Hewlett native Scott Kolbrenner donates ‘Wheel of Fortune’ winnings

Scott Kolbrenner, who grew up in Hewlett and is a 1988 graduate of Hewlett High School, donated the $145,000 he won on the television game show ‘Wheel of Fortune’s’ March 18 episode. He was chosen as a contestant after applying by video on wheeloffortune.com and taking part in an audition conducted virtually.

The money will be split evenly between the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank and Uplift Family Services at Hollygrove. Kolbrenner totaled roughly $45,000 in cash and prizes through the regular rounds of play. He got the bonus puzzle right and collected a $100,000 grand prize.

The Los Angeles Regional Food Bank sources and acquires food and other products to distribute to those experiencing food insecurity. Kolbrenner, who lives in Encino, Calif., has worked with Uplift Family Services, considered one of the most comprehensive behavioral health treatment providers  in California, for the past 20 years. He volunteers his time and serves on its board.

For Kolbrenner, he has lived in California for 23 years but noted that he has many family and friends still living in the Five Towns and Nassau County as he usually visits every Thanksgiving. Kolbrenner became inspired to try out for the show over the summer when he started watching the show.

“I was watching TV during the summer and I said to my wife I’m sick of watching the news, I don’t want to watch it anymore,” Kolbrenner said. “I said that I have to watch something fun. So we started watching Wheel of Fortune.”

A Zoom tryout was conducted for Kolbrenner in the early-fall and he says he thought it did not go well for him. “I thought I had blown it in the audition and that I would just have a fun story to tell people,” he said. “Two days later I got an email saying my taping day was November 5. My reaction was complete shock followed by laughter.”

Kolbrenner’s daughter Abby described her reaction to finding out her father would be on the show as excited. “We were really excited because we had been telling him to go on the show because he was really good at yelling out the answers when we were playing along at home,” Abby said. “Taping day was definitely the best day of his year and he made friends with the other contestants.”

Kolbrenner said he will always look back fondly at the episode’s taping day. “The taping day itself was filled from beginning to end with kindness: from the parking lot attendant to the associate producers to my fellow contestants and, yes, to Pat Sajak and Vanna White,” he said. “I realize how lucky I am to even have been in a position to do something as fun and frivolous as being on a game show during these times. I’m so appreciative of the experience and I’ll never forget that day.”