‘Wheel of Fortune’: Ryan Seacrest Is Stunned by Contestant’s $138,000 Win

A contestant shocked himself and Ryan Seacrest by solving the Bonus Round puzzle correctly with very few clues on the November 5 episode of Wheel of Fortune.

The show kicked off with a “Punctuation” category on the Fortune Frenzy puzzle. Contestants Luke and Ashley both put some money on the board by correctly guessing three and two puzzles, respectively, while Krista didn’t solve any of the puzzles.

Luke then dominated the first puzzle with the category “Famous Duo.” He bought all the vowels and correctly guessed the letters “N” (one), “D” (two), “Y” (two), and “Z” (two), then solved “Buzz Lightyear and Woody,” bringing his total up to $6,350.

Krista kicked things off for the second puzzle. The category was “What are you doing?” and she quickly got on the board by guessing “T,” of which there were three. She then bought all the vowels in the puzzle (two “E”, two “A,” one “I,” and one “O”), then successfully guessed “H,” of which there was one. She risked her money on the mystery wedge, which either had $10,000 or “Bankrupt,” and luck was on her side when it had the former. However, on her next spin for $3,500, she incorrectly guessed the letter “R,” as there were none in the puzzle.

Ashley correctly guessed “N” (two), “S” (two), and “G” (one), then solved the puzzle: “Flying by the seat of my pants.” The round ended with Luke still in the lead with $6,350, followed by Ashley with $5,600, and Krista with $0.

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The Prize Puzzle category was “Phrase.” Ashley spun a “Bankrupt,” then Luke correctly guessed “T,” of which there were two. He landed on the Express Wedge, giving him the option to earn $1,000 for each consonant he guessed correctly, but risked going “Bankrupt” if he called a letter that wasn’t on the board.

Luke flew through the puzzle, buying the “E” (four) and “A” (three) first before guessing consonants. Once he got a few on the board, he had the puzzle solved in his head, and earned $17,300 total with the Express Wedge when he got the “Stranger things have happened” phrase. His prize was a trip to Germany, Austria, and Hungary, worth $7,099.

In the Triple Toss-up, categorized “Building Words,” each played added $2,000 to their prize money. The final puzzle was categorized “Thing,” and Luke kicked it off by guessing “T” (one) correctly. He and Krista then landed on the “Bankrupt” wedge before the Final Spin buzzer rang.

Ashley correctly guessed “S” (one), Luke guessed “N,” of which there were four, Krista found two “Rs,” and Ashley guessed “G” (two). Luke was the one to solve the puzzle (“ringing endorsement”), though, after guessing “I” on his next turn.

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'Wheel of Fortune': Ryan Seacrest Thrilled by Last Second Victory

It was a runaway victory for Luke, who ended with $38,749. Ashley walked away with $7,600 and Krista $2,000. For the Bonus Round, Luke chose the category “Person,” and was given this puzzle: _ _ S _ _ _ _ _. He chose the letters “M,” “D,” “P,” and “O,” which brought hm to _ _ S _ _ O D _.

At first, Luke didn’t seem confident at all, but after just a few seconds, he broke out the correct answer, “BUSYBODY,” stunning both himself and Seacrest. “Dude, you got it!” the host raved, clapping Luke on the back. “How did you get there?!”

They were both even more excited when Seacrest revealed the prize: $100,000. “You had very few letters up there, very few clues,” he pointed out. “You talked it out, you got there, you shocked yourself, and you’re walking away with $138,479.”

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