Matt Malagiere came within one answer of a much bigger payday on Wheel of Fortune. His missed Bonus Round puzzle left Ryan Seacrest visibly stunned. The New Jersey contestant still finished with a good amount of cash, but the envelope revealed what slipped away.
Ryan Seacrest reacts as Matt Malagiere loses out on $113,000 on Wheel of Fortune
Malagiere entered the final round with $13,300 and received the letters R, S, T, L, N, and E. He then selected H, D, M, and A as his additional choices. However, those letters weren’t enough to help him solve the puzzle, which read Auto Body Shop.
When the envelope revealed a $100,000 prize, Malagiere missed out on the six-figure reward. He still kept the $13,300 he had earned during the episode, while Ryan Seacrest offered him a handshake and a hug. “Nice to meet you and the family,” Seacrest said (via TV Insider).
His route to the Bonus Round included a few setbacks. Malagiere hit Bankrupt during the game but recovered and eventually solved Parking Space Invaders, bringing his total to $9,650. He later won the Triple Toss-Up and cracked the final puzzle, pushing his winnings to $13,300.
The episode also featured Katie Henkenius and Stacey Colson. Henkenius finished with $12,430 and won a trip to St. Maarten through the Prize Puzzle, while Colson ended the Second Round with $2,000. Henkenius had previously taken the lead with $2,100 before the game progressed.
Malagiere, from Howell, New Jersey, brought his love of football and tailgating to the show. He told Seacrest he was a longtime New York Giants season-ticket holder, but the pregame gathering mattered just as much as the action. His tailgate menu changes with the visiting team.
“If you’re talking about, let’s say, New Orleans, we would do something like a jambalaya,” he explained. For the Las Vegas Raiders, he said, “We gotta make giant shrimp cocktail, obviously.”
