'Wheel of Fortune' player who later became a news anchor shares what happens behind-the-scenes

The anchor also got his colleagues to solve a puzzle that he remembered among others from the episode.

PUBLISHED JUL 21, 2025

Screenshots from Blackwell's stint on the show and as an anchor (Cover image source: Twitter | Victor Blackwell CNN)

Getting on "Wheel of Fortune" is a big deal for generations who grew up watching the show, and is also a ticket to 15 minutes of fame for many. But some who appeared on the show in their younger days went on to become famous for different reasons. CNN's anchor Victor Blackwell is one such personality who got a chance to compete on the show as a college sophomore when Pat Sajak was the host.

Blackwell reminisced about the episode in a segment marking Sajak's retirement, and mentioned how he was interviewed by producers of "Wheel of Fortune" during college week. The anchor then waited for two weeks before getting a call, and was excited to be on the game show. He appeared wearing a Howard University sweatshirt back then, and remembers the puzzles to this day. Blackwell mentioned how the wheel was hand-painted and that five episodes were being shot in a single day back then.

#fbf 2001. That time I was on Wheel of Fortune. #BigLuther pic.twitter.com/WX6wcZ2HSf
— Victor Blackwell CNN (@VictorBlackwell) January 15, 2016

He also got his colleagues to solve a puzzle that he remembered, but also admitted that he could figure out only one on the show. That day, the future TV personality won a decent $2,350 on the show.

Another "Wheel of Fortune" winner to share his experience on the show was sportscaster Drew Goldfarb. Taking to Instagram, Goldfarb, who had won $86,000 on the show shortly after his wedding, opened up about what was going on behind the scenes.

via GIPHY

The contestant revealed that six episodes were filmed on that day, and he was a part of the third. The contestant also spoke kindly about Vanna White and Ryan Seacrest.

“Meeting @officialvannawhite and my new buddy @ryanseacrest was incredible, and 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 wrote. Cash was not the only thing he had won. Goldfarb had also won a cruise in Greece and Turkey, which would have served exceedingly well as a honeymoon for the newlyweds.

Screenshot showing the couple celebrating. (Image credit: YouTube | Wheel of Fortune)

“After winning the #PrizePuzzle round during the game (earning me and Angela a trip to the Pacific Northwest), my Bonus Round solve came with a $40,000 envelope AND a cruise in Greece and Turkey!” he added, according to a TV Insider report. “Oh, and in Round 1, I learned that a group of jellyfish is called a smack. Never going to forget that one after leaving $17,000+ in the bank (I thought it was swarm). Growing up in South Florida, I always hated jellyfish, anyway. Lol,” Goldfarb continued.

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A post shared by Drew Goldfarb (@drewgoldfarb)

By the time Goldfarb reached the Bonus Round, he had already won $46,912 in cash and prizes. He got the usual letters and picked his own very smartly.

The His answer 'Take my advice' turned out to be correct. Seacrest then opened up the envelope to reveal that he had won an additional $40,000, which made his grand total go up to a whopping $86,912. His wife came up on stage to celebrate, and the couple stood there in disbelief at the amount of money they had won. “We’re going to have so many honeymoons,” Goldfarb said after winning.