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'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

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