Canadians Need Not Apply


I enjoy watching Wheel of Fortune. I like winding down every night in front of the television, solving puzzles. It gives me a chance to relax after work, although there is one thing that I find frustrating about the experience.

During every show, there is a point where the viewer can win a nice trip and some cash. The only catch is that you need to join the Wheel Watcher’s Club. It’s free and easy to sign up for online. Once you’ve signed up, you get a spin ID. If this number is shown during the broadcast, you call or go online to claim your prize. Sounds great, right?

Wrong. This contest is not available to Canadians. I don’t know why this is so. It seems unfair to me. We see the exact same program as the states. The only difference is that every night during the spin ID segment, we get a graphic covering up all the numbers and telling us that we can’t play. Why are Canadians not treated the same way as American viewers? I would really like to know.

I had a similar problem this Christmas. I watched Clash of the Choirs and was absolutely blown away by Nick Lachey’s choir. Before watching this show, I would have written off the guy as a no-talent hack. This show totally changed my opinion. He commanded his choir with heart, integrity, and talent. It was a stellar performance and his group deserved to win. Now I don’t normally vote for reality television shows but I felt compelled to after seeing his choir sing “Flight of the Bumblebee” using non-sense syllables. It was unlike anything I had ever seen.

I dialed the phone and was met with a message that the call could not be completed. I then remembered what they had said on the show all night, “America is voting.” I guess Canadians need not apply.

Nick Lacey’s choir did end up winning the contest, even without my vote. But I have yet to win a trip or cash, even though I am getting quite good at solving the puzzles on Wheel of Fortune. Friday night, it even seemed like Pat and Vanna were taunting me. They were announcing a new contest where they will be giving away two prizes a night of $25,000 for two weeks in February. Pat urged us all to join the club. I would if I could, believe me Pat. I would if I could.


2 responses to “Canadians Need Not Apply”

  1. I agree with you — it’s stupid and unfair. Maybe if enough Canadians boycotted the show, they might change their minds.

    If it makes you feel any better, there are certain contests or promotions in the U.S. that are not open to residents of Alaska and Hawaii, which were states of our union the last time that I checked.

    And Guam, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands also get left out.

  2. It doesn’t seem to make any sense, does it? I’m not bitter, well maybe a bit. I enjoy watching the show, and I don’t think a boycott would do anything, so I’ll keep watching and keep complaining.