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 / ECONOMY & WORK

'Wheel of Fortune' player picks up Ryan Seacrest while hugging him despite losing out on $40,000

The self-confessed hugger, had to hug it out after painfully losing out on $40,000.
PUBLISHED MAR 19, 2025
Screenshot showing the contestant hugging Ryan Seacrest on the show (Cover image source: YouTube/The Wheel Of Fortune)
Screenshot showing the contestant hugging Ryan Seacrest on the show (Cover image source: YouTube/The Wheel Of Fortune)

It's natural for people to get too excited after a win on game shows such as "Wheel of Fortune" and go overboard in celebrations. But someone getting excited after a loss and doing something over-the-top is unheard of. It happened when a self-confessed hugger lost out on prizes and got a hug from Ryan Seacrest, who he proceeded to lift up out of enthusiasm.

Screenshot showing Ryan Friskey hugging the host (Image source: YouTube/The Wheel Of Fortune)
Screenshot showing Ryan Friskey hugging the host (Image source: YouTube/The Wheel Of Fortune)

In the episode, Bill Friskey, from Merkel, Texas, went up against two players to fulfill his dream of spinning the Wheel. The self-proclaimed outdoors lover shared that he loved going camping with his wife. Seacrest also gave Friskey a camping food tip and asked him to carry Sardines. “They’re so easy. Peel back and eat them with a fork right out of the container,” Seacrest said. However, the player told him that he didn't like the fish but he would take the host for his word. “You’re not going to try it, are you?” Seacrest joked about moving on, as per TV Insider. 

Steele started with a flyer in the first toss-up round and solved a few puzzles back to back. However,  he landed on the “Bankrupt” wedge halfway through. He made a comeback by solving the Mystery Round and earned the lead with $4,550.

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

The Prize Round brought another bankruptcy for Friskey, but he ended up solving the puzzle to win another $1,200 and a trip to the Alpines. In the Triple Toss-up round, Friskey fought back and won $4,000 to become the night's big winner with  $15,249, in total. Going into the Bonus Round, he picked the category “What are you doing?” Friskey brought his wife, Tracy, with him, and Seacrest asked her about their camping trips and the food they ate. She told the host that they “eat everything” including which steaks they cook on the barbeque. “Maybe we’ll add some sardines into it," Friskey said mocking the host.“Now he’s making fun of me!” Seacrest said looking at the camera. 

Screenshot showing the player joking with the host (Image source: YouTube/The Wheel Of Fortune)
Screenshot showing the player joking with the host (Image source: YouTube/The Wheel Of Fortune)

Going ahead, Firskey was faced with a three-word puzzle. With the standard letters, “R, S, T, L, N, and E,” filled in, he chose  “C, M, D, and O," as his additional letters for the puzzle. With this, the bonus puzzle on the board read, “_ _ _ _ _ N_     _T    O_T.” Friskey didn't look confident as he was missing quite a few letters on the board. When the ten-second timer kicked off, the player tried his best to guess the activity. While he got the last two words, “It Out,” right, he was scrambling for the first word. After the time ran out, the answer was revealed to be "HUGGING IT OUT". “Aww. And I’m a hugger!” the contestant groaned as he read the answer. 

Screenshot showing the contestant's reaction (Image source: YouTube/The Wheel Of Fortune)
Screenshot showing the contestant's reaction (Image source: YouTube/The Wheel Of Fortune)

Seacrest went on to add context by saying, “The irony was during the commercial break, he said ‘Can I give you a hug?". The host then asked Friskey to give him a big hug. 



 

In the end, the player got to squeeze the host and walk home with $15,249 and a trip.

MORE ON MARKET REALIST
The sharks did not expect the product to taste as good as it did, considering what it was made from.
4 hours ago
The designer was also commissioned by top brands and worked for the royal family.
5 hours ago
The host had a look of bewilderment on his face which was absolutely hilarious.
6 hours ago
Things did not seem to be going well for the entrepreneur due to her high energy.
9 hours ago
The guest might have had high expectations, but they were quickly brought down to earth.
10 hours ago
The contestant was unable to contain her excitement and hugged the model.
1 day ago
Two of the players got it right, and while the player who lost didn't mind, fans were not satisfied.
1 day ago
Lisa celebrated her birthday in style with a perfect two-card guess to win the big prize.
1 day ago
Rick Harrison did what he could to console the guest who said that he had lost faith in NASCAR.
1 day ago
Both the guest and the expert were fascinated by how well the automaton worked.
2 days ago
One of the entrepreneurs broke down in tears, explaining all the struggles they had to go through.
2 days ago
She couldn’t believe it when her doll was appraised at a five-figure sum, and laughed in disbelief.
2 days ago
Ken Jennings truly has embraced "Jeopardy!" in every way possible at this point.
2 days ago
The comedian was impressed by the simplicity of the product and amused by the pitch.
3 days ago
Harrison usually makes smart deals on the show, but this vintage car buy turned into a costly mistake.
3 days ago
Had she started the game in a better way, she might have won the five-figure prize money.
3 days ago
Barbara Corcoran made the exact same offer, and she wasn't happy about being rejected.
4 days ago
The guest believed that it was worth a modest amount of money, but that was clearly not the case.
4 days ago
With James Holzhauer in the lead, Amy Schneider and Andrew He decided to joke around.
4 days ago
Barbara Corcoran told the founders that she had never seen Greiner so passionate.
4 days ago