‘Wheel of Fortune’: Pat Sajak Shocked By Player’s Solve With One Letter
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Sometimes it only takes one letter to figure out the puzzle on Wheel of Fortune, but most of the time, that letter goes with at least a few more. It’s rare to see someone solve a puzzle with just one letter on the board, but that’s exactly what happened in the March 25 episode.
Tom Stednicki was already having a great game even before the final puzzle ahead of the bonus round. In fact, he was the one to spin the wheel when it came time to see how much each letter would be worth for everyone and he landed on $5000. “I don’t know if he’s happy about that or not because he’s got a big lead,” host Pat Sajak remarked. The category was On the Map, and with just an S on the board (pictured above), Tom solved it: Glacier Bay Alaska.
“Of course,” Sajak said. “How’d you do that?” According to Tom, “I looked a lot at maps before this game.” Still surprised, Sajak replied, “Oh, did you? That’s exactly what I would have said. I would have said it like eight letters down the road.” With a total of $33,048, Tom went to the bonus round, “unless you’d like to solve the puzzle now,” Sajak quipped.
That wasn’t the first time the host commented on the player’s game play. After Tom solved a puzzle, Living Things, earlier (Large Herd of Caribou), Sajak noted, “there was a hesitancy that scared the caribou out of me there.”
And Sajak echoed that sentiment when, during the bonus round, Tom (who chose Phrase) slowly selected his letters (I, M, G, and B) with the board reading _ T _ _ S _ _L_ _E. “You know, for a really good solver, you sound perpetually confused,” the host said. Though Tom’s selection only gave him an I in front of the T, Sajak thought, “if anyone can pull this out, maybe it’s him.” He was wrong; Tom only got as far as “It was a…” and kept trying “plane.” (The correct answer was It Was a Fluke.)
After time ran out, Sajak told him, with a laugh, “No, it wasn’t, no matter how many times you say it. That was a good try. I love your style. It’s rather chaotic.” He then showed him that he lost $50,000 and noted, “he kind of deserved that the way he solved puzzles there.” As the show went to commercial break, Sajak said to Tom, “I thought you were going to pull that out.”
What did you think of Tom’s game play, his solve, and the bonus round puzzle? Let us know in the comments section, below.
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