'Wheel of Fortune' contestant wins a total of $122,000 after his rival makes the 'worst guess ever'

A "Wheel of Fortune" contestant cashed out big with a $100,000 Bonus Round win, after saving the game from what some called the "worst possible guess" ever. The player, Ryan Burkett, nearly aced the game in his run to the finale and picked up the pieces when a fellow contestant fumbled an easy puzzle, "Car & Infinity Pool," with a poor letter pick. Nevertheless, Burkett capitalized on it and went on to win a total of $122,300.

In the episode, Burkett, from Pinellas Park, Florida, went up against Jill Schade, from Lehi, Utah, and Sharay Grant, from Palmdale, California. Burkett, who almost ignored the email invitation to the show, got off to a slow start, with Grant initially taking the lead. However, disaster struck for Grant in the Mystery Round. Under the category, "Same Name," she spun to solve a three-word puzzle. After choosing the letters N, L, and P, the puzzle read: “CAR & IN_INIT_ POOL.”

While the puzzle had only two missing letters, she chose to spin again instead of solving it. To everyone's surprise, she chose the letter B, which wasn't on the board. As the studio fell into silence, fans shared the clip on social media, calling it the "worst possible guess" ever made on the show. 

Burkett picked up the pieces and immediately solved the puzzle, correctly guessing “Car & Infinity Pool.” He kept the winning momentum going into the Express Round as well, where he solved the prize puzzle to win more money and an exotic trip to Portugal worth $11,000, as per Andy Nguyen's blog. In the end, he emerged as the big winner with a total of $22,300 in cash and the trip, advancing to the Bonus Round. 

Before spinning the wheel, Burkett chose the category "Place" for his final puzzle. Alongside the host, Ryan Seacrest, he was joined onstage by his mom, Kim, and best friend, Mark. After picking out his Golden Envelope, Burkett was presented with a two-word puzzle. With the show's standard letters, R, S, T, L, N, E, filled in, he went on to choose B, C, H, and A as his additional letters. With everything filled in, the puzzle read: “L_CAL BA_ER_.”

As Seacrest kicked off the ten-second timer, it seemed like Burkett had it all figured out. While the clock was ticking, the player chose to give a shoutout, saying, “I’d like to say hello to Grandma, who’s watching at home." He then went on to guess the correct answer, "Local Bakery," just in time.  As he celebrated, Seacrest unveiled that Burkett had won an additional $100,000, taking his total winnings to $122,300.

Burkett threw his arms up in the air as his friend came running toward him, with confetti raining down. They chest-bumped each other before embracing in a hug. He then hugged his mother, who smiled at him and cheered the win. While this celebration ended happily for Seacrest, in another episode, a contestant named Becky Lenski, who was a military mom, made him do a plank-off on the stage. 

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