Maureen O’Hara from Naperville won the first Wheel of Fortune game of 2026 on Thursday.
She took home the most out of the contestants to win $18,000.
A local trash-to-treasure hunter
O’Hara revealed on the show that she likes to drive around her neighborhood the night before trash day to collect the “pretty things” that other people throw out.
Leaving Wheel of Fortune a winner
O’Hara fared the best of her two competitors, Saloni Khushal, from Fort Worth, Texas, and Jack Kehn, from Santa Cruz, Cali.
She started strong by solving one toss-up, but Khushal took the lead early on with $4,600 after solving the second.
However, O’Hara soon moved to first place with $8,000 after another quick solve. Khen, who had $0, then took the lead with his lucky guess, but O’Hara snagged first place again when she answered all three Triple Toss-Ups, adding $10,000 to her bank account.
In the end, O’Hara won and advanced to the bonus round.
A heartbreaking bonus round loss
The Naperville treasure hunter missed out on an additional $40,000 in the bonus round. She was unable to guess “A Wild Bronco” from her selected category of “Living Things.”
O’Hara still walked away with $18,000.
“I’m really glad I did it, because I was real nervous, I didn’t want to do it.” O’Hara said. “I thought I would freeze up when I actually got on stage, but I didn’t, and I had a really great time on the show.”
Gratitude for her Wheel of Fortune experience
O’Hara recorded the show in November, after months of interviews that began in February and led to her selection for the show.
Though she told some friends and family that she would be a contestant, she wasn’t able to share any details.
The night that her appearance aired, O’Hara’s family hosted a watch party at her house. She said she was a “nervous wreck” watching herself on TV.
“I advise people to get out of their box, because I really didn’t want to do this, and I did it, and I kind of am proud of myself. That was cool for somebody as old as I am to just do something like that.”
Photo courtesy: Maureen O’Hara
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