‘Wheel of Fortune’ contestant pretends to hiccup loudly before solving puzzle — then wins $40,000

Contestants on “Wheel of Fortune” are known for showing off additional talents apart from puzzle-solving skills. The show has seen a player who rapped on the show with host Ryan Seacrest dancing to it, and one who was a pro at yo-yoing. One such contestant, named Henry Wong, decided to act out an answer, according to a report in TV Insider. He was a resident of New York and made his way to the Bonus Round.

Wong had a fantastic time on the show despite not having the best start. His competitors raced ahead of him in the opening rounds, but with a bit of luck, he bounced right back. One of his competitors landed on the Bankrupt wedge, which helped him out a little. However, he was able to solve the Prize Puzzle, which won him a trip on a Disney Cruise. He had also picked up the Wild Card. Wong also solved the final puzzle in the Triple Toss-Up and, in the end, won the show with $16,635 worth of cash and prizes. He was now in the Bonus Round with a chance to win big. The contestant had brought his wife for support, who wished him the best of luck and said that she loved him multiple times. “It’s like a Disney movie,” host Ryan Seacrest said before asking the contestant to spin the wheel.

The contestant had chosen the Phrase category, and he got the letters R, S, T, L, N, and E. After these letters were revealed, the puzzle read, “_ ___E T_E ______S.” He now had the chance to pick four consonants, thanks to the wild card, and one vowel. Wong thought carefully and picked the letters C, H, D, O, and M. These were excellent choices as the puzzle now read, “_ H__E THE H_CC__S.”

The contestant knew that the last word was ‘hiccups’ and pretended to have hiccups before his 10 seconds started counting down. Vanna White also smiled, seeing this as she, too, knew the answer. “I have the hiccups,” Wong said, and that was the correct answer. He had won $40,000 in the final round of the show, which took is grand total to $56,635.

“You heard him hiccup before he solved it with the hiccups. I just didn’t want to hiccup back and give it away,” Seacrest said as Wong was celebrating with his wife. The contestant's antics were loved by fans on social media, and they expressed appreciation on Reddit. A post in r/WheelOfFortune saw fans discuss his performance.

“I saw that episode last night…It was hilarious to see Henry hiccup before solving the bonus round puzzle!!! 😂🤣😆” one user commented. “I sometimes get annoyed when contestants purposely do something/play it up for the camera, but in this instance I thought hiccuping before solving the puzzle was clever,” added another fan.