'Wheel of Fortune' player screams during his celebration after solving an easy puzzle to win a car
"Wheel of Fortune" contestants arrive on the show with the aim of winning a luxury car, and their reactions always stand out. One such player, Stephen James, quickly became the host, Ryan Seacrest's, favorite for his energy, and aced the Bonus Round puzzle to drive home a Cadillac sedan. Joined by his family on stage, the contestant couldn't believe his luck, and all he could do was yell, scream, and laugh out loud in celebration.
In the “Halloween Week” episode, James got off to a flying start as he cracked the first two Toss Up puzzles on the trot. While his opponents struggled to get off the mark, James stretched his lead further, going into the Express Round. While attempting the Prize Puzzle, another player, O'Connor, whose sister Krystal won a car on the show in 2015, made a crucial mistake, and James capitalized on it to win a trip to Nova Scotia worth $8,103, according to Wyoming News. In the Triple Toss Up round, James got two more puzzles right, which essentially sealed the win for him, as he amassed a total of $17,103 and the trip.
Advancing to the Bonus Round, James picked the category, "What Are You Doing?" for his final puzzle. Joining Seacrest at the wheel, he brought along his son, wife, and mother on the stage to cheer him on. After spinning the wheel and picking out his Golden Envelope, he faced a short three-word puzzle on the board. With the show's standard letters, "R, S, T, L, N, E," filled in, James selected “P, H, G, and I” as his additional letters. After co-host, Vanna White, flipped the letters, the final puzzle read, ” _ _ _ I N G _ P I E.”
After Seacrest started the ten-second timer, James wasted no time in guessing the correct answer, "Baking A Pie", leaving Seacrest stunned. "Oh, yeah. How’d you get that? How did you do that, Stephen?" Seacrest exclaimed before revealing that the contestant had won a brand new 2026 Cadillac CT4 Premium Luxury worth $45,070. The contestant screamed "Wohooo!" with joy and continued to yell as he made his way to the car. He kept saying, “Oh my God” in between fits of laughter, as he jumped into the driver's seat.
In the end, Seacrest revealed that James had won prizes worth a total of $62,173 from his big night. Fans also chimed in to celebrate in the comments on YouTube. "Way to go, Stephen! You got that puzzle right in a flash! How about that?" @jamesmcilwee8939 wrote.
You can watch his win and reaction in the full video here.
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