The following story appeared in The National Enquirer:
by David Wright
Game show great Wink Martindale and his wife Sandy were too busy to visit their beloved Hawaii as often as they wanted – so they brought Hawaii to their own backyard.
“We wanted lush scenery and a H-U-G-E waterfall,” Wink told The ENQUIRER as the couple sipped a cool drink in the spectacular grotto-like swimming pool that graces their island paradise.
“Now we can pretend we’re in Maui even if we don’t have the time to get there!” said the performer, who sunk a ton of his Tic Tac Dough into his estate.
Wink and Sandy, who’ve been married 27 years, gave ENQUIRER readers an exclusive tour of their beautiful English Tudor home outside Los Angeles.
After a lifetime handing out prizes to lucky winners, the quiz show legend gave himself this six bedroom palace as a prize for a career that’s spanned an amazing 19 game shows.
A playful Wink introduced us to the estate’s other residents – four pet Chihuahuas – and put colorful Hawaiian leis around their necks. “This one is Rocky Elvis,” he said. “He sings and has been on the ‘Tonight Show.’”
The pooches love the 7,000-square-foot house – an elegant tribute to Wink and Sandy’s great decorating skills.
“We are a great team when it comes to decorating,” Sandy told The ENQUIRER. “We have the same taste.”
One of the home’s most striking pieces is the ornate antique bed in one of the guest rooms, bordered by a fringe of carved grapevines.
“The ceiling is mirrored,” laughed Sandy, “and all our guests love it – when you’re lying down and look up at your reflection, your stomach looks really flat!”
At 67, Wink revealed he is about to launch a new career – working INSIDE slot machines.
“It’s exciting,” he said. “A gaming company has developed video slot games where a ‘virtual’ Wink talks to the players by name while an animated Wink appears before them on a screen.”
The popular entertainer revealed that he doesn’t miss being without a game show. “If a really good one came along and I liked it, I’d do it in a minute. But I’m not pounding the pavement looking for a job.” Why bother – when you’re leaving in paradise.