FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
APRIL 27, 2009 | 2:00 PM EDT

WEST LAFAYETTE, INDIANA – Appearing on a popular television game show can be tiring for one hard-working Purdue student sweating over a computer.

Steve Dials, Purdue ’06, a senior in the College of Liberal Arts, was chosen to appear on the “Wheel of Fortune” college week.

“I invited over 1,000 friends on Facebook; it took over an hour because I had to invite each person manually, one at a time,” said Dials jokingly.

“A lot of my friends don’t know what to expect, some want to watch me lose, some want to see me win so I can take them out,” he said.

Chad Dossey, a senior in the College of Engineering and close friend of Dials, says he was not surprised when he was chosen to appear on the show, especially since Dials’ twin brother, a student at Michigan State, was chosen to appear in another week on a regular episode of “Wheel of Fortune.”

“His airs a week after mine, which is weird since he recorded his before I did,” said Dials.

His 30 minutes of fame began at the August auditions in Dearborn, Michigan and continued until the February recording of the show in Los Angeles.

Though Dials said the show was not competitive due to the college atmosphere, he couldn’t help but snicker at a Notre Dame contestant’s comment.

Dials talked about how the show allows contestants to say a few words about themselves. The Notre Dame student’s last remark was “and I like to party.”

Then show host Pat Sajak said, “Glad to see your college education is going to good use.”

Dials laughed, saying it was a nice jab at a rival school.

Because he was able to see his brother play prior to his recording, the show was not stressful for Dials, who “winged it.” He did, however, have issues with a hidden board which tells contestants what letters have been guessed.

“I screwed up and guessed one of the letters,” he said.

Though Dials encountered a few setbacks that he could not disclose, he maintained his composure, dressed in a Purdue sweatshirt.

“I was in the middle, so the camera was always on me; I had to smile,” he said.

“I also worried about my appearance on TV: Were my clothes nice and straight, did I smile when the camera was on me?”

Dials hopes to be straightening his tie in front of millions of people in the future, as he expressed his goal of becoming President of the United States in 2036.

The most memorable part of his experience on “Wheel of Fortune” was talking to Sajak about his plans.

“I said, ‘I wanna be President,’ he said ‘good luck,’ and I said thanks,” Dials said.

Dials’ appearance on “Wheel of Fortune” aired at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, April 8, 2009.  Dials walked away with over $10K in cash and prizes. 

Written by Abby Breeden, The Exponent – Purdue’s Student Newspaper. Reprinted without permission.

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