Blog

May 15, 2023

29 Gameshow Winners Share What They Won

"It was so wildly surreal, and I couldn't believe I had actually won that amount

"It was so wildly surreal, and I couldn't believe I had actually won that amount of money until after the show aired and they sent me a physical check in the mail."

BuzzFeed Staff

"On the video, you can see my mom visibly upset they didn't get the washer and dryer...hahaha poor mom. Anyway, they didn't receive their prize until their episode aired, and they had to go pick it up themselves down in Los Angeles or pay a hefty price to have the prize delivered (they chose to pick it up themselves). They then incurred costs to upgrade my mom's car to an SUV with a tow hitch for the trailer.

All in all, it ended up being a great prize because they kept it for 12 years, which included the first 8 years of my life. We took a lot of great family camping trips in that little trailer with some amazing memories made. My mom didn't totally hate it, but she eventually made my dad sell it and upgrade to a bigger trailer with it's own bathroom and shower."

—u/Smoky-The-Beer

—u/tbone56er

"I wasn't exactly drowning in debt or anything, more so just getting by paycheck to paycheck. I also didn't mind working at all. It was just that I had all these travel plans that I was constantly dreaming about.

I pretty much felt like I was in this constant cycle in which I could never really save much. So, when I received this relatively large sum of money, I decided to sell everything and plan out some travels. I ended up getting a one-year work and holiday for Australia and arrived here in 2014 with nothing but a backpack and a duffel bag.

My experience has been nothing short of amazing. I ended up finding work at a marketing agency within my first week here, and they went on to sponsor me. (Side note: I made way more at that firm in an initial entry level role than I did at the agency back in the US). Six years later, I have tripled my income since arriving here and now have a great role at an agency I love.

I'm now a permanent resident of Australia and have about six months until I can apply for citizenship. Since living in Australia, I've been to 12 different countries which for some reason always felt impossible when I was living back home. I've just loved my overall experience and am so grateful that those winnings were the catalyst for it."

—u/attawnnc

—u/grizzsnow

—u/GreenLigh

—u/MandrewCarrion

"So, my friend with the worst hangover of his life is sitting in front of his TV watching himself win 6k; they put the money in his account that day, win win. He then spent it on a brand new plasma TV! (This was a while ago.)"

—u/le_anon_le_story

"I was always kind of a pushover and never really stood up for myself, but I instantly became a 'don't take no for an answer' kid, and after walking around town for a while, I found a fancy ass hotel and talked my way into getting one of the rooms. I went out, I got food, I got wine, I smoked French cigarettes, and I laughed with the greatest sense of pride and confidence I've ever had in my life. I later met up with the team, took a day trip to Monaco, met friends I still talk to from all around the world, and almost got arrested while dressed up as the Toxic Avenger doing some guerilla parading on the main street with these wild dudes from Baltimore. The other prizes, like the DVDs and the TV, were great, but this one...this one made me feel alive."

—u/dandehmand

"Anyway, we were told that we would be responsible for shipping and duty on all parting gifts. Were also advised that the final cheque would be sent after the last of the parting gifts had been claimed. 'No problem,' I thought. 'When will I ever do this again.'

PROBLEM! Each of the parting gifts was shipped to me independently of the others, and the shipping and freight forwarding fees bordered on usury.

First to arrive was a Dirt Devil Dust Buster — along with a UPS charge of $65. Probably could have wandered down to Wal-Mart and picked one up for $35.

Next to arrive was a three-piece toddler's clothing set. Admittedly, a nice little sweater, shirt, and pant set — but hardly worth the $38 in shipping and cross border brokerage fees.

The facial cleanser and loofah sponge were next — a snip at just $29. Cried a bit on the inside when I found the exact product (complete with a bonus facial toner) for $11 at a drugstore in town.

The gift certificates for the four bottles of sleeping pills came by standard mail — but were only valid for redemption in the USA.

The best was the item I had believed to be a SunBeam bread maker. I was surprised when the UPS driver showed up and only asked for $27 in brokerage and shipping fees. Seemed like a pretty good deal until I opened the box and discovered two loaves of SunBeam bread...or something that resembled that. They'd been held up in a brokerage warehouse for three weeks, and were more suitable for a 'science project' than a 'sandwich.'

The last of my prizes having arrived, I did receive the cheque soon thereafter.

Last little bonus — UPS driver made one last trip with another $65 tab. Not sure what it could be as all of the gifts had been accounted for. By error, a second Dirt Devil Dust Buster. FML.

19 years later, still a good party story."

—u/chrish4151

—u/c3h8pro

And if you're wondering what happens directly after you win... "They line you up. One of you is completely adrenaline-drunk and shaking, and the other two are completely exhausted and shaking and very fucking sad. So, you just stand there under those lights and sway a little. Alex starts talking, asking light questions — about your trip in, the hotel, the weather back home. You just need something to do with all that energy and confusion, and Alex channeled it into inane babbling."

