Another Kansan takes a spin on TV’s ‘Wheel of Fortune’

The latest in a seemingly extensive string of Wichita-area contestants to appear on game shows, local standup comedian/car salesman Derek Aalders will appear on “Wheel of Fortune” on Wednesday.

Aalders, 35, auditioned for the show at the Kansas Star Casino last May – like the other two local contestants who’ve recently appeared on the show.

Despite his wife’s objections, Aalders’ trip to audition at the casino bore fruit for both of them: He got a callback for “Wheel,” and she hit a $1,200 jackpot on a slot machine, Aalders said.

During the audition, Aalders did what he knows best: cracked jokes, which he attributes as one of the reasons he made it on the show.

He almost missed his callback audition, blowing past the Mulvane exit on the turnpike. After driving about 100 mph down the highway and turning around at the Belle Plaine rest stop, he made it to his audition with one minute to spare, he said.

Aalders is not allowed to say how much he won on the show until after it airs, but he plans on using his earnings to build his collection of sports memorabilia, he said.

“The main thing I’m going to do is I’m going to buy a 2016 autographed Chicago Cubs baseball,” said Aalders, who is originally from Decatur, Ill. “I always said I wanted to get one, but I couldn’t afford one until this happened.”

“Wheel of Fortune” airs at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday on KSN, Channel 3 in Wichita.

This story was originally published March 14, 2017 at 7:17 PM with the headline "Another Kansan takes a spin on TV’s ‘Wheel of Fortune’."