‘Wheel of Fortune’ contestant dedicates win to her late mother in a heartwarming gesture
A ‘Wheel of Fortune’ contestant dedicated her win to her mother, who passed away shortly before taping. Linda Keyes, a teacher at Arlington’s Township High School, won a whopping $77,000. She competed against George Ashers of Lakeland, Florida, and Arabella Bruce of Bartlett, Tennessee, on July 28, 2025. The episode first aired on February 4 and was rebroadcast during summer reruns, as per TV Insider. As the game progressed, Keyes pulled ahead of her competitors. She eventually beat her opponents, winning $25,148 and a trip to Italy by the final round.
“Holy catfish!” she screamed before heading for the Bonus Round. She had her best friend and travel buddy, Kristen, on the show for support. Since it was a Collette, Spin, Solve, and See the World Week, the Bonus Round had the special addition of a trip, besides the cash prize. After choosing “What Are You Doing?” as the category, she was presented with a puzzle that looked something like this: “_OR_ _NG _RO_ND THE _ _RD.” This was after she was given “R, S, T, L, N, and E” and four other letters of her choice.
As soon as host Ryan Seacrest started the timer, Keyes started guessing the puzzle out loud. “Working around the… YARD!” she guessed and yelled at the last word, realizing she was correct. “You got it!” the host confirmed her victory. She won an extra $40,000 and a trip to England and Scotland. Keyes tried her luck one more time before finally appearing on the show’s 42nd season. She’d auditioned earlier for the educators’ special week but never heard back. But according to Shaw Local, the timing turned out to be perfect.
Keyes taped her episode in the fall of 2024. Unfortunately, her mother passed away around the same time. It was perfect timing, as she played the game as a tribute to her late mother, who was a massive fan of the show. “Mom, we made it to Wheel,” she said on the show. As per the outlet, Keyes kept the tradition alive and continued watching the show after her mother’s demise. She even got her kids into watching the show, keeping the tradition going. According to the outlet, Keyes set off a “mad dash” to prepare for the game show.
She studied the game’s rules and paid her own way to Los Angeles. She didn’t know how things would pan out but still remained optimistic. Keyes believes that her confidence and personality helped her get a spot on the game show. Although she was “super nervous” going into it, she remained “calm” during the audition. The familiarity with the ‘Wheel of Fortune’ set and background music helped calm her nerves. And of course, having her loved ones around for support boosted her confidence.