Sheldon Blackwell and his family watched him win big on Wheel of Fortune Monday night. From left to right: Sarah, Devan, Sheldon and Israel.
HANFORD — Sheldon Blackwell might be the most popular guy in Hanford and the United States Postal Service right now.
The Wheel of Fortune aficionado, who the Sentinel featured last week, won big on the game show Monday night. Blackwell beat two other contestants and walked away with $29,510 in total cash and prizes, including a trip to Antigua, an island in the Caribbean.
“It was amazing,” Blackwell said. “It was kind of like an out-of-body experience, especially seeing myself on the TV.”
The 46-year-old USPS sales service associate said people in the community were congratulating him at the post office on Tuesday with many telling him how proud of him they were. He was even recognized at his local bank with employees telling him they watched him on the show.
“It felt good to represent my city,” Blackwell said. “It felt really good to get all the love from everyone. I’m just happy that I could be a bright spot in a lot of people’s day, especially in this pandemic.”
The Wheel of Fortune episode aired at 7:30 p.m. on Monday and the Blackwell household was ready for the big moment.
“We had some immediate family over and everyone was screaming, everyone was trying to help me guess the puzzle,” Blackwell said. “Everyone was so happy, jumping around.”
Just like when he auditioned, Blackwell admitted he was nervous to begin. He was unable to solve either of the first two toss-ups and landed on the bankrupt wedge during the next puzzle.
“They counted it down and then the lights came on and then we saw Pat and Vanna come out and I was kind of nervous, but I settled in,” Blackwell said.
And settle in he did.
On the very next puzzle, a Wheel of Fortune crossword, Blackwell started by spinning and never passed on the wheel. He guessed letter after letter and cashed in on the $3,500 wedge when he picked the letter “R” and three of them appeared on the puzzle. The clue was “blank house” and he eventually solved the words: full, fraternity, tree and steak.
“Thankfully, it was the correct puzzle,” Blackwell said. “But you have that second guess in your mind. When you’re sitting home on the couch, you’re like, ‘How come they don’t solve it?’ When you’re there, I know what it feels like now. You’re second-guessing yourself.”
During the prize puzzle round, Blackwell landed on the express wedge and had the option to earn $1,000 per correct consonant, along with being able to purchase vowels, but if he missed a letter at any point, he would go bankrupt.
With no conviction, as Pat Sajak put it, Blackwell said yes, after the other contestants in the audience were rooting him on. Again, he was on the money when it came to selecting letters and eventually began to recognize the puzzle.
“I said to myself, ‘Oh man, I know it,’” Blackwell said. “So then I just started calling the consonants and the rest was history.”
After the puzzle, Sajak said, “Before this show is over, we’re going to get Sheldon dancing. I just know it.” Blackwell happily obliged and did a little dance. With it being the prize puzzle, Blackwell also earned himself a trip to Antigua worth $7,260.
Since Blackwell led the other two contestants in winnings, he got to move on to the Bonus Round where he selected “Show Biz” as his category. He was unable to solve the two-word puzzle, which turned out to be “Movie Magic.”
“I had no idea what it was,” Blackwell said.
But Blackwell said he was more than happy with his performance and getting to take part in the show. He has no immediate plans for his winnings, but does plan on taking that trip to Antigua in July.
“The thought of just getting on the show seemed so far away,” Blackwell said. “I’m so glad that my family encouraged me to audition and just try because, like I said, we watch it every night. If they hadn’t encouraged me, I would not have pursued it.”
Noe Garcia can be reached at (559) 583-2431 or ngarcia@hanfordsentinel.com. Follow Noe on Twitter at @noecarlosgarcia.
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February 03, 2021 at 11:00PM
https://hanfordsentinel.com/news/sheldon-blackwell-wins-big-on-wheel-of-fortune/article_a969a2ed-75e9-58ec-8005-00f5ac541225.html
Sheldon Blackwell wins big on Wheel of Fortune - Hanford Sentinel
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