ECONOMY & WORK
MONEY 101
NEWS
PERSONAL FINANCE
NET WORTH
About Us Contact Us Privacy Policy Terms of Use DMCA Opt-out of personalized ads
© Copyright 2023 Market Realist. Market Realist is a registered trademark. All Rights Reserved. People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.
MARKETREALIST.COM / ECONOMY & WORK

Resurfaced clip shows a teen contestant on 'Wheel of Fortune' — today he's famous and worth $120 million

In a nostalgic clip from the '80s, the 13-year-old could be seen telling Sajak that he wanted to be a baseball player.
PUBLISHED MAR 16, 2025
Screenshot showing the famous person on "Wheel of Fortune" (Cover image source: YouTube | Out of Context F1)
Screenshot showing the famous person on "Wheel of Fortune" (Cover image source: YouTube | Out of Context F1)

“Wheel of Fortune” has been around for more than four decades, which means that generations have grown up watching the show popular across America. It is known to change fortunes as people go home with winnings worth thousands of dollars, including cars and trips. But it's hard to imagine that someone who came on the show might one day end up with a $120 million net worth. But that did happen, as the CEO of the McLaren Formula 1 team, Zak Brown, once appeared on "Wheel of Fortune" as a teenager, when Pat Sajak was still a young host, according to a report in MSN.

In a nostalgic clip from the '80s, a 13-year-old Brown could be seen telling Sajak that he wanted to be a baseball player. When asked if he played for a team, Brown had to think a bit before saying, “Team…White Socks.” To that, Sajak replied, “Yeah, you wanna be in the right dugout during a game,” drawing laughter from the audience. It was Teen Week on the show at the time, and Brown had done well for himself. He solved a puzzle, at the end of which he won more than $3,000. That was a lot of money at the time, especially for a teenager. The answer to the puzzle was Wild Bill Hickok, and the future McLaren boss was the one who unveiled the last two gaps in the puzzle.

Screenshot showing Pat Sajak with Zak Brown on
Screenshot showing Pat Sajak with Zak Brown on "Wheel of Fortune" (Image source: YouTube | Out of Context F1)

Fans of the show and the sport loved the moment and made their thoughts clear in the comments section on YouTube. “He's just collecting sponsors for today as a kid. such a great businessman,” one user commented. “That's where he got the money to enter the world of F1,” another speculated. He did not end up becoming a baseball player, but found success in a completely different arena.



 

For those not familiar with the sport of F1, McLaren is one of the legendary teams on par with Ferrari. They’ve won nine championships in total, the latest of which came in 2024 under Brown’s leadership. He joined the team in 2018 during one of the worst phases in the outfit’s history. They had not won the championship since 1998, and the American team principal took them to glory once again. The 2025 season officially starts on Friday, March 14, and McLaren is the favorite to win it again.



 

Brown’s legacy as a “Wheel of Fortune” contestant is not as great as his legacy as a team principal, but it also goes to show that winning a car and a trip on the show can set the tone for bigger achievements. He is among several celebrities who appeared on game shows before going on to earn fame.

MORE ON MARKET REALIST
Despite all the criticism, there were still some who supported her, although she did not win.
2 hours ago
Even after over 40 years on the show, White admitted that a few things still get her heart racing.
3 hours ago
She even claimed that the product later started to smell like butane, which was concerning.
3 hours ago
She and Drew Carey pretended that it was a planned fall and even bowed to the audience.
3 hours ago
The business makes a big part of its revenue from its membership plans, and it hopes to bolster them
1 day ago
A couple of videos that claimed so have gone viral on TikTok, causing the masses to panic.
1 day ago
The host seemingly did not want the compliment at first, but his demeanor changed later on.
1 day ago
Fans of the show were impressed with her skills, but the Bonus Round was a bit too tough.
1 day ago
The rumor had never been substantiated with facts but it still swirled around for many years.
1 day ago
The entrepreneurs did not want to disclose their costs on TV, which Mark Cuban did not take well.
1 day ago
While being energetic is good, fans want the contestants to be more genuine than they seem.
1 day ago
The item was a stick that had memories of the guest's grandfather carved into it.
1 day ago
The host had no idea about the popular cartoon series and his expressions were hilarious.
1 day ago
Despite messing up, the co-founders of Eco Nuts wanted a Shark to work 16 hours a day for them.
1 day ago
The contestant said she was bad at it but there is no excuse for mistaking a continent for a country
3 days ago
Corey Harrison did not know much about the jersey, but he got a lot of help from the expert.
3 days ago
The contestant would have become the first man to achieve the big prize.
3 days ago
The question was about some of the most popular boy bands of all time.
3 days ago
The guest did not create a fuss but was adamant about the authenticity of his item.
3 days ago
The host's speech made for a sombre moment but he found a way to make that funny as well.
3 days ago