Photo: CAROL KAELSON
Wheel of Fortune is packed with contestants from Chicago this week.
The beloved game show is marking its “Great American Cities” week from Monday (October 18) through Friday (October 22), focusing on a different city each evening. Wheel of Fortune will spotlight the Windy City on Tuesday (October 19). “All contestants competing on Tuesday night will be from the Chicago area and the episode will feature segments hosts Pat Sajak and Vanna White recorded on location to highlight some of the most well-known sites in the city,” a press release from Wheel of Fortune reads.
Meet the three Illinoisans playing Wheel of Fortune on Tuesday:
- Gina Evans, a Chicago native from Calumet Heights, works as a healthy relations expert and a case manager for people living with HIV/AIDS. Evans, who’s raising money for the AIDS Run & Walk Chicago, is a big fan of local sports and a longtime Wheel of Fortunewatcher. Being selected as a contestant on the show is like “getting the golden ticket,” Evans said to Wheel of Fortune.
- Jake Barrutia is a Bartlett, Illinois, man who lives and works in Chicago as an analytic software consultant. Barrutia describes himself as a “diehard Chicago Cubs fan” and an “old soul” when it comes to reading the newspaper, eating oatmeal and planning for retirement. Wheel of Fortune notes that Barrutia grew up watching the show with his family, and now watches with his girlfriend.
- Bonnie Roomniak lives in Northbrook, Illinois, and retired from teaching in Chicago after 22 years. Roomniak and her husband Bob have three adult children, one of whom participates in The Special Olympics, making the organization a significant part of their lives. Roomniak has watched Wheel of Fortune “forever,” and plans to donate any cash winnings to Misericordia, “a local organization that provides a home and support for Christopher and over 600 others with developmental disabilities in their community,” according to Wheel of Fortune.
Wheel of Fortune airs weeknights on ABC7 at 6:30 p.m.