‘Wheel of Fortune’ Contestant Wins Big Prize After Just Losing Her Mom originally appeared on Parade.
A Wheel of Fortune contestant won big on the beloved game show, and a guardian angel may have played a role in the woman’s massive earnings.
Viewers watched contestant Linda Keyes dominate the game during a rerun episode on Tuesday, July 29. The episode debuted on February 4, when the Illinois native shared that her mother had passed away shortly before filming the episode in Fall 2024.
“Mom, we made it to Wheel,” Linda gushed, while dedicating the game to her mom.
While chatting about her love for the show, Linda shared that she and her mother would watch it religiously. Wheel of Fortune became a generational go-to show within the family after Linda had children of her own.
During the Collette, Spin, Solve, and See the World Week episode, Linda came out on top against fellow contestants George Ashers and Arabella Bruce. The central office worker was in game mode during the Bonus Round, after already earning a Wild Card, a trip to Italy and $25,148.
Before solving the puzzle, Linda introduced viewers and host Ryan Seacrest to her “best friend and travel buddy,” Kristen.
While choosing the category “What Are You Doing?” Linda was provided the routine letters, “R,S,T,L,N, and E,” giving Linda a good start as seven squares of the four-word phrase contained those letters.
The contestant chose the letters “D,G,H,O,” as her three consonants and a vowel, and added the letter “C” for her Wild Card pick.
Only seven boxes remained blank before Linda quickly completed the phrase, “Working around the yard.”
Linda couldn’t contain her excitement and immediately began screaming, clapping and even hugged Ryan before she found out what was inside the envelope.
The winner received $40,000 and a trip to England and Scotland, bringing her total earnings to $77,546.
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‘Wheel of Fortune’ Contestant Wins Big Prize After Just Losing Her Mom first appeared on Parade on Jul 30, 2025
This story was originally reported by Parade on Jul 30, 2025, where it first appeared.
