'Wheel of Fortune' player stuns fans by solving a tough puzzle worth $40,000 in bonus round

The player, Noah Kraski solved the final puzzle with just two clues on the board.

PUBLISHED DEC 3, 2025

Screenshot showing the player, Noah Kraski attempting his Bonus Round puzzle (Cover image source: YouTube/Wheel of Fortune)

"Wheel of Fortune" fans have faced a lot of disappointment because of contestants losing out on big amounts. But one player stunned the fans and the show's host, Ryan Seacrest, with his fabulous puzzle-solving skills. The player, Noah Kraski, who won over $70,000 in the first episode of "Disney Secret Santa Holiday Giveaway" week, dominated the game throughout the rounds. While he got just two clues for his final puzzle, he didn't take two seconds to get it right. He was so good that Seacrest had to ask him how he did it so quickly!

Screenshot showing the player's reaction to the win (Image source: YouTube/Wheel of Fortune)

In the episode, Kraski, a huge theater fan from Brooklyn, New York, went up against Amber Cancel, a huge Disney fan from Lynchburg, Virginia, and Bob Diaz, a firefighter from Redding, California. He started off with a bang as he got the very first puzzle to win a featured Disney Cruise trip worth $13,774, before the first Toss Up round. He continued to dominate, solving puzzles left and right to win over $23,000 going into the Express Round.

There, Diaz finally registered his first win, and it was a big one as he cracked the prize puzzle to win a trip to Walt Disney World worth $9,478, as per Andy Nguyen's blog. In the Triple Toss Up round, Kraski got one more puzzle and another one in the Speed Up round to stretch his lead further. With this, he emerged as the big winner of the night with a total of $30,574 in cash and the cruise trip.

Screenshot showing Kraski at the wheel alongside Seacrest (Image source: YouTube/Wheel of Fortune)

Advancing to the Bonus Round, Kraski chose the "Phrase" category for his final puzzle and joined Seacrest at the wheel. He brought along his partner, Samantha, and his brother, Sam, to the stage for support. "Is Noah this good when Noah's playing at home?" the host asked the player's family. "Noah is incredibly good," his partner replied. Kraski then spun the wheel, picked out his Golden Envelope, and was faced with a short two-word puzzle on the board.

With the show's standard letters "R, S, T, L, N, E," Kraski had nearly no clues on the board. He then chose the letters "M, C, P," and "O" to get some extra clues, but only the letter "O" showed up at one spot on the board. With only three clues given, Seacrest wished the player good luck and kicked off the ten-second timer. Kraski got the answer "Go Figure" within a second, leaving Seacrest stunned. To add to his delight, the host revealed that the player had won an additional $40,000, which took his total to $70,574.

Screenshot showing the player's total (Image source: YouTube/Wheel of Fortune)

Even the fans at home were stunned by Kraski's gameplay. "What a solve that was!" wrote a fan, @UrLocalSusMaster, on the show's YouTube clip. "I was able to RSTLNE the puzzle through talking it out. When Noah chose the “O,” I figured he had a shot at it, given how good a puzzle solver he was tonight. Although the “G” would’ve given him a much better chance, he clearly didn’t need it to have an ark full of cash, prizes, and Christmas gifts for a lucky Wheel Watcher," added @germanname1990.