ECONOMY & WORK
MONEY 101
NEWS
PERSONAL FINANCE
NET WORTH
About Us Contact Us Privacy Policy Terms of Use DMCA Opt-out of personalized ads
© Copyright 2023 Market Realist. Market Realist is a registered trademark. All Rights Reserved. People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.
MARKETREALIST.COM / NEWS

'Wheel of Fortune' contestant stuns Ryan Seacrest by solving a tough puzzle to win $89,000

As Heather took a second to solve the final puzzle, Seacrest admitted she made it look easy.
PUBLISHED JUL 2, 2025
Screenshot showing the puzzle  (Image source: YouTube/Wheel Of Fortune)
Screenshot showing the puzzle (Image source: YouTube/Wheel Of Fortune)

"Wheel of Fortune" is supposed to be all fun and games, but sometimes fans accuse the producers of throwing impossible puzzles at contestants. Although at times, players throw away easy games, there are those who surprise everyone with extraordinary performances. One such contestant left the fans and the host, Ryan Seacrest, stunned after winning nearly $90,000 on the show. The player, Heather Foster, made it all the way to the show's coveted Bonus Round with prizes worth nearly $50,000. She had the same momentum in the final round as well when she solved the bonus puzzle in less than a second. As she won another $40,000, Seacrest had to admit that she made it all look easy. 

Screenshot showing Ryan Seacrest congratulating Heather (Image source: YouTube/Wheel Of Fortune)
Screenshot showing Ryan Seacrest congratulating Heather (Image source: YouTube/Wheel Of Fortune)

As she took on her opponents, Babatunde Oyelowo and Eric Dotterer, Foster took the lead by solving the first two puzzles. However, by the third puzzle, both Oyelowo and Dotterer did their best to catch up to her as they solved one puzzle each, while Foster landed on the “Lose a Turn” wedge. She then made a comeback by solving another puzzle to take the lead back with $3,700 in cash. By the fourth puzzle, she landed on the $3,500 wedge and the $10,000 to extend her lead, as per TV Insider. In the end, Foster went on to win the show with nearly $30,050 and a cruise expedition trip worth nearly $20,000. 

Screenshot showing Heather at the wheel alongside Seacrest  (Image source: YouTube/Wheel Of Fortune)
Screenshot showing Heather at the wheel alongside Seacrest (Image source: YouTube/Wheel Of Fortune)

For her Bonus Round puzzle, Foster chose the popular category "What are you doing?" She went on the spin the wheel alongside Seacrest while carrying her expedition cruise wedge with her. After she gave the wheel a good spin, the host picked out the Golden Envelope for her. With a chance of winning up to $100,000 or a brand new car, Foster was faced with a three-word puzzle. With the show's standard letters "R, S, T, L, N, E," on the board, Foster went on to choose "M, D, G, and O" as her additional letters. With all the clues on the board, her final puzzle read, “_R_DG_NG      T_E      G_ _.”

Screenshot showing the puzzle  (Image source: YouTube/Wheel Of Fortune)
Screenshot showing the puzzle (Image source: YouTube/Wheel Of Fortune)

Before kicking off the ten-second timer, Seacrest wished the player good luck. However, it turned out that she didn't need any best wishes as she solved the puzzle "Bridging the Gap" in almost less than a second, leaving co-host Vanna White and Seacrest Stunned. As she celebrated her win, Seacrest exclaimed, "That's it. Nice try. You make it look very easy!" Seacrest went on to reveal that she had won $40,000 from the golden envelope, which took her total to a whopping $89,942.



 

In the end, Foster tightly squeezed Seacrest to celebrate the big win, and the host chuckled and told her, "Congratulations!" This wasn't the first time that a player stunned Seacrest with a lightning-quick solve. In another episode, a contestant named Traci made the host think she was cheating as she solved her Bonus Round Puzzle, "They Go Way Back," with little clues in no time. Seacrest did a full round-up of the player in the end to make sure she wasn't hiding any clues or an earpiece. 

More on Market Realist:

'Wheel of Fortune' player solves a tough puzzle so quickly that Ryan Seacrest had to steady himself

'Wheel Of Fortune' player makes the 'longest spin in history of bonus round' before winning $40,000

'Wheel of Fortune' player wins a massive $100,000 — and the first thing she asks for is a broom

RELATED TOPICS WHEEL OF FORTUNE
MORE ON MARKET REALIST
Fans complained that the unusual clue cost the player a chance to challenge for the win.
17 hours ago
The founders of xCraft struck a rare and expensive all investor deal on Shark Tank.
21 hours ago
The dynamic host finally broke silence on exit rumours, cementing his intent to continue his job.
22 hours ago
The painting and a note from the renowned artist, Hovsep Pushman left the expert in awe.
1 day ago
Banking on a bad guess made by his opponent, Ryan Burkett guessed the correct answer and took home a massive win.
1 day ago
The World War II era sketch was given to the guest's father by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, the creators of Superman.
1 day ago
The contestant, Madison, hit the jackpot with less than a second remaining in the 'Race Game.'
2 days ago
Both the contestant and fans believed he stood no real chance of solving the Bonus Round puzzle.
3 days ago
The spooky item was a great find for the pawn shop, but the asking price was too high for Corey Harrison to cut a deal.
4 days ago
Despite saying that the item was worth a small fortune, the expert was confident about its future.
4 days ago
Harrison almost blew the deal for the gold & diamond encrusted ring over $3,000.
5 days ago
Insulted by her refusal to partner up, Kevin O'Leary told Lori Greiner, 'Do not screw with Mr Wonderful...'
5 days ago
The witty host reminded everyone that he’s never afraid to deliver the perfect clap back.
6 days ago
TikToker Madilynn Cameron alleged she was asked her to get a membership to use the self checkout facility at Walmart.
6 days ago
The toy train set from the Lionel company turned out to be a invaluable treasure.
6 days ago
The pawn shop boss, Rick Harrison wasted no time to get the mummy authenticated.
6 days ago
The elderly guest was visibly shaken to learn the value of her prized family heirloom.
6 days ago
In an Instagram post, Drew Goldfarb got candid about his big win, friends he made along the way, and things he learnt.
6 days ago
Ken Jennings accidentally let a curse slip and spoiled a clue — and the goof-up made it to air unedited.
7 days ago
The expert admitted that the item wasn't the most appealing thing to appraise.
7 days ago