Matt B.

I was absolutely ecstatic when I found out I had been chosen to be a contestant. This has been a lifelong dream for me, and it's been an absolute joy being associated with The Wheel of Fortune! I grew up watching Wheel with my mom almost every night of every week. I had always said that if I could choose one show to appear on, it would be Wheel.
When I applied, I figured it was a crazy longshot, but I did it anyway. Every step along the audition process, I got more and more excited, but when I didn't hear anything for a couple of months, I figured I didn’t make it. So, when an email came in early November, I was absolutely thrilled!

I had been practicing every weeknight—watching the show, playing the WOF app, and downloading basically every word search or puzzle-time app I could find. I even went back and watched as many "old" episodes as I could.

I went into my taping feeling very confident, but I didn't realize how much more difficult it would be in person. The lights, cameras, and endorphins make for a pretty crazy experience! By the time my show began taping, I had developed a splitting headache that honestly had me all out of sorts for the first half of the show. In between segments, I drank water as fast as I could to try to hydrate and get rid of the headache. There was a point halfway through where the show had to get B-roll of complete silence. I used that as an opportunity to close my eyes and try to get myself focused. In that moment, I remembered my wonderful makeup artist telling me not to give up, no matter how badly it's going. As crazy as this may sound, her words echoed in my mind and even brought me to tears. I wiped them and got back in the game. In the first half of the show, I only touched the wheel once—landed on a trip, called a "T," and it wasn’t there. I was feeling down but bounced back.

I can't remember much of what happened after that. I can't tell you a single letter called or a single space I landed on, but I can remember the feeling of finally knowing the puzzle and knowing it was my time to solve. When I solved the prize puzzle and Ryan revealed I’d be going to Iceland, I nearly fainted. I couldn’t have been more excited! It felt like a huge weight was lifted, and I could play freely now. Everything went great from there! I solved two toss-ups (and hesitated a split second too long on the third), and after the triple toss-up, it was neck and neck between myself and another contestant. I knew I needed to get the final solve, and I was fortunate enough to do just that!!

Then came the bonus round. I've always dreamed of getting the chance at the bonus round. I believe I chose the category "Phrase"—or maybe it was "Place"—but at first, I had no idea. My letter choices were decent, but at first glance, I didn’t know it. So... I just began to talk it out! I said phrases I knew were wrong just to try and jog my mind. As you’ll see, with about a second to go, it worked!! Honestly, from that point on, it was all a blur! I have no idea what I said or did, but I know how I felt—absolutely over the moon!! To be a winner on The Wheel of Fortune is such a privilege and honor!!

Tonight we are having a watch party at our home with close friends from our area to celebrate. It's been SO hard not to be able to tell anyone the results, so tonight will be such a great time!

For me, The Wheel represents gratitude—gratitude for the relationships made with other contestants and for the privilege of being one of the select few who were fortunate enough to be Wheel alumni! This is an experience I will NEVER forget and will always be thankful for.