Georgetown Student Buys a Vowel, Wins Big Money

Improv actor Jed Feiman (COL ’12) doesn’t recall how he learned of the auditions for “Wheel of Fortune.” He saw the show as an opportunity to create a new character, one who wasn’t in it for the money.

“I got an e-mail about it this summer. There were auditions in New York City, where I live, and I don’t remember how I got the e-mail, I must have signed up for it a million years ago and then forgot about it,” Feiman said. “But the e-mail said to come to this hotel ballroom. So I went. There were probably around 90 college students there.”

Once the prospective competitors were assembled, the process of narrowing down applicants began. Jed rose to the challenge. “I went into this as a joke. I didn’t think I’d really get it. Absolutely low expectations. I thought it would be hilarious to go in [to] try out a character.” And so, when it was his turn, he decided to “just act as [enthusiastically] as possible.” When asked to demonstrate this enthusiasm, Jed jumped up and shouted the letter “T!” and clapped wildly, delighted with the sound of his own voice.

And it worked? “Of course!” he exclaims. “What the other people auditioning did not realize is that ‘Wheel of Fortune’ is looking for people who will get the answer right, yes, but also … who is going to be most entertaining on TV.”

After this first round, the powers-that-be from “Wheel of Fortune” distributed a written test. “They have a five-minute written test where they have 20 to 25 puzzles, just like you’d see on the show, with some letters filled in … you have to figure them out based on the category they give you. I only got about five right,” Feiman said.

After such lackluster puzzle-solving, Jed figured he was done, but was surprised to hear he was one of the 20 names called back to participate in a mock-run of the show.

There, Jed’s true talents shined. “Because I do improv, this was perfect for me,” he said. “[ ]... So then they asked me to introduce myself. You know, ‘Jed Feiman from Georgetown, I’m undecided, I do improv … and that I learned to read by watching ‘Wheel of Fortune.’’”

Is that true?

“Yeah! They should do a study about this. It’s clear to me that it helps you learn to read. Someone says a letter, and the letter pops up, so that’s how I learned my alphabet. And then at the end of every round, they ask you to read the puzzle aloud. It’s basic language skill-building.”

Jed admits that the producers from the show loved this tidbit about him — maybe it helped him to secure his place on the show. But they weren’t making any decisions that day.

“So after that round they told us that they’d send us a letter in two weeks in the mail letting us know if we made it through. So that was May, and I got a letter in mid-June letting me know I was going to be on. They were filming in Boston.”

It turns out that the episode he was going to be featured on — as part of the show’s annual College Week — was to be filmed during the first week of September, the first week of classes at Georgetown. Jed felt that he needed to offer some sort of heads-up to the university about his appearance.

“I went up to the Leavey Center to Student Affairs and explained it to them. And Todd Olson, the vice president of student affairs, was there.” Turns out that the world of game shows is familiar turf for Mr. Olson. “He told me that his wife had been on ‘Jeopardy,’ actually … so he understood. And gave me a free Georgetown sweatshirt to wear on the show.” Georgetown later posted a link on the university’s Twitter account to encourage members of the university community to tune in and watch Jed on the show.

And what was it like, spinning the wheel that forged a cultural cult following?

“It’s tiny!” Jed proclaims, obviously as disappointed about this realization as any avid follower of the show would be. “And it’s so heavy.”

How big is it? After much thought and haphazard pacing, he concludes that it’s about six feet in diameter.

Before the show aired, Jed was not at liberty to disclose what his winnings were or any bit of information regarding the outcome of the show. “Low expectations” was his mantra, even as he held a gathering for friends to watch the show with him. When the episode finally aired last Tuesday during primetime, watching it with Jed was priceless. “This is so embarrassing,” he sighed as the camera swooped down to show the on-screen version of himself standing with the other contestants, one from Tufts University and one from the University of Maryland College, and clad in a complimentary Georgetown sweatshirt.

The first puzzle, a “toss-up,” flashed onto the screen. The letters began to fill in (in a toss-up puzzle, Vanna White’s assistance is not necessary) but none of the contestants seemed to know the answer. Just then, TV Jed pressed his buzzer to indicate he’d like to solve the puzzle. “You know what it is?” Real Life Jed asked as TV Jed stared blankly at the puzzle in front of him, unable to solve the puzzle. “… Yeah, neither did I. I just wanted to buzz in for fun.”

After the toss-up puzzle (the correct solution was “Debate Team,” and Peter from Tufts solved it correctly), Pat Sajak introduced each of the contestants.

Jed answered with witty quips as the studio audience laughed at his responses. “It says here that you haven’t decided your major, is that correct?” asked Sajak.

“Yes, though I’m thinking of studying political science or English. Or both. Or neither,” TV Jed replied. “But you’re also involved with some comedy work on campus?” asked Sajak.

“Yes, I do improv at school through Georgetown’s improv group called GPIG,” Jed answered, and then followed up with an enthusiastic, “Welcome to my life!”

The crowd laughed with him and Sajak did not miss a beat. “It’s nice to be here, Jed … but I’m only visiting.”

Real-life Jed laughed aloud when he witnessed this commentary. “Such an awkward exchange, but worth it,” he concluded.

When asked about his tongue-in-cheek responses and sense of humor on the show, Jed was quick to admit that he wanted to have fun with the whole experience, especially as he remembered the borderline-excessive enthusiasm he exhibited in his audition. “I figured this was probably going to be the only time I’m on television, so I tried to get as much as possible out of it.”

This also meant shouting out a rather feeble “Go Hoyas!” during the final puzzle. “At that point I knew I wasn’t going to win, but I was still having fun.”

While Jed did manage to secure a very respectable $4,850 in cash earnings on the show — winnings that he is hoping to receive by March — he also claims that a large component of the experience was the camaraderie between all the College Week contestants. “We’re all Facebook friends now. There’s a whole Facebook group about it. Best friends forever, if you’d like.”

Jed has recorded the show at school and is currently toying with the idea of putting it on YouTube for posterity’s sake. “Then again, I don’t know if I want to subject myself to that. That might be a little too much ‘Welcome to my life.’”

— Margaret Delaney