News

$126,000 Wheel of Fortune winner has local ties

By Lightning Reports, Published: September 25, 2025

A Brevard College alumnus, Cory Earp, spun the wheel and won big on the legendary game show “Wheel of Fortune” that aired Friday, Sept. 19, igniting a celebration in the mountains of Western North Carolina.

Earp, a sixth-grade language arts teacher at Newton-Conover Middle School in Conover, became the first $100,000 winner of the show’s 43rd season. 

Earp graduated summa cum laude from Brevard College in May of 2022 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Elementary Education and a minor in Music.  Following Brevard, he began his teaching career that is now in its fourth year.  

A lifelong fan of the show, Earp was selected from a large pool of applicants to be a contestant as part of Wheel of Fortune’s annual Teachers Week.  

“I was ecstatic when I got the message saying that I had been picked to play,” said Earp.  “It didn’t feel real!”

Earp then traveled to Culver City, California, where he joined co-hosts Ryan Seacrest and Vanna White on the set at the Sony Pictures Studios.  

“Being on the set and getting to spin that wheel was truly a dream come true,” he said.  “I went into the game with the mindset that I didn’t want to get my hopes up.  Many people get on the show but then get unlucky with bankrupts and such, and I just wanted to play my game and be proud of it.”

Despite one of his fellow contestants building a commanding lead, Earp rallied to win the show’s main round to advance to the bonus round.  The BC grad chose “What Are You Wearing” for the final spin of the bonus round and solved the puzzle with his guess of “Fancy Blazer.”  Seacrest then revealed the prize card, showing that Earp won $100,000.  In total, Earp won $126,450 combining his earnings from the main round and the bonus round.  

“When I solved that last puzzle (in the main round) and saw my total, my jaw dropped,” Earp said.  “And then, later in the bonus round, everyone got to see how I lost my mind with joy as Ryan turned that prize card around.”

Friends and fellow BC alumni gathered for a Watch Party at the Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd to support and cheer for Earp.  Following Earp’s win, a celebration ensued in the town where this season’s first $100,000 winner spent his college years.   

The Taylorsville native looks back fondly on his days at Brevard College, where he was honored as one of the Senior Speakers at the College’s 2022 Commencement.

“I have many great memories from my time at BC, from the small-sized classes in which I got to work closely with amazing professors and peers, to hanging out with all the great friends I made there,” Earp said.