After more than 40 years, Wheel of Fortune recently welcomed its first-ever special needs contestant. On Wednesday, April 30, 21-year-old Trenton “Trent” Girone, who has both Asperger’s and Tourette Syndrome, began by solving the game’s first “toss-up” puzzle—“A Smashing Success”—and winning $1,000.
#TeamTrent started trending during the episode, as viewers showed their support for Girone. A fan of the show since age two, Girone says he wanted to be part of its history.
Girone didn’t seem to mind that he wasn’t the big winner, posting this message to the Wheel of Fortune contestant’s blog page, “My best advice to future contestants is to relax and have a good time. It is a lot of fun, whether you win big or not. That is my number one guarantee.” He continues, “I want to thank all of the contestant staff for taking the time to help me, and would like to thank Pat Sajak for his assistance, as well. I have some physical challenges that they were aware of, and they made sure I was safe and comfortable.”
