The Wisconsin native, who once graced TV screens as an anchor for NewsChannel 7 from 2015 to 2021, walked away with a massive cash prize and a dream vacation during the Thursday, February 20 episode.
Foster took a break from her daily routine of museum and library trips with her kids to take on the iconic game show. When she does find rare moments of quiet, she admits she enjoys sitting in her car in complete silence—a relatable sentiment for many parents.
A Rocky Start Turns Into a Winning Streak
At first, it seemed luck wasn’t on her side. Her competitors—Babatunde Oyelowo, a gaming and anime enthusiast raised in Japan, and Eric Dotterer, a globe-trotting marathon runner from New York—quickly dominated the early rounds, solving the first two puzzles before Foster had a chance to score.
But in classic Wheel of Fortune fashion, the game took an unexpected turn. During the third puzzle, both Oyelowo and Dotterer stumbled—one picking the wrong letters, the other landing on “Lose a Turn.” Seizing the opportunity, Foster solved “Life-Changing Experience”, earning $3,700 and shifting the momentum in her favor.
Things only got better from there. In the next round, a “Before & After” puzzle, she landed on both the $3,500 and $10,000 wedges, while her opponents hit “Bankrupt.” With confidence, she solved “Wedding Ring Toss”, boosting her total to $19,550.
“I love this place,” Foster laughed, to which host Ryan Seacrest enthusiastically agreed.
Dotterer fought back in the following round, solving a puzzle and winning a vacation, bringing his total to $19,324. Oyelowo remained at $1,000. During the Triple Toss-Up, Dotterer added another $4,000, while Foster picked up $2,000, briefly pushing Dotterer into the lead.
The Big Finish
Foster wasn’t ready to back down. In the final regular round, she delivered another strong performance, solving the puzzle and adding $8,500 to her total. With $30,050, she secured her spot in the Bonus Round, while Dotterer finished with $23,324 and Oyelowo with $1,000.
For the Bonus Round, Foster selected the category “What Are You Doing?” and was given the standard letters—R, S, T, L, N, and E. She then chose M, D, G, and O. The board revealed:
R_DG_NG T_E G_
Before Seacrest could even start the timer, Foster confidently blurted out, “Bridging the gap.”
She was right! Her correct answer added $40,000 to her total, bringing her final winnings to $89,942, plus an incredible cruise to Iceland.
Overjoyed, Foster hugged Seacrest as he laughed and said, “Congratulations!” A life-changing experience indeed.
