Tracy McBride, of Greenville, South Carolina, was 20 years old when she first tried out as a participant on Wheel of Fortune. After nearly three decades of going through the process, her dream of becoming a contestant on the popular game show came true.
According to TV Insider, McBride appeared on Friday’s episode of Wheel of Fortune and explained to longtime host Pat Sajak how it took her years to be on the show.
“When’s the first time you tried to get on this show?” Sajak asked.
“20 years ago,” McBride responded initially, then corrected herself. “I take that back. 28 years ago! I tried at the age of 20.”
Sajak, 77, was surprised at the lengthy journey to complete the show’s five-step process for the mother of one.
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“Wow,“ he responded. “But you haven’t been trying all those 20 years?”
McBride, 48, shared how she never gave up, and her “perseverance“ had finally paid off.
“Periodically, I would update my information, and I’m here through faith and perseverance; I made it,“ McBride said as the studio audience cheered.
“We’ve been waiting for ya,“ Sajak added. “I told ’em, I said, ‘I’m not leaving until Tracy gets here.’“
McBride sailed through multiple rounds as she defeated her opponents, winning $13,348 in cash and a trip to the Bahamas. She then made it to the bonus round, where she had to finish the phrase with the letters “F, K, P, and I,“ per TV Insider.
She had to finish the four-word puzzle that read, “F _ R / _ _ _ T / I T ‘ S / _ _ R T _.”
With years of experience watching this show segment, McBride swiftly completed the puzzle: “For What It’s Worth,“ she said as the timer began.
From there, McBride’s winnings multiplied when Sajak revealed she’d won a brand new Ford Edge SEL worth $41,420, bringing her total cash and prizes to $54,768.
Fans congratulated McBride on her success as Wheel of Fortune’s Instagram account shared her journey.
“I am so so happy she won she deserved it waiting 28 years and I love the comment that Pat said I’m not leaving till Tracy gets here God bless Tracy and Pat Sajak,“ one user said.
“I was so happy for this contestant tonight. But I have to say – she looked like she was about 28 tonight – still a young looking woman. Congrats to her winning the car and all that cash !!“ another wrote.
“Excellent show today she waited 23 years and she was the luckiest one ❤️“ a third user said.
