Stephen Montoya
Elizabeth "Liz" Wright and her son, KC, pose in front of a vibrant mural by Jaun Velasquez, painted on the side of their Fort Worth home.
Some dreams stay dreams, and some? Well, they spin their way into reality. For 94-year-old Elizabeth "Liz" Wright and her son KC, that spinning wheel of fate wasn’t just a metaphor — it was an actual, iconic game show set piece. In Nov. 2023, the Fort Worth duo stepped onto the stage of “Wheel of Fortune” for the "Home for the Holidays" week, where family teams put their wordplay skills to the test. What happened next was the kind of story you don’t just watch — you remember.
Liz, then a sprightly 92, didn’t just participate — she dominated. With a lifetime of puzzle-solving prowess and a knack for quick thinking, she and KC took home more than $65,000 in cash and a vacation to Antigua. The final puzzle? "Drizzled Honey." And like that sweet, golden nectar, the winnings just kept flowing — an extra $40,000 stacked onto their already impressive pot.
But here’s where the story shifts from incredible to legendary.
Instead of simply cashing in, Liz took her half — $30,000 — and did something straight out of a Hollywood script: she bought gold. And she didn’t just buy it. She stashed it. Somewhere, hidden deep within the Lone Star State, that gold is waiting to be found. The twist? She and KC aren’t keeping the secret to themselves.
Image courtesy of the Wright family
Enter “Seek Texas” — the book that’s more than just words on a page. It’s a map, a puzzle, a challenge. It’s a love letter to Texas, wrapped in riddles and clues, leading intrepid seekers on an adventure to find the very treasure Liz buried. The book drops on June 2 at SeekTexas.com (website still under construction), but the adventure is already alive and kicking over on Instagram @seektexas.
"The whole point is to get people to discover Texas on their own terms," KC excitedly explains.
If the story ended here, it would already be one for the books. But Liz’s journey didn’t just captivate audiences at home. When the show aired, even “Wheel of Fortune” royalty took notice. After the taping, Vanna White approached Liz and declared, "You are my most favorite contestant ever in 42 years." The next morning, Liz and Vanna were side by side on “Good Morning America,” cementing Liz’s status as a game show icon.
Getting onto “Wheel of Fortune” wasn’t just luck; it was all skill and a touch of destiny. The selection process was no joke — Zoom calls, puzzle-solving challenges, and the nerve-wracking wait to see if they’d make the final cut. Once in the studio, they learned the ropes, rehearsed their banter, and — perhaps most importantly — discovered that the entire “Wheel of Fortune” crew was rooting for them.
"They want you to win. The more money they give away, the better they look," KC recalls.
And so, on that fateful November night, Liz and KC spun, guessed, and celebrated their way into game show history. But for them, the true victory wasn’t just in the winnings — it was in what came next.
The book. The treasure. The adventure still waiting to unfold.
So, if you think you’ve got what it takes, grab a copy of “Seek Texas.” Somewhere out there, hidden in the Texas landscape, is a fortune waiting to be found. And if Liz Wright’s story proves anything, it’s this: some dreams don’t just stay dreams. Sometimes, they turn into gold.
