Not only were they picked but both Amy Danard and Christina Sabella of Arlington were the ones who solved the puzzles at the Wheel of Fortune tryouts at Xfinity Arena in Everett.

Sabella said she was among the first group chosen out of hundreds in attendance.

“It was just like on the show,” she said.

The host asked her to tell the audience a little about herself.

“I was really nervous. I was not prepared at all,” she said.

For the game itself, five players competed in a fast round. It’s normally played at the end of the real show when time is running out. Each player guesses a letter in an attempt to solve a puzzle.

Sabella was third in line. The players went one time through, and then it was her turn again.

“It was pretty simple to solve,” she said, adding the puzzle answer was “Planting a tree.”

She said the entire process took about 10 to 15 minutes.

“Their goal was to get as many people as possible to audition,” she said.

Danard went to the tryouts with her husband and a friend.

I’ve watched Wheel of Fortune since I was a little kid,” she said. “I always do really well, shouting out the answers at home.”

She did really well at the tryouts, too.

“I thought I new the answer before anybody guessed a letter,” she said.

The category was College Life. And it helped that there was an apostrophe.

Danard was third to go. There was only one letter in the puzzle when she guessed, “The Dean’s List.”

“That was pretty awesome,” she said, adding her hobby of doing crossword puzzles also helped.

The show’s producers will watch a video of the event to choose contestants.

“If we have what they’re looking for” they will get back to us within three months, Sabella said. If they get picked after that closed audition, it’s on to the show itself with Pat Sajack and Vanna White.

Sabella said some people were dancing around trying to get attention.

“They were auditioning. Wow,” she said with a laugh.

Sabella said she felt bad for a friend who actually talked her into going. Even though Sabella was picked by random early on, they stayed all four hours of the tryout hoping her friend also would get a chance. They left along with many others after the final group was selected.

The audience was “more unenthusiastic as the day went on,” she said.

The contestants went home with a variety of keepsakes, including their pictures in front of the wheel, tickets to Xfinity Arena events, t-shirts and more.

Sabella said she started watching Wheel 30 years ago with her grandma.

“I’d be yelling at the TV,” she said. “How could they not know that answer?”

Answer to puzzle in lead: Wheel of Fortune