‘Wheel of Yinzer’ game show to feature 'YaJagoff!' and 'Pittsburgh Today Live'
Sarah Aziz promises not to tell anyone.
“I am good at keeping a secret,” said Aziz, director of festival management for the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, who was invited to host “Wheel of Yinzer,” a live game show modeled on what Pat Sajak and Vanna White have been doing for decades in Hollywood.
For the “Pittsburghese’d” version, Aziz will be the only person to know the puzzles that contestants will try to solve.
The show pits Team “YaJagoff! Podcast” — featuring hosts Rachael Rennebeck and John Chamberlain — and “YaJagoff on Q” radio crew against Team “Pittsburgh Today Live,” David Highfield, Heather Abraham, Ron Smiley, Daisy Jade, Ted Stevenson and Krista Kelley.
Aziz said she is happy to be part of the evening because “YaJagoff!” was the first podcast she was on and “Pittsburgh Today Live,” KDKA-TV’s weekday lifestyles program, was her initial television appearance.
“I am so flattered,” Aziz said. “I can’t wait.”
The event has become an annual “PALentine’s Day” event as an alternative to traditional Valentine’s Day happenings, Rennebeck said. It’s for everyone, from couples to families to friends.
Chamberlain said they’ve borrowed a carnival wheel, and instead of the usual “Wheel of Fortune” dollar amounts, there will be points. The team that solves each puzzle receives the total number of points for a particular round, and the team with the most cumulative points wins money, raised through donations and sponsorships, for a charity of the team’s choice.
The “PTL” selection is the KDKA-TV Turkey Fund, and the “YaJagoff!” charity is the Pittsburgh Emergency Medicine Foundation.
Categories will be Pittsburgh-inspired people, places and phrases. Unlike in the actual “Wheel of Fortune,” competitors will not have to buy a vowel — they can guess either a vowel or consonant.
“We think it’s cool,” said Rennebeck, who co-founded YaJagoff Media with Chamberlain. “It will be lighthearted and fun, and help people in need. We need something like this to lift people’s spirits.”
She and Chamberlain wanted to do something different for Valentine’s Day and help raise money for charity at the same time. They came up with the idea to base the evening around other game shows.
Last year’s production was a takeoff on “Family Feud.”
Rennebeck and Chamberlain plan to record “Wheel of Yinzer” and play it as a podcast.
Aziz said she is glad that the game show will be held in the Cultural Trust’s space for educational programming as a way to highlight the many uses for the space, including summer camps, teachers’ training, gallery crawls and art events. She said the most important part of the evening will be raising money for charity.
“It’s an affordable night out and can be a cool date night, ‘palentine’s’ or ‘galentine’s’ night out,” Aziz said. “A group of guys might like this game show, too.”
Several sponsors have helped raise prize money: Burgh Bus, KB Plumbing, Mancini’s Bakery, OnPar Now Golf and author/speaker Vinnie Borrelli.
The Burgh Bus is a converted school bus that features local comedians as it takes guests on tours of Pittsburgh.
“It was a no-brainer for us to be involved in helping raise money for charity,” Burgh Bus co-owner Nick Walker said. “And we get to attend the event which we know will be an enjoyable evening.”
“Wheel of Yinzer” will be from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Friday at Pierce Studio, 805 Liberty Ave., Downtown Pittsburgh. The location can accommodate 100 guests and the show is BYOB. Tickets are $15.
JoAnne Klimovich Harrop is a TribLive reporter covering the region’s diverse culinary scene and unique homes. She writes features about interesting people. The Edward R. Murrow award-winning journalist began her career as a sports reporter. She has been with the Trib for 26 years and is the author of “A Daughter’s Promise.” She can be reached at jharrop@triblive.com.
Remove the ads from your TribLIVE reading experience but still support the journalists who create the content with TribLIVE Ad-Free.