‘Wheel of Fortune’ winner honors childhood memories (and his grandparents) with stunning $120K victory
A ‘Wheel of Fortune’ contestant recently opened up about his dramatic win! Brent Miller, from Pocahontas in Arkansas, took home $120,704 after beating his fellow contestants. On July 21, 2025, Miller’s episode re-aired on television, and to celebrate the occasion, he reflected on his wild experience on the show. Speaking to K8 News, Miller admitted that the whole thing felt surreal. “The fact that I won, especially that amount of money, I’m very much still just kind of processing that,” he said, adding, “I guess all the adrenaline will settle in later and I’ll figure out what to do with it."
With the amount he won, Miller planned to pay off his student loans and cover some other expenses. In addition to the prize money, he also won a trip to St. Lucia and planned to take his sister along because they “never get to travel by themselves.” Winning such a huge amount was all the more special for Miller because he grew up watching the show with his grandparents. “I was [sic] really lucky to know both sets of my grandparents, and so whenever I would stay with them as a child, you always watched KAIT, and then 'Wheel of Fortune' at 6:30,” he recalled. So, the show has been a major part of his childhood, and he hoped it would play a role in his adult life too.
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Since he watched the show religiously, Miller knew every element of each episode. He was also aware that the “how to apply” prompt came towards the end of every episode's broadcast. So, one day, he waited, took note of the application process, and decided to go full throttle. He eventually was selected to appear on the show and came close to winning. “People have asked me like, ‘What do I need to do to get on the show,’ and I’m like, ‘I really don’t know,’ because I was just myself because I knew, I gotta be me,” he told the outlet.
“I can’t play a character or anything like that on 'Wheel of Fortune,'” he added. Miller recalled that in his audition video, he just propped his phone up against his laptop and introduced himself. He shared we he was from and why he loves the show. That was enough to get him selected. Or perhaps it was the grandparents' story that sealed the deal! On the show, the Pocahontas native played against Brittany Perro, from San Diego, California, and Zsaneika Bass, from Chicago, Illinois.
He defeated all of his fellow competitors and reached the Bonus Round, an opportunity that can potentially change a person’s fate. He selected the ‘Food and Drink’ category and got presented with a puzzle that looked like: “_OT _ _ _ GE TOPP_NG.” Many fans thought it was an easy one, but Miller took forever to answer. With the last few seconds left on the timer, he finally blurted the correct answer out loud, much to his and everyone’s relief. “Hot Fudge Topping?” he asked, and hosts Ryan Seacrest and Vanna White confirmed that it was correct, earning him $100,000 in that round.
