‘Wheel of Fortune’ player bags $86K — and reveals one hilarious, unexpected fact he learned from game show
Those who make it to the ‘Wheel of Fortune’ stage certainly have a story to tell! It’s a lot of hassle, involving multiple rounds of auditions, to finally appear on television. Drew Goldfarb, who ultimately won a whopping $86,000, had an experience of a lifetime on the show. The winner took to Instagram to share behind-the-scenes details from the show. “Well THAT was a tough secret to keep! My episode of @wheeloffortune aired this week after it was filmed in mid-January,” he revealed. “What an unbelievable experience it was!” he added. Goldfarb revealed that he and his wife flew to L.A. and spent the entire next day at the studio in Culver City.
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His wife, Angela, flew back home the next day to go to work while he stayed back to “spin the Wheel for the third of 6 shows filmed that day.” Goldfarb added that meeting host Vanna White and being buddies with host Ryan Seacrest was an “incredible” experience. “I ended up being the big winner! Not only did I go to the #BonusRound, but I brought the #WildCard AND a big @lindbladexp trip wedge with me... and WON!” he added. Goldfarb, who competed against Akeya Works, from Norcross, Georgia, and Lauren Moonilal, from Forest Hills, New York, started a bit rocky but eventually picked up pace and defeated his fellow competitors.
In the Express Round, he made $13,654 and had total earnings of $46,912 in cash and a trip before the Bonus Round. For the final round, he picked up a Wild Card and an Expeditions Cruise wedge and opted for the ‘Phrase’ category of the puzzle. He chose the letters C, D, M, A, and G, and the final puzzle read: “TA_E M_ AD_ _CE.” The contestant flashed a smile before Seacrest started the timer, hinting that he already knew the answer. Within a few seconds of the 10-second timer, Goldfarb yelled the correct answer. “That’s it. Congratulations!” Seacrest confirmed his win.
The host went on to reveal the prize money of $40,000, and the contestant shrieked in excitement. He immediately called for his wife, who then ran into his arms. “What’s racing through your veins now?” the host asked. “Oh my god, we’re going to have so many honeymoons,” Goldfarb replied. In his Instagram tribute to the show, he also gave a shoutout to his fellow competitors who also took home a decent cash prize. “In the #SpeedUp Round, Akeya had an INCREDIBLE solve after calling just a single letter. She had a crazy-good end to the game to take home $14,500,” he wrote in the caption.
“As did Lauren, who nabbed $14,050 (all cash) after solving the first two puzzles,” Goldfarb added. He also revealed the one hilarious new discovery he made on the show that he’ll never forget: “I learned that a group of jellyfish is called a smack,” he said. “Growing up in South Florida, I always hated jellyfish, anyway. Lol,” he joked. He further expressed gratitude for the incredible experience on the game show. “I could not have hoped for a better outcome. It was an incredible experience even before I banked my first dollar,” he added.
