The newest season of NBC’s The Wall started off with a bang thanks to two Northern Virginians. Prince William County’s Steven and Seth Hardeman ended the show’s season premiere by winning more than $1.6 million.
On Monday, January 5, the father-son duo from Triangle appeared on the sixth season of The Wall, filmed in summer 2024. Steven is a current school security officer in Prince William County. He previously served 15 years as a police officer and helped with rescue efforts at the Pentagon during the 9/11 attacks — earning him the Declaration of Valor from the Virginia governor. He played the game with his youngest son, Seth, who was in college studying to become a teacher at the time.
Throughout three rounds of the Plinko-inspired game, the duo answers trivia questions for the chance to win up to $12 million. According to NBCUniversal, “Get a question correct and a green ball will fall down the four-story wall and add the value of the slot to the players’ winning total. Miss a question and an ominous red ball will fall and deduct the value from the team’s total. Contestants compete in pairs and must blindly trust their loved ones to make the right decisions during the game to accumulate their earnings”
It was during the third round — aka High Stakes — that the Hardeman family won big. Out of the first four balls dropped during the third round, the second ball landed into the $1 million slot and the third ball landed in the $500,000 slot.
“I’m playing No. 6 for all the kids at Triangle Elementary,” said Steven before dropping the eventual $1 million ball. “And Chris, there have been at least six kids that have touched my heart so deeply. Kids that don’t have homes. Those kids make me stronger, and I want to continue to be there for them no matter what happens on this wall.”
During the game, the Hardemans reached a maximum of $1,910,641. By the end of the game, Steven and Seth went home with a total of $1,660,629 after Seth – who was in isolation the entire show and didn’t know how much money they had won – declined to sign the contract, guaranteeing them $170,632.
“I want to see a smile on your face, Dad,” said Seth before deciding whether or not to sign the deal. “I want you to know that after all the pain that was bottled up from having to quit your dream job to those nights where you didn’t know how things were going to get paid for, I want you to know that it wasn’t for nothing.”
Feature image by Greg Gayne/NBC
