Ann Arbor’s Teesha Montague, a collections specialist, will appear as a contestant on “Wheel of Fortune” on Thursday, nearly two years after she first applied.

“I stood in line at a Wheel Mobile event (in Southfield),” said Montague. 150 possible contestants were chosen from the initial pool of applicants.

That number was then whittled down to 25, and then 3, and Montague finally made it through to her last interview about a year and a half ago.

“It’s a very long process,” said Montague.

Teesha Montague’s episode of “Wheel” was taped in late October in Culver City, California, and after receiving a phone call from show representatives, she only had two weeks notice for her appearance.

Currently, though, Montague is enjoying all this week’s episodes of “Wheel,” since all the contestants were there at the same time for tapings. They stayed at the same hotel, got to know each other, and cheered each other on; plus, on the morning of the tapings, the contestants got a surprise visit.

“We heard this little person say, ‘I want a spin,’ and we all looked and there was this little woman in sweats,” said Montague. “It was Vanna (White).”

The taping experience, meanwhile, proved to be tense but fun for Montague. “The wheel is heavy as all get-out,” she said. “I was just trying to stay focused, and not let 3 seconds go by so I wouldn’t lose my turn, and trying to watch the used letter board, which is microscopic, off in the corner.”

Locals will have to tune in to see if Montague solved any puzzles, but one thing that was never a puzzle was Montague’s ambition. “A friend of mine — we wanted to get on ‘The Amazing Race,’” said Montague. “But I started researching ‘Wheel of Fortune,’ too, because I was definitely a Wheel watcher, and I said, ‘When they come, I’m going.’ And I was 10th in line.”

"Wheel of Fortune" airs at 7 p.m. on WDIV-TV, channel 4 in Detroit.

Jenn McKee is the entertainment digital journalist for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at jennmckee@annarbor.com or 734-623-2546, and follow her on Twitter @jennmckee.