—u/Prufrock451

—u/thatoneguy889

"I didn't get to talk to Pat much, but he was nice, for sure. We did get to see Vanna before taping. She was wearing Ugg boots, I will never forget that. One dude cried when she walked in."

—u/hrmhrh

—u/ChewyIsThatU

"I won the car in August but didn't actually get it until November when the episode aired, but they drove it to my apartment and had me sign the deed, and it was all pretty painless. I had heard rumors throughout life about winning on game shows 'costing you' and things like that. I guess because I already had some money saved for fees and taxes, it ended up really painless. Got a brand new car worth 16k for about 3k in fees and stuff. Totally worth it and would totally recommend it!

Here's a tip: If you ever go to one of those game shows that pick contestants out of the audience, they have a producer briefly interview EVERYONE (usually in groups) beforehand, and as long as you're lively without being theatrical, and seem interesting without being bonkers, you have a good shot at being picked. When the producer was interviewing the 20-member slot of audience members I was grouped with, he asked everyone their name and what they did and one interesting fact about themselves. And one random guy who desperately wanted to be on TV started doing the worm there in the interview area. You could immediately see on the producer's face that though he was forcing laughter, that's definitely not what they're looking to put on TV. Loose cannons are a big no-go."

—u/itsjustmoran

"Had to pay tax on the value of all the prizes as if it were income. Luckily, I hit a dollar on the big wheel and a nickel on my bonus spin and won enough cash to cover taxes. [I also won] $11,000, two surfboards and wetsuits, a week-long trip to Sandals Bahamas, and a few other odds and ends like a printer."

—u/Fluxmuster

"We taped the show in October, and our show didn't air until February. We were told to keep the result under wraps, but of course, we told all our family and friends about it. We didn't receive the money until April. ... They auto split the prize for us, and sent me and my four family members $2,000 each and a W-2 form at the end of the year. I made a photocopy of the check before I cashed it, but I don't know where it is. I was only 18 when we won so that was, like, a huge deal to me, and I bought a computer and a few other things for myself for my upcoming college education."

—u/The_Hardways

"Since the prize money was under $500 for each person, none of us had to pay taxes on it."

—u/EmergencyTaco

"They introduce me and ask me what door I wanted to pick from the prize wall. I think I had a chance at winning a 'can of cash' which, as the name implies, was a trash can full of money of an undisclosed denomination. I didn't get that, but I got a GameCube, which was not bad at all. The sucky parts were: It took, like, four months for them to ship it to me, and I lost the tape of the show pretty quickly after I got it."

—u/bigdicksidekick

—u/Chilljin

"Something they don't tell you is how heavily taxed income from game shows is; I remember her only keeping a few grand out of her 25k. She did, however, get to keep most of the money from selling the car, AND the trip to a foreign country was legit (including the spending cash they give you when you’re out there). Overall, she used the money to pay off some debts and lived basically the same after the show (minus some debt and with the added life experience in another country).

For any Wheel of Fortune fans, she said Pat is short in person, that everyone stands on pedestals to make them appear identical in height, and that Vanna White is extremely nice."

—u/Lord_Metagross

—u/radioflyerrr

—u/Chastain86

—u/nom_yourmom

—u/SaMoSetter

"The show was called Red or Black. It was canceled not long after."

—u/greengiantsbaby

—u/glass_kites

"I don't recall a lot of tax withholding, but you do have to declare the winnings just like regular income, so you're taxed on it at the same rate your other income is taxed. The bummer is that applies to both cash and prizes, so if you win a $5,000 cruise, it's still gonna cost you a few grand in taxes. Thus, when you walk off the stage at the end of the show, the contestant coordinator has a list of the prizes you won, and you can waive your right to any of them to avoid the tax bill. (In the old days of Wheel of Fortune, the contestant won an amount of money in each round, and then had to go 'shopping' from a gallery of prizes with pretty high prices, so they ended up with no cash but a lot of useless crap that they had to pay taxes on. Due to contestant complaints, they did away with that part of the game, and now, you get to keep the money you win. Check YouTube to see some of those.)

Finally, the secret treasure you win are the 'parting gifts.' They mention them quickly during the end credits, but your find a package on your doorstep every few days from the most random companies. I got about 50 coupons for free bags of kitty litter (gave them to classmates who had cats), a vacuum cleaner, a clock radio, a case of Hormel Chili, and a check for $25 from a denture cream company. And because they are considered promotional items, there's no tax on those."

—u/Dogface99

—u/egnaro2007

Submissions have been edited for length/clarity.