‘Wheel of Fortune’ Contestant ‘Steals’ Final Puzzle & Gets Huge Win

Martin Holmes March 15, 10:31 am

Wheel of Fortune puzzle — Wheel of Fortune/YouTube

It was a tense game of Wheel of Fortune on Thursday night (March 14) as one contestant swooped in at the last moment to clinch the final puzzle and cement their spot in the Bonus Round.

The contestant in question was Max McGee from Lake Barrington, Illinois, who told host Pat Sajak he watches the show every day at 5:30 am after recording it the night before. He also revealed he was on the musical variety television series Dance Fever back in the 1980s.

McGee had reason to dance after Thursday’s game, where he snuck in at the last second to “steal” an answer from fellow contestant Patricia Blackburn-Hunt from Miami, Florida.

For the final puzzle of regular play, the three contestants, including New Rochelle, New York native Billie Kolinsky, were trying to figure out a five-word puzzle under the “Phrase” category.

With the letters on the board reading, “_ / _ _ _ T _ N _ /_ _ / T_ _ / _ _ N _ _,” Blackburn-Hunt made a bold play, choosing to guess the whole puzzle. She answered, “A Meeting of the Mind,” but was deemed incorrect.

After Kolinsky chose a letter rather than make a guess, it allowed McGee to jump in for the steal, answering correctly, “A Meeting of the Minds.”

Sajak congratulated McGee on the solve, which cemented his spot in the Bonus Round. The iconic host also praised Blackburn-Hunt, telling her, “That was a terrific guess, and I am so sorry. One letter got you there.”

“It would’ve been a great solve,” he continued, turning his attention to McGee. “Obviously, Patricia left that ‘S’ off. But you picked it up, and you end up as the big winner.”

Feeling confident after his victory, McGee decided to select the “Phrase” category again for the Bonus Round. He was faced with a board that read, “_E / _ RE / _O_ _ N_ / _OR_ _RD.”

While initially seeming stumped, his decision to stick with “Phrase” paid off, as he correctly answered “We Are Moving Forward” just before the ten-second timer ran out. Sajak had to check with the judges to ensure McGee answered before the buzzer, and they gave the thumbs up.

In addition to his $32,910 cash in regular play and trip to the U.S. Virgin Islands, McGee earned himself a brand new Ford Mustang Convertible valued at $44,735, giving him a grand total of $77,645.

Some viewers felt like McGee didn’t deserve his spot in the Bonus Round, with one fan on X (formerly Twitter) writing, “Max definitely STOLE it from Patricia! He COULDN’T have done it on his own! He would’ve thought the puzzle solve was an “E”! LMAOOOOO!”