A Jonesboro couple took home $185,432 on NBC’s game show *The Wall,* which aired its 100th episode Monday night, Aug. 24.

Nick Smith and Ellie Stafford Smith competed for a chance to win up to $12 million on the game, which combines trivia and chance. The Smiths said they had no prior familiarity with the show until contacted by casting producers.

“I thought it was a spam call when she said, ‘The Wall,’” Ellie said. “I was like, ‘Wait, I need to look this up! I don’t know what it is, but I’ll pick it up!’”

Ellie Smith’s prior community work helped bring the couple to the show’s national stage. Between 2017 and 2020, she raised more than $20,000 for Make-A-Wish by baking over 600 strawberry pies using a family recipe. Ellie credited her late grandfather, C.P. Stafford, who passed away in 2017, as the source of her inspiration.

“Any time I get to talk about him is great,” she said. “I love him, I miss him so much. He was my biggest supporter. He was one of the most genuine people I’ve ever met.”

Taped in Los Angeles and kept under wraps for over a year, the episode took the Smiths back to their early marriage. “I had blonde hair. We were two years married,” Ellie recalled.

On *The Wall,* contestants answer trivia questions to build a potential jackpot. Correct answers trigger a green ball, which adds money to their total. Incorrect responses release red balls, which subtract from their winnings. Strategy also plays a role as participants face high-stakes decisions during the game.

“Playing the game, we kinda figured out what we liked, what we didn’t like, and kinda went risky sometimes and kinda didn’t,” Nick Smith said. “We came up with a pretty good strategy, we thought, for our game.”

The Smiths amassed nearly $400,000 during their turn on the wall, but the game’s final moments introduced uncertainty. Nick ultimately opted to sign a contract securing the couple’s winnings at $185,432.

Although the outcome had been long decided, the Smiths said they were excited to relive the experience during Monday’s episode.

“We didn’t get to see what each of us did in parts of it too, so, we’re thinking, you know, it’s kind of exciting and nerve-wracking for both of us to watch,” Ellie said.

The couple declined to share details of their winnings ahead of the broadcast, wanting viewers to tune in. “Everybody I’ve told, I’ve said, ‘You’ve waited two years, you might as well wait a couple more days,’” Ellie said.

The episode aired locally on K8 NBC, allowing friends, family, and supporters to watch the Smiths celebrate their unique achievement.