Soap Opera Digest went behind the scenes of WHEEL OF FORTUNE as soap stars from GL, AMC, OLTL and DAYS partnered up with lucky WHEEL contestants, hoping to win big for their favorite charities at the game show’s annual Celebrity Week, taped at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.

We made our way past the long line of fans that snaked around the entire Radio City block, then through security posted at the posh velvet rope entrance and followed a frazzled wrangler into a tiny freight elevator that dropped us off near the small press room, hidden somewhere deep inside the theater’s bowels. Minutes later, we were chatting it up with WHEEL host Pat Sajak and fashionable letter-turner Vanna White, who was quick to admit that she's a one-time soap addict. "I used to watch soaps before I had children and started on TV myself. They're so addictive, you have to watch them. I did for years and years and years!" she laughed.

Next, the soap stars slowly trickled in, makeup ready and raring to solve some puzzles. The perfectly coiffed Jacob Young (JR, AMC) was pumped to battle it out against other daytimers. "I'm actually going to have my partner do all the work. I'm just here posing," he joked. So what fellow Pine Valley denizen would he like to play in a one-on-one game show showdown? "Wow. I don’t know. That's difficult because I would beat every single one of them! I guess Aiden Turner [Aidan] because he's English," Young smirked.

GL's Gina Tognoni (Dinah), representing the Hands On Network, was stunned to be playing on the game show she'd always watched with her grandmother. "When I watched, I would check out who the celebrities were and now I'm on it! I'm thrilled!" she exlaimed. Castmate Caitlin Van Zandt (Ashlee) unexpectedly showed up to lend support. "Her mother actually works with Radio City, so she came bumping into the hair room today!"

Veteran celebrity contestant Alison Sweeney (Sami, DAYS), who's currently pulling double duty as host of THE BIGGEST LOSER, competed against fellow reality show hosts Jeff Probst of SURVIVOR and Paige Hemmis of EXTREME MAKEOVER: HOME EDITION. Sweeney declared that she was in it to win it all. "I'm playing for the California Highway Patrol 11-99 Foundation. My husband is the CHP officer, so that's a charity that means a lot to us," she shared.

"I'm the sort of person who, when someone on these shows wins money, I cry!" confessed Robin Strasser (Dorian, OLTL). She happily put on her game face for both the One Life, Many Voices Foundation and an organization called HEAL! for children with autism. A friend with Asperger's Syndrome, Nicky Gottlieb, was there to cheer her on. "He has watched WHEEL OF FORTUNE for 15 years and never missed a show. Now, I can’t think of anything that I could have been invited to do that would thrill him more!"

With the pregame warmup over, everyone headed to the soundstage to tape the main event. On the way, we even spied the Rockettes' holiday costumes! Red velvet, Santa Claus-inspired jackets, of course. As "Do You Think I'm Sexy" was pumped through the entire theater to rile up the audience, we were clapping everytime the "APPLAUSE" sign flashed. Which daytimer wound up with the biggest winnings? Be sure to watch the WHEEL episodes, set to air on Thursday, November 15, and Friday, November 16, to find out!

Check it Out!
For more fun paparazzi pictures of soap stars at other events, check out Click! in the November 13 Digest.

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