SLU Chemist Finds Success on 'Wheel of Fortune'
12/03/2019
A Saint Louis University chemist put his luck on the line and spun the wheel – the “Wheel of Fortune” – as a contestant on the popular game show that made Pat Sajak and Vanna White household names. And he spun and solved his way to success and adventure.
Brian Woods, Ph.D., assistant professor of chemistry, appeared as a contestant on the show on Thursday, Dec. 5. Woods won the game, taking home more than $20,000 in cash and prizes, and two trips-of-a-lifetime, one to Spain and one to Hawaii, before his luck failed in the show's bonus round.
Woods, who teaches organic chemistry in the College of Arts and Sciences, decided to take a chance and apply to appear on the show after some friendly trash talk with his mother, a fan and puzzle enthusiast who was in town to help Woods and his wife, fellow SLU faculty member, Jamie Neely, Ph.D., with their new baby over the summer.
As Woods and his mother watched an episode and tried to outdo one another solving the show’s famous puzzles, she challenged him to try out.
His online application led to an audition in Chicago. From there, Woods flew to Los Angeles to film the show.
“It all happened so fast,” Woods said, “from the time I filled out the online application to filming my episode was about two months. I almost wasn't going to go, it just seemed too crazy, but the credit goes to my wife for encouraging me!”
Neely, assistant professor of chemistry, was in the audience cheering Woods on as he matched wits and spins with the show's two other contestants.
Learn More About Woods’ Turn at the “Wheel of Fortune”
I wouldn’t say I’m a die-hard fan, but I have been watching it off and on probably since middle school.
My mom in particular loves word puzzles – “Wheel of Fortune,” crosswords, and those weekend puzzles with Will Shortz on NPR – so I guess I really owe Mom for all this!
Without spilling any spoilers, can you tell us a bit about what it was like to be part of the show?
It was incredibly fun. I thought it would be so nerve-wracking that it might be hard to enjoy it.
But you get there and everyone on their staff is so friendly, and all of the other contestants are just as nervous and excited as you are.
You all quickly realize what a crazy singular experience you’re having, and just go out there and enjoy it.
I teach organic chemistry, and one of my favorite parts of the course is using spectroscopy (how matter interacts with different frequencies of light) to identify molecules.
I love this part of chemistry because you can treat those problems like a puzzle: You get little hints here and there but you have to pull them all together to solve the problem.
The most memorable thing was probably walking out and seeing the stage for the first time during rehearsal that morning.
Obviously it’s just like you see it on TV, but seeing the wheel, the puzzle board, and the backdrop in front of you was very surreal.
It felt like you were walking into a little diorama. Or a snow globe, because it was set with Christmas decorations.
The most fun part was playing the game during my actual show. You get to the studio very early, 7:30 a.m. They don’t even start filming the first show – they film five shows that day – until noon.
Since I was on the fourth show, it was a lot of waiting around and then all of a sudden it’s your turn. Each show takes like 25 minutes – they could almost shoot it live if they wanted to – and it’s over in a blink of an eye!
The most unexpected thing was how small the actual wheel seemed, but also how heavy it was!
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Story by Amelia Flood, University Marketing and Communications