A Wheel of Fortune contestant has achieved the second confetti-ensuing win of the Ryan Seacrest era, and the equally rare feat of scaring the wits out of fans first.
On Monday, October 28’s episode, Brent, a career BBQ chef from Pocahontas, Arkansas, got cooking with multiple impressive solves. He proceeded to the coveted bonus round with $20,700 in cash, a prize trip to St. Lucia, and the off-side support of his adoring parents.
Fittingly selecting “Food and Drink,” he joined Seacrest center stage, and chose the additional letters of “G, C, P, O.” The three-word puzzle read, “_OT ‘_ _ _ GE’ ‘TOPP_NG’ and Seacrest remarked at his odds, “Not bad!”
However, while the answer came to many viewers right away, as made clear on social media, it did not come to Brent. When the ten-second timer began, Brent looked perplexed and guessed “Um, ‘Hot Large topping?”. It was abundantly clear he did not initially know the answer to the within-reach puzzle, causing one of the down-to-the-wire solves in memory.
With a mere four seconds to go, it came to him: “Hot Fudge Topping” he declared.
Seacrest ruled him correct and revealed the gold prize card contained the elusive $100,000. An explosion of confetti ensued with an over-the-moon Brent hugging his parents and the iconic Vanna White. “You did it!” Seacrest exclaimed, as his grand total was displayed: a towering $120,704.
The game show shared the big win on YouTube where fans in the comments section were overjoyed but also admitted to being put through an emotional rollercoaster, unable to recall such a close call on a jackpot win.
“I was worried for a moment,” the top comment read.
“Me, too! That was an amazing win!!!” replied another fan.
“What a great way to start off this week and it literally gave me a heart attack!” admitted a third.“I kept yelling ‘Hot Fudge Topping.’ Congratulations on winning $100,000, Brent,” wrote a fourth.The official WoF YouTube account responded to the user: “Maybe he heard you?”“Great player,” wrote a fifth. “Thank goodness ‘fudge’ came to him. What a nice piece of change!”“I was scared to DEATH he wasn’t gonna get it, but REAL happy he did!” wrote one more.Meanwhile, WoF viewers are getting used to Seacrest, who officially replaced Pat Sajak after four decades last month. His debut month was the strongest in ratings for WoF in the past three years, as was announced last week. That said, the transition inevitably hasn’t been letter-perfect.Related‘Wheel of Fortune’ Player Loses $50,000 in Ironic FashionEarlier this month, viewers called out the host for an on-air blunder they dubbed his “first blooper”, which involved a delayed reaction to rewarding a player a bonus round. Fans also called out the host for ruling another player had lost before the timer was up. And there have been a few on-screen “glitches,” as well as the recurrence of lackluster trip destinations (Salem, Massachusetts?).Wheel of Fortune weeknights, check local listings
More Headlines:
‘Wheel of Fortune’ Player Wins $100,000 After Snafu Gives Fans a ‘Heart Attack’ (VIDEO)‘The Madison’: Patrick J. Adams Is ‘Having an Incredible Time’ Filming ‘Yellowstone’ SpinoffWho Will Replace Andrea Mitchell? Here’s Who Some Viewers Are Already Rooting ForHow to Watch Every ‘Halloween’ Movie Right Now‘9-1-1’: Oliver Stark on What Buck Wants in a Relationship (VIDEO)
