‘Wheel of Fortune’ Fans Are Stunned by Amazing Solve in Resurfaced Clip
Not many people can say they’ve been frisked by Pat Sajak. This is exactly what happened to a Wheel of Fortune contestant in 2014 when he incredibly solved a Bonus Round puzzle.
Emil De Leon, a nursing student from Daly City, California, had won the game with $18,099 in March 2014. The clip was resurfaced on Instagram in September 2026.
He was given the normal “R,S,T,L,N, and E” by the game show for his “Thing” puzzle. He picked “H,M,D, and O.”
Even after his picks, the puzzle looked like “NE_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _.” When Vanna White didn’t move, Sajak said, “Oh wow! This looks tough to me.”
When the clock counted down, De Leon guessed “New Baby Buggy.” At first, nothing happened, and he kept on guessing, but then the puzzle filled in with his guess.
“Oh!” he said. When he realized, De Leon screamed and clutched his chest. Sajak shook his head and then told the game show contestant to put his hands up.
View this post on Instagram
When Sajak turned De Leon around, he frisked him, checking to make sure there were no wires or anything on him that would cause him to cheat. After the host found nothing, he opened the envelope, revealing it contained $45,000 in it. This meant that De Leon took home $63,099.
Sajak walked off the stage as the contestant celebrated with his family and friends. “I’m rather stunned,” Sajak said.
“Even the producers weren’t ready,” an Instagram user wrote with laughing emojis.
“They were like, ‘wait wtf, he got it, press the button!’ Haha,” a fan replied.
“Pat just frisking him at the end is just icing on the cake lol,” another said.
“The most impressive solve in Wheel of Fortune history!” a fan wrote.
“This might be the best Bonus Round solve to date,” another commented.
“What? How?” another asked.
In a new deleted tweet, Sajak called it the “most amazing solve in my 30+ years on the show,” according to The Hollywood Reporter.
“I am overwhelmed, this is surreal. I can’t look at the Internet without seeing my face all over it,” De Leon told the outlet. “I’ve watched both of the million-dollar winners but — and I don’t want to put myself on a high horse — I don’t know if anyone else could have done that as well as I did.”
Wheel of Fortune, weekdays, check local listings, stream next day on Hulu and Peacock
Spin That Wheel
Get absolutely everything about Wheel of Fortune in your inbox!
Watchlist Easy access to only the shows you care about — all in one simple place
Alerts Only important notifications — when a show is returning, when it becomes available to stream, and more.
Special Offers Exclusive products we release related to your favorite shows and streaming services