How long was your experience? How many do they shoot in a day?

They shoot 5 to 6 episodes a day. The other contestants and I arrived at the studio around 7am, and I stayed for a few tapings after my episode, then left with my family at about 2 or 3pm (though taping continued until about 6 or 7).

The first half of the day is rules and paperwork. An independent auditor goes over eligibility rules, then the producers go over game rules. There's hair and makeup, we go on set to practice spinning, take pictures, and film affiliate promos, and then we get our groupings and randomly draw for tape order and player positions. The first group goes on stage for a few test puzzles to make sure all the equipment is working properly, then taping starts around noon.

Taping a single episode itself takes about a half hour. Unless there's a hiccup in transition, the breaks between rounds are about as long as the actual commercial breaks you see.

How long from taping to airing?

It was a little under 2 months from tape to air for my episode. The first 5 episodes from my tape date aired together as a theme week. The 6th episode aired a couple months later as part of a week comprised of other 6th episodes. (Astute Wheel Watchers will notice these weeks because the sets are different every day, and sometimes there's a random team episode thrown in because they had 6 sets of pairs for couples week or something like that.)

What did you win?

About $21k cash and prizes, including the prize puzzle trip. I made it to the bonus round, but didn't get my bonus puzzle.