‘Wheel of Fortune’ player spills wild story of being kissed by a camel — then nails tricky puzzle like a pro
'Wheel of Fortune' has been a fan-favorite for decades. Viewers enjoy the puzzles that keep them hooked, and the contestants bring their different personalities, sense of humor, and life stories, adding to the charm of the show. One such player was Gregg Liebgold, who competed on the show against Beverly Duru from Texas and Ranell Cox from Albuquerque, New Mexico. During the initial rounds of the show, Liebgold told host Ryan Seacrest about his adventures, which included bowling in Vietnam and being kissed by a camel in Mexico, as reported by Andy Nguyen's blog.
That's not all. What made him more interesting was his passion for 80s music. He revealed that, as a fan, he used to tape Casey Kasem’s 'American Top 40' on his cassette tapes from American Canyon in California. Liebgold came to the show with a lot of positivity and took the lead in the initial rounds, solving puzzles such as, D_N’T P _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ H _ _ E C _ _ _ ET (DON'T PACK YOUR WHOLE CLOSET), and PUTTING TOGETHER A PU_ _LE (PUTTING TOGETHER A PUZZLE). During the Mystery Round, Liebgold nailed the puzzle that read "_ _ NNING _ ATE–NIGHT _ NA _ _" with the correct answer, RUNNING LATE-NIGHT SNACK.
But things got tricky during the speed-up, under the category 'What are you doing?' when the puzzle read, _ _ _ LING TR _ NSP _ RT _ D. While viewers sitting at home were left scratching their heads, the contestant somehow managed to answer this one correctly. "Feeling Transported," he blurted out, winning an additional $8,500. He finally emerged as the winner with the highest total of $21,300 cash prize. In the Bonus Round, Liebgold was joined onstage by his husband of 17 years, Eddie. Seacrest, clearly still amused by the camel story earlier, leaned in with a grin and asked, “Is this the first time you’re hearing about the camel and the kiss and everything?”
Eddie erupted in laughter but admitted, “Yes.” But Seacrest wasn’t done. “Were you jealous?” he teased. Without missing a beat, Liebgold replied, “He did it too!" After spinning the wheel, the contestant was faced with another two-word challenging puzzle in the category 'Around the House.' It read, _ _ SE _ _ _ after the standard R, S, T, N, L, and E letters were placed. Liebgold chose C, P, M, and A. Soon, the timer kicked off, but he struggled to piece the puzzle together. Even Seacrest quipped, "That's a tough one." Just a second before the clock ran out, Liebgold did get the first word right and said, "Fuse," but didn't solve the whole puzzle. Later on, Vanna White revealed the correct answer, "Fuse Box."
Seacrest opened the Golden Envelope and revealed that Liebgold had just missed out on an extra $40,000. The sting was real as Liebgold said in a regretful tone, "So close". Seacrest offered him some consolation and said, "However, you are a big winner." Despite losing the Bonus Round, Liebgold went home with $21,300 and the same positive spirit with which he entered the competition and summed it up perfectly, "What great fun."