'Wheel of Fortune' contestant's dad rushes to the stage and gives him a warm hug after big win
"Wheel of Fortune" stands out for the celebrations by contestants as much as the games and the prizes that they win. At times, the reaction to a win could be dramatic, and sometimes things get emotional. After a recent Bonus Round victory, fans were ecstatic to see a special father-son bond on the sets. Mike Nunes won a total of $64,750 after facing a string of bad luck in the earlier rounds. After seeing his son win, Tony, his father, who was supporting him from backstage, couldn't contain his joy. He rushed onto the stage, threw his fists in the air, and gave Mike a strong hug before swinging him around.
According to TVInsider, Mike gave a dismal performance during the first two tossups, and his opponent took the lead. But he soon defeated her using his 'Wheel of Fortune' college drinking game experience in the next round by solving “Standing The Test of Time.” His opponent landed on the bankruptcy wedge, leaving Mike to win a trip to Curacao along with a total earnings of $13,250 after rightfully guessing the puzzle, which was "No Better Place to Unwind".
During the 'Triple Toss Ups', his competitor correctly solved one puzzle while Mike solved two and ended up advancing to the Bonus Round with a collective earnings of $24,750. The game show awarded $1,000 to Berry, the third contestant, who was unable to make any money. As the Bonus Round began, Seacrest couldn't help but notice an excited Tony cheering from backstage. “Somebody keeps yelling, ‘Mikey, Mikey’ from over there in the corner,” he said, “Who is that?” "Oh, yeah, that's my dad," Mike revealed.
"What do you think of him? He's doing all right?" the host quizzed the excited father. "He's doing awesome," Tony praised his son. “He seems like a lot of fun as a dad,” Seacrest fawned over their bond. "Oh, he's an even better grandpa," Mike lauded his dad. The contestant then went with 'Phrases' for the grand round, and the puzzle board looked “AL_ _E AND _ _ _ _ _N_," after he was given “R, S, T, L, N, and E.” Mike picked “D, B, M, and A”, he correctly guessed the answer as "Alive and Kicking" after first fumbling "Alive and Thriving." Mike won $40,000 from the Bonus Round, which skyrocketed his total earnings to $64,750.
Fans enjoyed watching Tony's enthusiasm for his son and Mike's season 42 final week win, "Papa Nunes, hasn’t aged a day! LFG Mikey," a viewer @LaddOnFire wrote. "One for the money, two for the show, and $40,000!!!!!! to go Congratulations, Mike!" @alexwells9948 added. "Good thing he was able to figure it out. That was tough," @lunamelody2025 chimed in.
