Austin resident Scott Earl won big on "Wheel of Fortune" and dedicated the win to his late grandmother. Earl took home $59,050 after his appearance on the popular game show on April 28. He attributes the accomplishment to his grandmother, who he says inspired him to compete on the show.
When asked about his connection to the show, Earl said, "I grew up watching game shows and 'Wheel of Fortune' is one most special to me. My grandmother and I would watch the show together every night whenever I visited home. In 2021, on her 96th birthday, I decided to send in a video to audition for the show, not expecting at all to hear back. I received an email to virtually audition a few months later, and then received an email in February 2022 letting me know I was selected to film an episode that March! My grandmother passed away a few weeks before I learned I'd be on the show, and while I know she would have been thrilled to hear the news, appearing as a contestant was a really special way to celebrate the relationship we had."
The performance that Earl gave on the show was one of the better ones in recent memory. He won by a landslide against his opponents, winning all but one of the “tossup” rounds and quickly solving most regular puzzles. He then went on to solve the bonus puzzle, adding another $39,000 to his grand total.
When asked about how he honed his skills for the game, he said, "Thinking through letter combinations quickly is something I've practiced through years of playing speed Scrabble games online. I'm also an avid crossword solver and began writing crosswords several years back, with some puzzles published in venues like the New York Times and Queer Qrosswords. Crossword puzzles help with letter pattern recognition, which especially came in handy for my bonus puzzle! And most of all, watching every episode I could find in the month leading up to filming helped with recognizing the types of puzzles I could expect, words that come up frequently in puzzles, and practicing solving toss-up puzzles."
Earl is a project manager and operations strategist at an international citizen-sector organization. He also leads an inclusive community fitness group called November Project Austin and is an avid distance runner.