‘Wheel of Fortune’: Player’s Emotional $57K Win, Plus Ryan & Vanna Have Snowball Fight

The winning streak continued on Thursday’s (January 23) episode of Wheel of Fortune as another contestant nailed the Bonus Round puzzle and walked away with a huge cash prize.
Thursday’s game saw a showdown between Jocelyn Smith, a professor at the University of North Carolina from Greensboro, North Carolina, Sherry Gatlin, a grandmother of three who worked for the FBI for 33 years from Lincoln, Nebraska, and TJ VanDeWeerd, a bushcraft camper and father of two daughters from Ruskin, Florida.
From the start, Smith showed impressive puzzle-solving skills, landing the first Toss-Up puzzle and the Round 1 “Phrase” puzzle, which gave her an early lead of $6,700. VanDeWeerd got on the board in the Mystery Round with $2,150, but Smith fired back in the Express Round, increasing her winnings to $15,698 and bagging herself a trip to New York.
Each contestant solved a puzzle in the Triple Toss Up round, and VanDeWeerd scored the final Speed Up puzzle. However, none of this was enough to jump ahead of Smith, who won the episode with $17,698.
Heading into the Bonus Round, Smith introduced her “sister friend” Zaina, aka Dr. Z, and selected the often tricky “Phrase” category along with the additional letters “H, C, P, and A.”
Those turned out to be good choices, as she was left with a five-word puzzle that read, “_ / H A _ E / A / _ A C _ _ P / P L A N.”
Host Ryan Seacrest wished her luck, and as soon as the ten-second timer started, Smith was ready with the answer, shouting, “I Have A Backup Plan.” The answer was correct, making it four episodes in a row where a contestant has solved the Bonus Puzzle.
Seacrest then opened the prize envelope to reveal Smith had added an extra $40,000 to her winnings, giving her a grand total of $57,698 cash and a trip to New York. Smith celebrated and looked emotional as she hugged Dr. Z.
“The winning streak is now keeps on going! Congratulations for the winners!” wrote one YouTube commenter.
“Way to go, Jocelyn! Four times in a row!” said another.
“Let’s make a perfect week, this season has been overdue for one,” another added.
Another wrote, “Great job, Jocelyn! You nailed that one in a heartbeat and now you’re swimming in moolah! Great way to end the show!”
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Elsewhere, the show shared a behind-the-scenes clip of Seacrest and co-host Vanna White filming their Winter Wonderland vignettes in Park City, Utah. This included the hosts having a snowball fight (White nailed Seacrest right in the mouth), enjoying cups of cocoa, and Seacrest taking a tumble on the slopes.
“This is just the cutest thing I’ve ever seen,” said one Instagram commenter on the Seacrest and White video.
“You two are so great together! Feels like the show has been refreshed with a new fun feeling,” said another.
Another wrote, “I love you two together! Such great chemistry.”
“Work on your throwing @ryanseacrest !! And @officialvannawhite nice shot! At least it is soft snow!” joked another.
What did you think of Thursday’s episode? Did you solve the final Bonus Round puzzle? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Wheel of Fortune, Weeknights, Check local listings
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