‘Wheel of Fortune’ Contestant Wins $60,000 After Randomly Picking Letters
Sometimes going with your gut is worth it. A Wheel of Fortune contestant won $60,200 after randomly picking letters without any real thought during the Bonus Round. It left her with only two blanks, which led her to solve the puzzle easily.
Chantal Alleyne, from Brooklyn, New York, played against Ryan Van de Giesen, from North Attleborough, Massachusetts, and Darlee Olson, from Reedley, California, on December 18. Alleyen is a carnival chaser who travels to said festivals across the Caribbean Sea.
Alleyne and Van de Giesen, a former high school and Curry College quarterback and volunteer coach, both solved a toss-up and the next two puzzles. Van de Giesen led with $6,700 after the two rounds.
Olson, a creative person and grandma, finally got on the board when she solved the prize puzzle — “Cycling Around the Island” — for $20,165 and a trip to Barbados.
Alleyne swept the Triple Toss-Up and solved all three for $10,000. This gave the game show contestant $12,700 and a chance to make it to the Bonus Round. She solved the final puzzle — “Superman or Batman?” — for $7,500. This put her just over the top with $20,200.
She advanced to the Bonus Round. Olson had $20,165. Van de Giesen went home with $6,700.
Alleyne chose “Food & Drink” for her Bonus Round category. She brought her mom, Pam, with her to cheer her on.
After being given “R,S,T,L,N, and E” by Wheel of Fortune, it was time for Alleyne to pick four more letters to round out her puzzle. She chose “C, M, B, and A.” The puzzle then looked like “CR_MB CA_E.”
The audience gasped, and Ryan Seacrest told them to hold on. The contestant solved “Crumb Cake” before the timer could even start. “Yes! Yes!” she shouted.
She added $40,000 to her total, which gave her $60,200.
“Did you randomly guess those letters?” Ryan Seacrest asked her.
“I did,” Alleyne nodded. “I did.”
“Well, you picked almost all of the letters up there,” the host responded. “Way to go!”
Wheel of Fortune, Weekdays, check local listings, stream next day on Hulu and Peacock
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