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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — An Albuquerque man spun his way to riches on television Thursday night – winning $117,550 in cash and prizes, including a trip to Maui, on “Wheel of Fortune.”

The episode of the game show was taped on March 18 but aired Thursday at 6:30 p.m. on CBS.

In a phone interview after the episode aired, Mike Brannen, an executive producer of the KOB-TV morning show, said he was overwhelmed by all the well-wishes and congratulations he got from friends and family all over the country.

“I have friends who work at news stations all across the country,” the 29-year-old said. “Many of them were watching in their newsrooms and sending me pictures of them watching.”

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Reporters from KOB wished him luck throughout the day and posted photos of themselves watching the show on Twitter.

Brannen, who has lived in Albuquerque for the past 15 months, said it was his dream to go on the game show after he grew up watching it with his mother. He said his mother was in the crowd during the taping and he felt as though his dead grandmother was there in spirit.

He said just as he was about to spin the wheel in the final round, he tripped, almost running into the host Pat Sajak.

After he spun the wheel, it landed on the $100,000 spot, a very rare stroke of luck in the final round.

“I kind of like to believe it was my grandmother, Livia, who tripped me as I spun that wheel and it landed on the right envelope,” Brannen said. “My mother was in the audience, and when I was younger, we all used to watch the show together.”

Brannen said he tuned in to the show with his family again Thursday, joining their viewing party in Wisconsin and Chicago via FaceTime. “They were serving Vanna White Russians and Pat Sajak and Gingers,” he said.

Now that he can officially start planning what to do with his winnings, Brannen said he plans to go home to Wisconsin more often and pay down student loans and his father’s medical bills.

“I really enjoy traveling, and I’m looking forward to seeing my family more, now that I have some extra money,” he said.

As for his trip to Maui, Brannen’s not sure when he’s going to bid aloha to everyone, but he said it has to be sometime in the next year.