Joya-Dean Hegamin has been a fan of “Wheel of Fortune” since she was a baby.
“It was like a family thing, I grew up watching it with (my momma and gramma),” Hegamin, a women and gender studies senior, said. “My gramma says I’m the only person who can beat her and I’m holding onto that streak.”
Joya is the daughter of Kimbre Jordan and George Hegamin and the granddaughter of Frances Jordan-Rakestraw.
Last Tuesday, Hegamin won the show, taking home over $40,000 and two trips to Europe.
“After they contacted me about going onto the show, it just felt like a dream,” Hegamin said.
When she was accepted in December 2021, she also indicated that she wanted to participate during College Week, which is a week when all Wheel of Fortune shows are college students only. She had no idea when she would get to participate.
A month before recording, she received a call asking her to come down. She immediately booked a flight.
“I prioritize Wheel,” Hegamin said in an interview with Maggie Sajak.
She took an early spring break to California where “Wheel of Fortune” is filmed. Filming took place on only one day.
Before the filming started, Hegamin was able to meet the other contestants, Sami Martinez and Michael Zargari, and also practiced spinning the iconic wheel.
“The wheel was really heavy! Having the opportunity to practice was really cool,” Hegamin said.
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