WILTON – Carol Ross’ quick, word-puzzle solving won her $24,750 with thousands of viewers watching her on ABC’s “Wheel of Fortune” show Monday evening.
The secretary at the University of Maine Cooperative Extension in Farmington celebrated with more than 50 friends and family members on campus as they watched the show. Ross had taped the show March 18 at Sony Studios in California with her husband, Joe, and two of their four children, Julie and Elizabeth, watching in the audience. They kept the results secret.
Within seconds after the show started Monday, the Wilton woman solved her first puzzle, “Goobers and Raisinets.”
She won $1,000 in that round.
Seconds after Ross and the contestants from Texas and California were introduced, Ross solved another puzzle: “Act Naturally.”
“Yah,” Ross said, as she pulled her elbows in close to her sides in quick motion.
She guessed a wrong letter in the next puzzle, and play moved on with contestants guessing some letters right and some wrong. Soon Ross and another woman were tied with $800 each.
After a few more spins of the wheel, bankrupt but with some quick guessing, Ross solved her third puzzle: “I’ll get you my pretty and your little dog, too.”
She was back in the money with $2,100.
Ross also answered a bonus question and won another $3,000. Seconds later, another puzzle solved, Ross guessed “Costa Rica,” for another $3,000.
Then a big win came, after a contestant faltered and Ross knew the answer to the final round’s puzzle, “Will Smith as Hitch.” That earned her $13,650.
That brought her winnings to $24,750 and a chance at the final puzzle.
Her husband and daughters stood on a platform and waved to television viewers before Ross spun the wheel for the last time.
She chose the letters she wanted and tried to guess the fictional character’s five-letter name with two letters showing. Time ran out for Ross and her chance at an additional $35,000. The answer was “Heidi.”
But Ross was excited about her winnings, she said, when reached Monday night at the university.
“That was fun,” she said. “The place was packed.” People from as far away as Stratton had come to watch her.
“We had such a good time,” she said. “The pressure was off.”
She gave them play-by-play action of what happened behind the scenes as the show played, she said.
A good portion of her winnings goes to taxes, she said. California took 7 percent from the winnings and Maine will get some, she said.
She’ll give 10 percent of what she has left after taxes to her church, some money will go to the girls for college costs, and she has to pay $4,000 for the cost of the trip and the vacation they took while there.
She and her husband get to keep the rest.
“It was humbling to look across that room to see so many people that were there because they cared about me,” Ross said. “It was such a good feeling. There so much warmth in the room, it was almost tangible. I’m so blessed.”
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