. All consonants are worth $1K each time it appears and please go for all the consonants to maximize your potential payoff. There was one lady from S38 who landed on EXPRESS four times and yet she NEVER boarded. Don’t be like that lady.
• During Speed-Up, never call a vowel unless you are in a comfortable lead at this point, especially when the value is at $6K.
• If you make it to the BR and you’re given a list of categories to choose from, DO NOT pick THING under any circumstances (it’s Lee’s least favorite category…he’s the audience manager for those who attended a recent taping). That category is way too generic and almost always NEVER works out.
• In the BR, think logical letters that are in the puzzle. Don’t pre-select your letters like CDMA or PHGO; chances are the producers might make puzzles that avoid any of those letters. If you pick WAYD?, avoid using G or I as your picks. Chances are there aren’t any other occurrences of those letters.
• Those compound words and words that start with a vowel in the BR can be tricky. I was stumped with a compound word and lost.
• PLEASE be sure to watch as many episodes of the show as you can so that you have a good idea what to expect. I really hate when people admit that they have NEVER watched the show before and that they have no idea what they’re doing.

Have fun and do be a good sport.