23-year-old studied old puzzles — then swept ‘Wheel of Fortune’ with near-perfect guesses
Robert Santoli appeared on ‘Wheel of Fortune’ in 2016, when longtime host Pat Sajak was still at the helm. The 2016 episode became memorable thanks to his puzzle-solving skills. He impressed from the start, solving puzzles quickly and confidently. But what really stunned viewers was how he solved puzzles with barely any letters on the board.
At just 23, he solved the first puzzle instantly with only one letter: “D.” It was a “Places” puzzle, and the answer was “Port & Starboard.” He then solved “Oh What a Night” with just three letters and “Don’t Let the Cat Out of the Bag” using only the standard RSTLNE clues, according to Entertainment Weekly. The contestant in question had studied previous ‘Wheel of Fortune’ puzzles while also paying particular attention to nautical phrases, as the theme of that particular week was sailing.
Talking to a news outlet, Taplnto.net, he stated, “I spent the days before our trip compiling a list of possible puzzles and keywords themed toward sailing, cruising, water, and even fishing.” “The show does sometimes repeat puzzles, especially themed ones. ‘Port & Starboard’ had been used at least twice before my show, both times as a Toss-Up puzzle,” Santoli added.He walked away with $76,000 in cash and prizes. Santoli, a resident of Yorktown Heights, New York, was seen playing against Bonnie Dredla, a Luling, Texas resident, and Noelle Richardson from Atlanta. A similar shock was experienced by the fans when Rachel Granier appeared on the show, breaking a long losing streak.
Granier, a school principal from Lafayette, Louisiana, was seen on the May 23 episode of the highly acclaimed game series. The episode was most loved by the fans of ‘Wheel of Fortune,’ looking at the way Granier had won her Bonus Round after a straight 19 Bonus Round losses in separate episodes. In the Bonus Round, the contestant got the letters “R, L, S, T, N,” and “E.” Meanwhile, the board read, “_ _ _ R _ _ _ R N E _ _ _ _ _ T S.”
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She further chose to add “C, M, P,” and “O,” but the consonants she chose were all struck out, putting the ones watching the game in serious dismay again. After choosing two O’s, the puzzle then read, “_ O _ R _ O _ R N E _ _ _ _ _ T S.” Granier said she recognized “YOUR JOURNEY” right away, according to TV Insider. Moving further, she guessed the final word in the puzzle, which was “AWAITS.” Her Bonus Round prize of $40,000 brought her total to $62,200, she and the audience were amazed as she broke the long curse of the reality game show. Wheel of Fortune’s Season 42 concluded recently, with the game show expected to make a return in September this year, bringing back the charming faces of Ryan Seacrest and Vanna White.