Wheel of Fortune‘s Luke had already built a commanding lead, but his biggest moment came when the game was almost over. The contestant cracked a Bonus Round puzzle with only a handful of letters to work with. His answer caught him off guard and left host Ryan Seacrest celebrating alongside him.
Ryan Seacrest reacts to Luke’s Wheel of Fortune win
The final reveal turned Luke’s $38,749 game total into a much bigger payday. He selected the Person category for the Bonus Round and faced a puzzle that initially offered little help. After choosing M, D, P and O, the board displayed only a few more letters. Luke appeared unsure, but quickly pieced together BUSYBODY.
Seacrest could hardly believe how Luke pulled it off. The host clapped him on the back and exclaimed, “Dude, you got it!” He then asked how Luke figured out the answer with so few clues. When the $100,000 prize appeared, Seacrest announced that Luke would leave with a combined $138,479 (via TV Insider).
Luke was calling the shots for much of the game, and his growing lead showed it. He first made a big splash by cracking the Famous Duo clue with Buzz Lightyear and Woody. This pushed his winnings to $6,350.
He then took a gamble on Express Wedge, which paid $1,000 per correctly guessed consonant but could wipe out his cash. The gamble paid off. Luke nailed the “Stranger Things Have Happened” phrase, taking home $17,300 and a vacation package worth $7,099 that covered Germany, Austria and Hungary.
The contestant also secured the final puzzle, ringing endorsement, after correctly identifying the letters needed to crack it. His performance gave him a runaway victory over Ashley and Krista. Ashley finished with $7,600, while Krista collected $2,000.
The Nov. 5 episode also featured a risky move from Krista. She landed on the mystery wedge, which offered either $10,000 or Bankrupt, and uncovered the bigger prize. However, she later guessed an incorrect letter and failed to build on that opportunity. Luke ultimately finished the night with the biggest haul.
