‘Wheel of Fortune’: Knicks Fan Squeezes Ryan Seacrest After Incredible $70,000 Win

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A Wheel of Fortune contestant guaranteed himself a spot in the tournament after a come-from-behind win. The contestant took home $70,000 after correctly solving the bonus round puzzle. He then hugged and squeezed host Ryan Seacrest as he joyfully celebrated his incredible comeback win.

This week on the game show is NBA week. NBA fans are competing for a spot in Friday’s tournament, where the three highest winners return and play against NBA legends for a chance to win more money.

Mike Gonzalez, from Jensen Beach, Florida, solved one Fortune Frenzy on October 14, giving him $1,000. Jacob Whatley, from Indianapolis, Indiana, solved two, putting him in a quick lead. They played against Timenee Thomas, from Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Gonzalez, a Knicks fan who is obsessed with Rocky Balboa, took the lead with $2,850 when he solved “Footlong Hot Dogs.” During the next puzzle, Thomas, who has her own cover band, picked up the Mystery Wedge, which had $10,000 on the other side. She put that money in her bank when she solved the “Before & After” puzzle — “Liquid Paper Towels.” This gave her $11,150. She celebrated so hard that her hoop earrings fell off.

Whatley put more money in his bank when he solved “Locker Room Pep Talk.” Since it was the prize puzzle, he won a trip to Vietnam and had a total of $9,090.

Gonzalez solved two of the three Triple Toss-ups, putting $4,000 more in his bank. Thomas solved the third for $2,000.

It became anyone’s game when Gonzalez spun $5,000 for the final puzzle, meaning consonants were worth $6,000. Gonzalez had $24,000 by the end after solving “Portfolio Manager” with only one letter left to solve. He took the lead with $30,850.

Thomas went home with $13,150. Whatley had $9,090. Gonzalez chose “Person” for his Bonus Round category.

Wheel of Fortune gave him “R,S,T,L,N, and E.” He chose “C,H,D, and O.” His puzzle then looked like “_ _THOR_T_   _ _ _ _RE.”

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The clock barely counted down before Gonzalez solved “Authority Figure.” There was $40,000 in the envelope, which gave him $70,850.

Gonzalez, who was a lock to come back for the tournament on Friday, was in disbelief. The game show contestant threw his fists in the air, cheered, hugged host Ryan Seacrest, and folded over in disbelief.

“I loved Mike. Especially because he’s a Knicks fan. KNICKS IN 5!!!!!!” a Reddit user said.

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