‘Wheel of Fortune’: Emotional Chicago Bulls Fan Hugs Ryan Seacrest After $57,000 Win

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A Wheel of Fortune contestant was so excited to win $57,000 that she tightly hugged host Ryan Seacrest, which caused his foot to pop up in the air. See how the enthusiastic contestant did.

After a few misses from all of the contestants, Kerri Druckmiller, from Oak Park, Illinois, solved two of the Fortune Frenzies on October 13. Mohan Gopalakrishnan, from Charlotte, North Carolina, solved one, but he came close to solving a few more. They played against Chari Daniels, from Corsicana, Texas.

Druckmiller, a lifelong Chicago Bulls fan, solved the “Same Letter” puzzle — “Drive, Defense, Dribble” — for $3,800. Daniels, a woman who has a blended family with seven children, guessed an “N” for the next puzzle after landing on the Mystery Wedge. She picked it up and went Bankrupt, so the turn moved on.

Druckmiller, after landing on a Boston Celtics game wedge, tried to solve “Wristband and Headband,” but was incorrect. Daniels landed on Bankrupt again. Gopalakrishnan, whose real name is 34 letters long, solved “Wristbands and Headbands,” giving him $2,500.

After much back-and-forth between the contestants over solving letters, Druckmiller solved “It’s a Slam Dunk.” The teacher won a trip to Ireland, giving her a total of $14,998.

Daniels finally got on the board when she solved two of the three Triple Toss-ups, putting $4,000 in her bank. Druckmiller solved the third. Daniels was then on a roll and solved the “80s Song Lyrics” puzzle — “Don’t Stop Believin'” for $7,150.

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Gopalakrishnan ended with $6,850 when he solved the final puzzle — “Folk Festival.” Daniels went home with $7,150.

Druckmiller won the game with $16,998. She advanced to the Bonus Round, where the game show contestant picked “Phrase.”

Wheel of Fortune gave her “R,S,T,LN, and E.” Druckmiller rounded out her puzzle with “D,C,M, and O.”

This made the puzzle look like “_ROM   _ _ _   DO_NTO_N.” Druckmiller quickly solved “From Way Downtown.”

“She scoooores,” Seacrest said. Druckmiller lightly shoved the host and then hugged him, causing him to pop his foot up.

Since there was $40,000 in the envelope, she won $56,998. Druckmiller might return on Friday if she is in the top three highest winners of the week. At the end of the show, Seacrest told Vanna White that Druckmiller’s enthusiasm was “contagious.”

Wheel of Fortune, weekdays, check local listings, stream next day on Hulu and Peacock