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Army wife to appear on game show

The wife of a soldier serving in Afghanistan will appear Wednesday on NBC’s hit game show, “Deal or No Deal,” in a special episode devoted to military spouses.

The show, hosted by Howie Mandel, will air 8 p.m. Central Standard Time and feature an audience of military members and spouses.

The contestant, Shequila Farrelly, 39, is the wife of Staff Sgt. Patrick Farrelly, who is currently serving in Afghanistan on a military transition team attached to the 1st Brigade Combat Team based at Fort Riley, Kan.

Shequila Farrelly said she was selected from an estimated 10,000 people who turned out for casting last year in Oklahoma City, Okla.

“You had 30 seconds to sell yourself,” she said. “They didn’t ask you any questions. You just had to tell them the wildest and craziest stories about yourself.”

Farrelly said she recalled a story about family trip to Atlantic City, N.J., including one night when she won—then lost—$1,500 in the slot machines. She said she also shared other experiences from her 17-year marriage.

“I threw everything I had at them,” she said. “I probably talked for 10 minutes, literally.”

After being invited on the show, Farrelly said show producers peppered her with questions about her life and interests.

“Everything I talk about is military-related — duty stations, people you meet, how wives have to support each other,” she said. “We’re an important part of the mission and sometimes people forget about those things.”

Farrelly said NBC flew the family, including their two children, Patrick, 14, and Nadya, 13, to Los Angeles for taping in November. The family spent a couple of days prior to filming strolling down Hollywood Boulevard, visiting the Hollywood Walk of Fame and Venice Beach, and mugging for pictures with Batman and Wonderwoman.

The day of the show, Farrelly said she wasn’t nervous. She said she was thrilled to meet Mandel and the show’s models.

Farrelly said contractual obligations prevented her from disclosing how much money she won. But she said she got a chance to meet one of her favorite daytime TV personalities: Ellen Degeneres, who made a surprise guest appearance.

And in another surprise, Brig. Gen. Dana J. H. Pittard, the commanding general of Fort Irwin and the National Training Center, presented her with an award for her volunteerism and for being a dedicated military spouse.

“It was the most amazing, insane, rollercoaster ride ever,” Farrelly said. “I couldn’t believe it. Money was secondary to all the other things.”