Evans man appears on game show

An Evans High School graduate recently tried his luck at winning a small fortune a popular game show.

//

Billy Dunham, who now lives in Monticello, Ga., will be featured on tonight's episode of Wheel of Fortune at 7. The show was taped recently in Los Angeles.

"I went out there and filmed the show on the 10th of January, and it's been a whirlwind ever since," Dunham said.

Dunham said that he, along with his wife and some friends, are game-show aficionados and wanted to appear on at least one.

He first registered online on the Wheel of Fortune Web site a year ago, but millions of other people also signed up to be on the show, Dunham said.

Dunham, who graduated from Evans in 1995 and lived in the Evans area for 14 years, said in November he received an e-mail asking him to audition in Atlanta.

Dunham made the cut.

The next day, he answered a phone call and was told to be ready for the Jan. 10 taping.

The night before the taping, Delta Air Lines employee Dunham flew to L.A. and then flew back to Augusta the following evening.

Dunham was on the set of Wheel of Fortune from 7:45 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. and on stage for close to 20 minutes, he said. His episode was the third out of six tapings.

"It was a very enjoyable experience for somebody who had never really experienced a Hollywood-type thing," Dunham said.

He said he wants to make more game show appearances.

"I'm going to try to get on a couple more. It was a lot of fun," he said. "It was a great experience, and now that I kind of have an idea of how to do it all, I feel like I have an even better chance of winning more money."

Dunham and his wife were planning on renting a room to watch the episode with family and friends but changed their minds. Any money he won won't be mailed until after the episode has aired.

"I think we're just going to have a quiet night at home to watch it and then tape it," Dunham said, "And then, I'm sure, I'll get a bunch of phone calls from family and friends."