There’s a reason Wheel of Fortune is considered America’s game. It’s just so much darn fun to watch every weekday evening on network television. While it’s fun to watch people win money and go home with more than they had in the beginning, it’s even better when someone solves the bonus round and wins a big prize. However, a contestant named Shawn didn’t seem like he was going to be able to solve the bonus round puzzle because the letters he guessed didn’t provide many insights, but then he turned everything around in a second and left everyone in the studio audience scratching their heads.
Shawn had done very well in the previous rounds of the game show. So, when it was time for Shawn to try to win the bonus round, Pat Sajak and Vanna White were optimistic. They thought that Shawn might have what it takes to take home the large grand prize.
His puzzle included two words for a total of ten letters. The category that Shawn chose for the bonus round was “Person,” and the most popular letters – R, S, T, L, N, and E were already given on the board. Shawn was given a chance to select three more consonants and a vowel.
Shawn selected M, D, C, and A as his four letters. Typically, these are wise letters to choose from during the bonus round of Wheel of Fortune, as previous winners will tell you. However, this time Shawn did not get too lucky. In the end, only four of the ten letters appeared on the board, and none of them were the letters that Shawn had a guess. When that happens on Wheel of Fortune, it is very disheartening for the contestant and for viewers watching at home. It means that they’re not going to get any extra help and need to try to solve the puzzle using only the given letters.
Pat Sajak couldn’t hide the fact that Shawn was facing an uphill battle. He said, “That’s all you get to work with—obviously, it’s challenging.”
Sajak added, “Keep talking. Stranger things have happened. Ten seconds. Person. Good luck.”
Although Sajak was clueless about what the solution would be, and many people at home didn’t have the slightest idea, Shawn just so happened to be thinking the right thing at the right time. Within a second of the start of the bonus round, he uttered two words that ended up being the solution to the puzzle.
Shawn stunned the crowd and even Sajak, who has been working as the host of the game show for decades.
“I don’t get this game,” Sajak joked with his jaw slackened. He then opened up the card to reveal how much Shawn would be taking home in addition to the prize money he had earned during regular gameplay, and it was a whopping $33,000. After adding all of his winnings
Watch Shawn in action in the video below!