NJ resident sighs in relief as he cracks tough ‘Wheel of Fortune’ puzzle — and drives home in a new car
Over the years, several 'Wheel of Fortune' contestants have stunned the fans of the beloved game show with their remarkable comebacks. In an episode of 'Wheel of Fortune', which was released on December 5, 2025, a player named Jeff Richardson accomplished a triumphant return after he lost his rhythm halfway through the initial rounds of the game, but he snapped back and reached the finale. In the end, Richardson was faced with a three-word puzzle during the Bonus Round, and he cracked the final puzzle with just a few letters on the board. As a result, Richardson won a Ford Explorer Active.
Richardson, from Red Bank, New Jersey, kicked off the game with a bang, solving the first few puzzles in no time. While heading into the Mystery Round, Richardson already had $8,450 in his account. Meanwhile, his fellow competitors struggled to get off the mark. However, at one point, Richardson's rival Stalter took the lead after solving the prize puzzle in the Mystery Round. Then, Richardson didn't give up and regained his momentum in the final rounds.
At last, Richardson emerged as the big winner of the night with a total of $16,650 in cash prizes. When the host Ryan Seacrest asked Richardson to pick a category for his Bonus Round puzzle, he selected, "Phrase" Alongside Seacrest at the wheel, Richardson brought along his niece, Elizabeth, on the stage for support. After spinning the wheel and picking out his Golden Envelope, he had to solve a three-word puzzle. After 'Wheel of Fortune' gave Richardson the standard letters, "R, S, T, L, N, E," he went on to choose "G, M, D, and O" as his additional letters. Then, Richardson's Bonus Round puzzle looked like, “O_ T O_ _O_NDS.”
As Seacrest began the ten-second timer, it appeared Richardson had already figured out the answer to the puzzle. Without wasting any time, Richardson shouted, "Out of Bounds," which turned out to be the correct answer. According to Market Realist, following Richardson's big win on 'Wheel of Fortune', Seacrest told him, "I heard you let out air, which was a sigh of relief because I think you knew it. I got good news for you, pal." Shortly afterward, Seacrest revealed that Richardson had won the brand-new Ford Explorer Active. Eventually, Richardson walked away with $61,855 worth of prizes.
Once the clip of Richardson's Bonus Round was shared on the YouTube channel of 'Wheel of Fortune', several fans expressed their happiness in the comments section as it was the second 'car win' on the show in the same week. One social media user wrote, “‘Cooking with gas!’ This is the second time he said that when someone won a car in the bonus round." Followed by a second user who penned, "If the game starts with bad news only to end with good news, then it’s worth watching. From no one getting the first Toss-Up and the first spin being Bankrupt to everyone winning something and the Bonus Round being won, I think this made for a fabulous evening!" Another netizen remarked, "Congratulations Jeff on your big WIN!! Enjoy that new beautiful RIDE!!"