Principal on Wheel of Fortune 'howls' after $86,000 win — now wants to give it back to his school
"Wheel of Fortune" is among game shows known for their hilarious and even controversial moments, courtesy of contestants who often show unusual quirks. But school principal Dr. Troy Sawyer arguably had the most surprising one featured on the show. Sawyer who runs the Korte Elementary school in Missouri howled like a coyote, the school's mascot on stage as he walked away with more than $86,000 on the January 1, 2025 episode of the show.
In the episode, introduced his school's signature howl during the introductions after shouting out Korte Elementary. He further told Ryan Seacrest that his audition inspired him to use a “Game Show Era” theme at the school this year, in a bid to increase attendance and give away prizes to kids. Facing off against former teacher turned preacher Kanika Douglas, and new mom Jillian Thomas, Sawyer dominated the episode. In the Express Round, he won $16,300 and a trip to the British Virgin Islands worth $11,500.
He carried the pace into the Triple Toss-Up round, answering all three puzzles correctly. He finished the game by nailing the final puzzle in Round 4, winning a total of $46,850 over Thomas’ $4,350 and Douglas’ $1,000, as per TV Insider. Going into the 'Bonus Round' Sawyer picked the phrase category before spinning the wheel. With the envelope picked, Seacrest took the contestant to the middle to play the final round.
He was presented with a two-word puzzle that read "_ R _ _ E _ _ _ R S E L _," with the standard letters filled in. Sawyer then selected “C, H, M, and A” as his additional letters, leaving him “_ R A C E / _ _ _ R S E L _," to work with.
When the 10-second timer began, Sawyer initially looked confused as he guessed, “Trace Yourself.” However, it wasn't long before he got the answer bang on. “Brace Yourself,” Sawyer shouted with a confident smile and a loud howl. With the puzzle solved, Seacrest opened the prize envelope to reveal that the contestants had one another $40,000. This took his total winnings to $86,850 cash and the trip to the British Virgin Islands.
Sawyer organized a special watch party for his "Wheel of Fortune" run, which was covered by FOX4 News Kansas City. Sawyer told the outlet that he was really happy with how things went on the show and now his students would get to see the other side of him.
“They get to see me as Dr. Sawyer all of the time and I am excited for the first time they get to see Troy and who Troy is in the element of a game show we talk about all the time,” Sawyer said.
Coming to the plans, Sawyer said, "We want to get a renovated school bus that is renovated into a house and just live there with us and our two little wiener dogs." Looks like Sawyer wants to spend most of his time with things related to his beloved school. Sawyer further added that he hopes his appearance on the show can inspire his students and help them learn the values of gamesmanship and good spirit.
