‘Wheel of Fortune’ Contestant Wins $64,000 After Huge Comeback
A Wheel of Fortune contestant had a huge comeback and won $64,000 in the Bonus Round. It wasn’t looking good for her at the beginning of the game.
Emily Carlyle, from Ankeny, Iowa, played against Monica Finley, from Dallas, Georgia, and Dominic Vassallo, from Phelps, New York, on Friday, December 19. Carlyle is a water lover who jumped into fountains as a kid and once tried canoeing through mountain waterfalls.
Finley, a former roller-skating rink queen, solved the first toss-up. Carlyle solved the second.
Carlyle guessed most of the letters for the first puzzle until she landed on Bankrupt. The turn then moved to Vassallo, an elementary beginning band teacher, who solved “Worth Its Weight in Gold.”
Carlyle was two letters away from solving the next puzzle, but then the game show contestant landed on Bankrupt once again. Vassallo landed on the One Million Dollar Wedge and guessed a “V.” He solved “Valley Girl Scout Cookies,” giving him $4,700.
Vassallo solved the next puzzle early on. He won a trip to Lake Tahoe, where he would attend a Train concert. This gave him a wide lead with $15,700.
Carlyle finally added more money to her bank after solving two of the three Triple Toss Ups. Vassallo solved the third one.
With each letter worth $6,000 on the final puzzle, Carlyle made her total $24,000 after solving “It’s a Done Deal!” She took the lead and advanced to the Bonus Round.
Vassallo ended with $17,700, but didn’t advance as Carlyle made a huge comeback. Finley ended with $1,000.
Carlyle chose “Phrase” for her Bonus Round category. She brought her husband, Zac, with her. “What a comeback to get into the Bonus Round,” host Ryan Seacrest said.
After being given “R,S,T,L,N, and E,” she chose “H,C,D, and A.” Her puzzle then looked like “_AC_ T_ _AS_CS.”
Carylye didn’t hesitate as the clock started and solved “Back to Basics.” She added $40,000 to her total, giving her $64,000.
“Not just a comeback, it’s an almost Christmas miracle!” a YouTube user said.
“HUGE comeback!” said another.
“Great job, Emily! You did awesome,” a third added.
Wheel of Fortune, Weekdays, check local listings, stream next day on Hulu and Peacock
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