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 / NEWS

'Wheel of Fortune' contestant solves $45,000 puzzle in just seconds — leaves Ryan Seacrest stunned

The contestant, Jodi Hope took home $75,000, using her puzzle solving skills.
PUBLISHED OCT 21, 2025
Screenshot showing Jodi Hope attempting her Bonus Round puzzle (Cover image source: YouTube/Wheel of Fortune)
Screenshot showing Jodi Hope attempting her Bonus Round puzzle (Cover image source: YouTube/Wheel of Fortune)

"Wheel of Fortune" fans and the host are often stunned when a good player loses out on a big prize. But once in a while, a contestant manages to surprise Ryan Seacrest by pulling off a quick win with a perfect game. One such player was Jodi Hope, who solved a puzzle in a couple of seconds and won $45,000 with lightning speed. The host could only yell out, "Wow! You couldn't have done that any quicker!" In the end, Hope took home a whopping $75,000, giving the fans something to cheer about.

Screenshot showing the player's celebration (Image source: YouTube/Wheel Of Fortune)
Screenshot showing the player's celebration (Image source: YouTube/Wheel Of Fortune)

She got off to a rough start as her rival took the early lead by solving the first Toss-Up puzzle. However, she made a strong comeback in the Express Round to pick up a Wild Card. Hope fought back harder in the Triple Toss Up round, where she solved two out of the three puzzles to take the lead at the very last moment. In the end, she emerged as the big winner with $30,000, while Meneghini came in second with $14,870.

Screenshot showing Hope at the wheel (Image source: YouTube/Wheel Of Fortune)
Screenshot showing Hope at the wheel (Image source: YouTube/Wheel Of Fortune)

Advancing to the Bonus Round, Hope chose the category, "Phrase," for her final puzzle and joined Seacrest at the wheel. She brought her friend, Chris, to the stage to cheer her on before spinning the wheel. Once she picked out her Golden Envelope, she was faced with a three-word puzzle on the board. With the show's standard letters, “R, S, T, L, N, and E,” on the board, Hope chose  “D, C, M, I" and the extra consonant "H", using her Wild Card. Despite the extra letter, all she had on the board was, “_ _IC_EN  _ _ _R   _ _CE.”

Screenshot showing the Bonus Round puzzle (Image source: YouTube/Wheel Of Fortune)
Screenshot showing the Bonus Round puzzle (Image source: YouTube/Wheel Of Fortune)

Even with a few letters on the board, it seemed like Hope had it all figured, before Seacrest kicked off the timer. Once the clock started ticking, Hope yelled out the correct answer, "Quicken Your Pace," within two seconds. She left Seacrest stunned with the lightning-quick solve as he exclaimed, “Wow! You got it!” He then went on to reveal that the player had won an additional $45,000 before adding how she couldn’t have solved the puzzle any quicker than a couple of seconds. He then went on to ask the player, “How’d you do that so fast? It just struck you,” to which her response was, “It did!”

Screenshot showing Seacrest talking to Hope  (Image source: YouTube/Wheel Of Fortune)
Screenshot showing Seacrest talking to Hope (Image source: YouTube/Wheel Of Fortune)

As Hope won more than $75,000 in one night, even the fans were impressed. "Great job on defeating the Qu trick and avoiding the shutout Jodi!! Great stuff!!" wrote one fan, @sammylerman7136, in the YouTube comments. "Jodi, that was a miracle!" added another viewer, @itetpirsonicfan3931.

Watch the impressive game here.

More on Market Realist:

'Wheel of Fortune' fans are convinced the puzzle looked really 'tricky' as player loses out on a car

'Wheel of Fortune' fans heartbroken as contestant loses out on Ford Bronco over simple puzzle

'Wheel of Fortune' contestant loses out on car because he couldn't identify a fruit correctly

RELATED TOPICS WHEEL OF FORTUNE
MORE ON MARKET REALIST
Two pre-packaged Caesar's Salad items have been recalled over contamination concerns.
1 hour ago
Harvey decided to act out the scenario which the contestant thought would be inappropriate.
2 days ago
The contestant, Ron Sheppard was inches away from solving the Bonus Round puzzle.
2 days ago
In a major breach, the systems of Mobile Commons that serves the New York State were compromised
3 days ago
Playing "The Lion's Share", Riley Shepherd won big with just two lucky picks.
3 days ago
The new legislation will allow federal workers to quickly get back to work.
4 days ago
The player, Gary, won a brand new Toyota on his 50th wedding anniversary.
4 days ago
When a bald man came up with a strange answer, Harvey roasted his entire team.
4 days ago
Walmart's dupe of the viral cup is on sale for nearly half the price of the original.
5 days ago
Harvey admitted that he had never hear someone say this about American men.
5 days ago
The analysis shows tech giants like Meta, Oracle are pivoting to bonds and debt to fuel AI ambitions
6 days ago
The contestant, April Seubert, made a grand comeback to win prizes worth over $57,000.
6 days ago
With just a one in five chances, Phillip managed to bag the top prize.
6 days ago
Several coffee chains have been feeling the pain amid rising costs, tariffs, competition and more.
6 days ago
The radical pay plan could make Musk the world's first trillionaire in the next decade.
Nov 7, 2025
The TikTok creator, Auzi a.k.a @fatpastrychef's video sparked concerns over rude store staff.
Nov 7, 2025
Joseph Evans dethroned poet, Joyelle McSweeney to become the new champion.
Nov 7, 2025
Following Huang's striking comment, Nvidia took to X to soften the blow.
Nov 7, 2025
Musk has to achieve a few objectives to win the support of Tesla shareholders.
Nov 6, 2025
The FDA issued a voluntary recall over concerns about Listeria contamination.
Nov 5, 2025