Ford City man to appear on 'Wheel'

Alex Kaczor wants to be the next Pat Sajak, Alex Trebek or Bob Barker.

But before the Penn State University senior telecommunications major from Ford City, and son of Dave and Andrea Kaczor, can say, "Let me give the wheel a final spin," as a TV game show host, he will have to take his turn spinning the wheel and guessing the mystery puzzle as a contestant on the game show "Wheel of Fortune."

Kaczor will be picking the letters when the previously taped episode of "Wheel of Fortune" airs at 7:30 p.m. Friday during the show's "College Road Trip Week."

Kaczor gained the attention of "Wheel of Fortune" producers when he was called out of the crowd at a Wheelmobile event at Station Square in Pittsburgh. He didn't solve a puzzle, but he did get a hat for his efforts.

Several weeks later, he received an e-mail inviting him to an audition to be on the show.

"It takes good logical letter calling, like 'r-s-t-l-n-e,' to be able to solve a puzzle and get on "Wheel of Fortune," Kaczor said. "Not calling an 'x' when it couldn't fit into one of the words in the puzzle."

"I think I called some good letters," he said, although not revealing if he had won any prizes or cash on the show.

The experience as a game show contestant felt surreal, he said.

"I'm on stage playing a game in which there is real cash, real trips and real cars," Kaczor said. "All I wanted was to win a lot of cash."

"Games are fun," he said. "I had a good time being on the show."

Kaczor has plenty of experience with game shows, even if it only involved his participation as a host rather than a contestant.

In the fifth and sixth grades of school, Kaczor created his own show he called "Quizmaster."

The game show involved his asking classmates various category questions for points. He had a working buzzer that his dad made for him to buzz contestants' answers.

"It was nice to be a contestant on "Wheel," but I'm more the showman," Kaczor said. "I have the nature of an entertainer in me."

"It's been my long-standing goal to be on TV as a host," he said. "That's what I want to do for a career."