Santa Clara takes a spin

By Michelle Murphy and Margaret Murray

On a rainy afternoon in April, there isn't much to do. Poolside lounging is out, and after viewing our trusty "Sex and the City" DVD collection for the sixteenth time, we knew it was time to escape.

Then from our cell phones there arose such a clatter, we sprung from the couch to see what was the matter. A little sweet voice, that we could not miss, we knew in an instant: it was Editor Chris.

More rapid than lightning, his orders they came, "On Murray, on Murphy! Your assignments have changed!" So up to the city, in the Jetta we flew, with a bag full of tape recorders and cameras too!

Now that we've exhausted our supply of clever rhymes, the heart of the assignment: College Week. "Wheel of Fortune." Pat and Vanna. Murray and Murphy. These elements came together this Sunday afternoon with a peek inside the American game show phenomenon.

As naïve college reporters, we found ourselves overwhelmed at the sight of sexy Cal cheerleaders, the embarrassment of being completely unprepared for our interviews, and the perfectly executed theft of some delicious turkey sandwiches.

Our memories and subsequently our accounts are fragmented. The experience was strange and surreal, an excellent subject for Christopher Guest's next mockumentary. Our instructions were simple. Go to the Moscone Center in San Francisco. Bring a digital camera and a reporter's instinct. Cover this year's taping of "Wheel of Fortune: College Week." It will be casual. Round table interviews, maybe. You can let the other reporters ask all the questions and you'll reap the benefits. However simple our mission was, the event itself was awesome.

We were there because Santa Clara junior Sarah Hsueh was one of 45 local college students selected to participate in this year's "Wheel of Fortune: College Week." The annual tradition has been part of the show for 12 years now, and is filmed in various national cities.

This year, San Francisco was chosen, actually for the second time, because of the area's high concentration of colleges and universities. Contestants were chosen from local schools including San Jose State, Berkeley, Stanford, Cal State Hayward, Santa Clara and several others. The result: boisterous, enthusiastic contestants with a student populated audience to match.

The excitement was palpable, in the music of the Berkeley band, the screams of audience members and the austerity of area schools' reporters gathered in a crowded curtained area set up with small round tables and food. Murray and Murphy were there to have fun, to learn what makes College Week unique and what exactly makes "Wheel" interesting to the college population.

Armed with a casual attitude (after all, this is a game show), we were shocked by other reporters' persistence in asking elementary level reporting questions, attempting to appear deep. Amid fairly insignificant musings such as, "Is there a single piece of great literature that has really inspired you to master your craft?" (Wheel Spinning 101 perhaps?) as posed by one turbo-charged Cal State Hayward colleague, we could not help but giggle.

The jovial characters we interviewed seemed more interested in discussing their love for College Week and the staying power of "The Wheel." A question about the "Saturday Night Live" "Jeopardy" skit, courtesy of yours truly, was also well received.

Even among cameras and what seems to be as close to Hollywood as we get in the Bay Area, Pat Sajak, Vanna White and executive producer Harry Friedman remained far from having an elitist celebrity attitude.

Turns out Pat is funny. He also has grey hair, an extremely short stature and a bit of a belly. Vanna is tiny and perhaps more beautiful than she is on TV, but away from the camera she is far from vain. She crochets, wears sneakers around the set with her gowns, and has no problem stopping to take photos or sign the back of a reporter's childhood Vanna Barbie doll.

These celebrities are real human beings when the camera is off, and they know, if you'll mind the J. Lo-esque cliche, where they came from. They appreciate the fans who tune in every evening at 7 p.m. and let them keep the job that they love.

When asked what their favorite part about College Week was, Pat, Vanna and Harry all separately and unabashedly declared that it is the enthusiasm, energy and competitive spirit that young people bring to the show and audience. Vanna even says that the best part of her job is "making people happy." There is no pretense to their responses.

Even some academics with a fraction of the fame and fortune have more of an ego than these three combined. Further, on the show, GPA or academic institutions do not hold the weight that they do in the real world. The playing field is evened by what Friedman says is more than "reality TV can offer us." It is "the drama of real life;" chance, defeat, victory, fear, and illusive word puzzles.

"I've said it before and I'll say it again," said Friedman. "I have the last great job in Hollywood." However true this may be, we beg to differ. We, as reporters, have perhaps the greatest job in Hollywood, for in situations such as these, we are transported into the world behind the camera.

Aside from the front row perks and the turkey sandwiches, it is refreshing to find and be privy to such purity and simplicity in a world where we are consumed by fake "reality" shows, and entertained by others' misery. "The Wheel" is not complicated, it is understated, and this is what has made it great. It is a testament to what Hollywood can, is and truly should be.

Root for fellow Santa Clara student Sarah Hsueh as she goes for the big bucks on "Wheel of Fortune College Week" in San Francisco on the May 20 episode.

û Contact Michelle Murphy or Margaret Murray at (408) 554-4546 or mdmurphy@scu.edu or mmurray@scu.edu.