‘Wheel of Fortune’: School Worker Wins $77,000 After Family Heartbreak

Wheel of Fortune contestant Linda Keyes dedicated her sweet win to her mom, who died around the time her episode was recorded but before it aired. The central office worker at Arlington-based Township High School District 214 won $77,000 including a trip across the pond.

Keyes, from Lake in the Hills, Illinois, played against George Ashers, from Lakeland, Florida, and Arabella Bruce, from Bartlett, Tennessee, on July 29. Their episode first ran on February 4, but was reshown during the game show‘s summer reruns.

Going into the Bonus Round with $25,148, a trip to Italy, and a Wild Card, Keyes said, “Holy catfish!” before spinning the wheel. She brought her best friend and travel buddy, Kristen. It was Collette, Spin, Solve, and See the World Week, which included a trip as well as money during the Bonus Round.

Keyes chose “What Are You Doing?” for the category. Wheel of Fortune gave her “R,S,T,L,N, and E.” She picked “D,G,H,O, and C” to round out her puzzle. The puzzle then looked like “_OR_ _NG   _RO_ND  THE  _ _RD.”

When the timer started, Keyes slowly said, “Working around the… YARD!” When she got to the last word, she yelled and jumped up and down.

“You got it!” host Ryan Seacrest said.

As Keyes jumped up and down, Seacrest opened the envelope. She added $40,000 to her total, as well as a trip to England and Scotland. This made her final total $77,546.

Keyes first auditioned a few years ago when the game show was looking for educators, but never heard back. She finally made it onto the show on Season 42, which was perfect timing. Her mother used to watch the show every night after dinner while riding her stationary bike, according to Shaw Local.

Her episode was taped in fall 2024, which was around the same time her mom had died. “Mom, we made it to Wheel,” she said on the show. Keyes said her appearance was “homage” to her mom. The winner kept up the tradition of watching Wheel of Fortune with her children and has kept her mother’s legacy alive.

Once she learned that she made it onto the show, Keyes made a “mad dash” to “prepare, learn the ropes and rules, and book her travel to Los Angeles.”

She shared that she was calm when she first got on stage, but going into it, she was “super nervous.”

Wheel of Fortune, Season 43, September 8, check local listings