'Wheel of Fortune' player's mom left in tears after daughter wins $72,000 as her birthday present

Contestants on game shows such as "Wheel of Fortune" stand out for their over-the-top reactions after winning, but sometimes their loved ones grab the spotlight. On one occasion, the mother of a contestant broke down after her daughter won big in the Bonus Round. The contestant, Janine Crum, welcomed her mother, who was celebrating her birthday, to the stage in the finale. Not only did she win a trip to Japan for the two, but she went on to win a grand total of $71,948 in cash as a birthday gift for her loving mother. 

The game started on a competitive note with all three players leaving with level scores at the end of the first round, as per TV Insider.  While she failed to take the early lead, Crum made a strong comeback in the Express Round, where she won big money and solved the Prize Puzzle. After the round, she led the scoreboard with $22,448 cash and an exotic trip to Japan. She kept up the momentum, going into the Triple Toss Up round and solving a couple more puzzles. In the end, she emerged as the big winner of the day with a massive total of $31,948 in cash and the trip.

Advancing to the Bonus Round, Crum chose the "Phrase" category for the final puzzle. She then welcomed her mother, Barb, to the stage and said, “Tonight is her birthday". Seacrest wished Barb happy birthday and jokingly said, “I can read Barb’s body language; she would love to go to Japan with you."

After spinning the wheel, Crum picked out her Golden Envelope and was faced with a long four-letter puzzle. With the show's standard letters, "R, S, T, L, N, E," on the board, she chose “C, D, M, and O” as her additional letters. With everything filled in, the puzzle read, “_ _ _ C _       _ _ E S T _ O N      _ O R      _ O _.” 

While it seemed like Crum could have gotten a few more clues on the board, her expression suggested she didn't need any. As soon as the host kicked off the ten-second timer, she yelled out the answer, “Quick Question For You,” which was correct. To add to her delight, Seacrest revealed that she had won an extra $40,000. A teary-eyed Barb then ran over to celebrate the win. "Are you in tears?" Seacrest asked, and the winner's mother confirmed that she was.

In the end, as Crum took home over $71,000, Seacrest wished Barb happy birthday again, as the mother-daughter duo embraced each other in an emotional hug. In another episode, emotions ran high as a contestant won $100,000 in the Bonus Round. The player Ryan Burkett took the game by storm and left Seacrest stunned with a $122,300 win. 

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