'Wheel of Fortune' contestant leaves fans stunned by solving $40,000 puzzle in just one second
"Wheel of Fortune" fans are used to close finishes and even disappointments in the bonus round after a long losing streak. But one contestant left the fans cheering after solving a puzzle in just one second to win in the Bonus Round. The player, Staci Urban, showed great potential throughout the game as she racked up thousands of dollars and a trip to Walt Disney World before advancing to the finale. In the end, she stunned the host, Ryan Seacrest, and left the fans celebrating, with her amazing selection of letters to solve the puzzle for an additional $40,000.
Urban started the game on a winning note, but her rival, Gallordo, briefly took the lead after winning a trip to the Aulani Resort in Oahu. However, Urban mounted a strong comeback in the Mystery/Crossword Round, where she solved the prize puzzle to win a trip for herself to Walt Disney World, worth $9,316, as per Andy Nguyen's blog. She kept the momentum up going into the Speedy Round, where she cracked a few more puzzles to emerge as the big winner of the night with a total of $24,866 in cash and the trip.
Advancing to the Bonus Round, she chose the category "Food & Drink" for the final puzzle. At the wheel alongside Seacrest, Urban was joined by her friends Stacy and Marissa on the stage for support. After spinning the wheel and picking out her prize envelope, she faced a long single-word puzzle on the board. With the show's standard letters, "R, S, T, L, N, E," filled in, she went on to choose "M, C, P, and I" as her additional letters. Her letter picks turned out to be great as the puzzle then read, "P _ M E _ R _ N _ T E".
Even before Seacrest kicked off the ten-second timer, it was clear that Urban had it all figured out. As the clock started ticking, she guessed "Pomegranate" within a second. Co-host Vanna White confirmed that it was the correct answer, and to add to her delight, Seacrest revealed that she had won $40,000 from her envelope, which took her total to a whopping $64,866.
While Urban celebrated big with her friends on the stage, fans at home cheered the win as well. "That was an easy puzzle! Congratulations, Staci, for winning $40,000!" wrote @harperbryant9032 in the comments on YouTube. "I got it too, but not the $40K... Oh well, I'm happy for her," added @SoItGoesCAL34.
"I got this one with just R-S-T-L-N-E. Sounds like it was every bit as easy for Staci as it was for me. Congratulations, Staci! Enjoy the moolah!" wrote another fan, @Garrison_the_Barbarian. In a separate episode, another contestant, Desiree Kramer, pulled off a similar win to leave Seacrest in awe.
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