‘Wheel of Fortune’ Contestant Shocks Ryan Seacrest With Super-Fast $65,000 Solve

'Wheel of Fortune' contestant Delinda Rood during Bonus Round on November 4, 2025
Wheel of Fortune/YouTube

What To Know

  • Delinda Rood from Minnesota won $65,650 on Wheel of Fortune after solving the Bonus Round puzzle “Warm Quilt” with remarkable speed, surprising host Ryan Seacrest.
  • Throughout the game, Rood outperformed her competitors by solving multiple toss-ups and puzzles, securing a trip to Scottsdale, Arizona, and advancing to the Bonus Round with $20,650.
  • Her quick and confident Bonus Round solve earned her an additional $45,000, making her the night’s top winner ahead of fellow contestants Justin Zamora and Shateria Smith.

A Wheel of Fortune contestant took home $65,650 after solving the Bonus Round puzzle with lightning speed. Host Ryan Seacrest was shocked at how fast she got it.

Delinda Rood, from Rosemount, Minnesota, played against Justin Zamora, from Palo Alto, California, and Shateria Smith, from Chattanooga, Tennessee, on Tuesday, November 4. Rood is a self-proclaimed ambivert, which is a combination of an introvert and an extrovert.

None of the three game show contestants solved the first toss-up before the full thing was revealed to be “My Game Face.” Rood solved the second toss-up, “Practical Joker,” for $2,000.

Zamora, a man who proposed to his now-fiancée after a seven-hour hike, solved “Candy Girl You Are My World” for $12,549. He also won a Norway vacation after landing on the wedge.

Smith, an author and entrepreneur, obtained the One Million Dollar Wedge when she solved “Summer & Boot Camp.” She put $1,900 in her bank. Smith solved most of the next puzzle, until she guessed a wrong letter. Rood swooped in and solved “Spoil Yourself At The Spa” with only a few letters left. She won a trip to Scottsdale, Arizona, giving her a total of $10,950.

Rood solved two of the three triple toss-ups, while Smith solved the last one. Rood secured her place in the Bonus Round by solving the last puzzle — “A Tough Nut To Crack.” She ended the game with $20,650. Zamora ended with $12,549. Smith went home with $3,900.

Rood chose “Around The House” for her Bonus Round category. She brought her daughter, Molly, and her husband, Mark, with her.

After Wheel of Fortune gave her “R,S,T,L,N, and E,” she chose “M,V,K, and A” to round out her puzzle. It then looked like “_ARM  _ _ _LT.”

As soon as the timer counted down, Rood said, “For my mother-in-law, ‘Warm Quilt.'”

“Yeah,” a shocked Ryan Seacrest said. “Did you know it? Did you know it?”

He revealed the envelope to have $45,000 in it, giving her a total of $65,650. “Looks like you knew it! Congratulations!” Seacrest said.

“You didn’t even have to guess out loud. You knew it right there with those letters, right?” he asked.

“I knew it!” Rood nodded.

Wheel of Fortune, weekdays, check local listings, stream next day on Hulu and Peacock