'Wheel of Fortune' contestant wins big in bonus round a decade after her sister failed to do so
It must have felt like a full circle moment for the family that had felt similar emotions back then.
Oct. 25 2025, Published 5:30 a.m. ET
It's very common for "Wheel of Fortune" contestants to be accompanied by their friends and family members. But in rare cases, two members of the same family appear on the show years apart. Fans witnessed this when a contestant managed to win big in the bonus round, a decade after her sister failed to do so.
The contestant was a woman named Katie Bigley, as per a TV Insider report. She had won an impressive $18,925 on her way to the Bonus Round. Before spinning the wheel, Bigley introduced host Ryan Seacrest to her family, which included her sister, mother, and father. The contestant then revealed that her sister was a part of the show many years ago.
In response to questions about being coached by her sister, the contestant said, “Not one bit. She was like, ‘Good luck.'” When the sister was asked why she did not help the contestant, she said, “Well, I don’t want her to do what I did. I didn’t win the prize puzzle. I want her to win the prize puzzle!” Once all that was done, it was time to spin the wheel. Bigley did just that, and it landed on the M. The contestant had chosen the ‘What Are You Doing’ category.
As per the rules of the show, she was given the letters R, S, T, L, N, and E. Now, Bigley had the chance to pick three more consonants and one more vowel. She chose the letters C, D, M, and A. After these were revealed, the puzzle read, “M A _ _ N _ / A / _ _ L D / C _ _ _ C E .” This looked a bit tricky, but the contestant made short work of it.
She seemed confident about the answer even before the 10-second timer started counting down. It did not take Bigley long to answer, “Making a bold choice.” That was correct, and Seacrest immediately said that the contestant did not need any coaching. He then opened up the envelope in his hand to reveal that the contestant had won a whopping $75,000.
This was a lot more than she had expected, and the shock was clear on her face. Her family then joined her for hugs and celebrations. At the end of it all, Bigley took home an incredible $93,925. That surely made up for the time her sister was on the show and was not able to win big. Fans also expressed their feeling about the incredible moment. “Amazing solve. But what was also amazing is that every letter that she called in the bonus round was in the puzzle,” one fan wrote on YouTube. “Her family is so proud of her now!” added another.
Watch the interesting turn of events in the video here.
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