‘Wheel of Fortune’: Newlywed Gets Consoled by Ryan Seacrest After Agonizing $57,000 Loss
A newlywed Wheel of Fortune contestant missed out on taking home $57,000, but at least she gets to go on a honeymoon trip to Barbados. The contestant, who recently wed and bought a house with her now husband, groaned in agony after missing out in the Bonus Round. But host Ryan Seacrest was on hand to console her.
Jen Casillas, from Chicago, Illinois, solved the first Toss-up on September 23. She played against Nyim Greenwood, from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Anthony Gagliardi, from Naples, Florida. Casillas, who just got married and bought a house, also solved the second Toss-up.
She had taken a honeymoon out of her mind due to being on the show two weeks after her wedding to Mark, but intended to win a trip, so they could take one later. Casillas also collects oddities, like artwork and taxidermy critters, and placed them around their new home.
Greenwood, a men’s fashion stylist who is obsessed with Keke Palmer, took the lead with $3,100 when he solved the first puzzle — “Winning at Hopscotch.” With only one letter left, Greenwood tried to solve the Crossword puzzle in the category “In the Garden.” He said, “Flowers, Root, Soil, Step,” but he was wrong. Casillas swooped in and solved “Flowers, Soil, Root, Stem” for $1,000.
Gargliardi, a member of a big Italian family who likes to eat pasta every day, but not garlic, solved most of the letters in the next puzzle. When he guessed a wrong letter, the turn moved to Casillas, who solved “The Ocean Blue.” She won a trip to Barbados, which gave her a total of $13,815, and her honeymoon destination.
Casillas solved two of the three Triple Toss-ups. Greenwood solved the third. With only a few letters left to guess, Greenwood solved the final puzzle — “Your Goose Is Cooked.” He ended with $10,200.
Gagliardi did not win any money, so Wheel of Fortune gave him $1,000. Casillas ended with $17,815. She advanced to the Bonus Round, where she chose “Phrase.”
The game show gave her “R,S,T,L,N, and E.” To round out her puzzle, she chose “M,B,D, and A.”
Her puzzle then looked like “TA_ _N_ _L_ _ _T. As the clock counted down, Casillas guessed “Tailing” and “Taming.”
She couldn’t figure out “Taking Flight.” The envelope had $40,000 inside, which would have given her $51,815.
Casillas ended by saying it was “Okay.” Ryan Seacrest consoled her and said, “Of course it was,” because she had Mark and $17,815.
Wheel of Fortune, weekdays, check local listings, stream next day on Hulu and Peacock
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