‘Wheel of Fortune’: Ryan Seacrest Gets Pushed by Contestant After $74,000 Win

A Wheel of Fortune contestant was shocked after they won $74,000 in the Bonus Round puzzle. They were so surprised that they pushed host Ryan Seacrest and were left speechless.

Chad Hedrick, a long-time local TV reporter from Lexington, Kentucky, played against Michelle Hutson-Crawford, from Pflugerville, Texas, and Rudy Dinglas, from Fallston, Maryland, on January 23. Hedrick is a country music lover who has gone to 20 concerts throughout Kentucky in the past year.

Hedrick buzzed in on the first toss-up, but Hutson-Crawford, a baker, solved it for $1,000. Hedrick solved the second one for $2,000.

Dinglas, an ice cream lover who drove to 14 creameries across Maryland last summer, solved the first puzzle — “Serves, Returns, & Volleys” — for $1,800. Hedrick took the lead when he solved the “Crossword” Puzzle in the category “I’m Feeling — “Joy, Jubilant, Glee, Delight” — putting $3,000 in his bank.

Dinglas won a trip to Croatia when he solved “A Must-Visit Destination,” making his total $13,455. With only a few letters revealed in the Triple Toss-Ups, Hedrick solved all of them, putting $10,000 in his bank. This made his total $13,000.

During the spin for the final puzzle, Hedrick landed on “Lose a Turn” twice and then “Bankrupt” before settling on $600, which made the consonants worth $1,600. With only four “T’s” on the board, he solved “Catch-Twenty-Two” for $6,400, giving him $19,400 and the win.

“I didn’t even get through what I was trying to say there, and you did it,” Ryan Seacrest said.

Hutson-Crawford went home with $1,000. Dinglas almost had the win with $13,455.

Hedrick brought his mom, Leslie, and his sister, Holly, with him to the Bonus Round. He chose “Around the House” for his Bonus Round category.

Wheel of Fortune gave him “R,S,T,L,N, and E” and Hedrick picked “B,F,K, and A” to round out his puzzle. It then looked like “_ _FF_  BLANKET.”

“A Fluffy Blanket, A Puffy Blanket,” he guessed.

“There it is,” the host said.

“No!” Hedrick replied.

The game show contestant stood in silence, putting his hands on his head. “You alright?” Seacrest asked.

“You’re lying!” Hedrick said.

“I’m not,” the host replied. When Seacrest showed the contestant that he had $55,000 in the envelope, he pushed him gently on the arm and said, “You’re lying!”

“I don’t know if you want me to read more numbers to you, but your grand total is $74,400,” Seacrest said. “Why were you so surprised by yourself?”

“I had a moment of panic, like words are not coming,” Hedrick said.

“Panic looks good on you,” Seacrest said. “It worked out just fine.”

“I’m speechless, and that never happens,” the contestant replied.