When it comes to Wheel of Fortune’s coveted bonus round, a player’s additional letters often make the difference between them drawing a blank and making bank. On Thursday, December 19’s episode, fans said a contestant’s “great letter choices” on a “tough” puzzle paid off in a huge way and allowed her to go home $40,000 richer.
The big win involved Lidia Abbott, a mom-of-four from Winchester, Kentucky who, wildly enough, shared that she went into labor during her first WoF audition. She proceeded to the bonus round with an impressive $28,729 in cash and a trip to the Bahamas. In fact, the episode was a bit of a blowout as one of her opponents finished with $1,000 (and whipped up a very wrong eggnog puzzle guess) and the other with $0. She chose “What Are You Doing?” as the category.
Joined by her son Steele, mom, and husband, she sized up the two-word puzzle. Abbot chose “DCMA” as her additional letters. The “M” gave her the first letter of the first word, and going with “A” as her vowel cracked the puzzle wide open. It read as, “M A _ _ N _ / _ N A _ _ _ _ N T _ E N T.”
The 10-second timer began, and Abbot got the puzzle correct instantly on her very first guess: “Making an Appointment.”
Her jaw dropped in disbelief as the iconic Vanna White cheered. “No!” she exclaimed. Ryan Seacrest said, “Yeah! Uh huh, yes!” The host opened the prize card to reveal she won an extra $40,000 for a whopping $68,729 total.
The game show shared the well-played bonus round on YouTube, where many fans pointed out that her savvy letter picks did the trick.
“Great Letter choices by Lydia because the “M” was the right consonant to pick & the “A” was the right vowel to pick turn into a good solve to win,” one fan wrote.
“If she didn’t pick A as her vowel, she would’ve been toast,” wrote another.“Easy one after the ‘A’ which means great, fortunate letter selections,” echoed a third.“It was quite tough, but thank goodness she did it, and she won $68,729! Nice job for her!” wrote a fourth.
“I felt Lydia was cooked when she picked WHAT ARE YOU DOING. Boy was I wrong this time,” wrote a fifth.
“Fantastic job, Lydia! I hope you and your family enjoy all the moolah!” wrote one more.
Related‘Wheel of Fortune’: Ryan Seacrest Mistake Almost Costs Player $50,000 – Fans React
Meanwhile, fans are largely enjoying Seacrest, who replaced the legendary Pat Sajak after four decades this season. His debut month was the strongest ratings month for WoF in the past three years, and he’s endeared fans with his contestant interviews, which he does without cue cards. That said, he’s had some questionable host moments, especiallly this month.
In early December, controversy ensued when the host denied a player’s correct puzzle solve because she didn’t ring in first, despite being the only player left allowed who could answer it. And earlier this week, some fans accused the host of nearly costing a player $50,000 as he seemingly didn’t hear her correctly solve her bonus puzzle, prompting her to say the exact same thing a second time to win it.
What did you think of the latest WoF bonus puzzle win? Did you solve it? Spin to the comments section below to share your thoughts!Wheel of Fortune, Weeknights, Check your local listings
More Headlines:
‘Wheel of Fortune’ Player’s Clever Move Brings $40,000 Win‘Jeopardy!’ Contestant Heartbreak as Husband Dies Just Before Her Episode AirsGil Birmingham Has Known ‘Yellowstone’s Ending Since Day One‘Wheel of Fortune’ Player Whisks up Hilariously Wrong ‘Eggnog’ AnswerWill LaGuerta & Angel Hook Up on ‘Dexter: Original Sin’? Christina Milian Dishes on the Possibility
