This dad used his final 10 seconds on ‘Wheel of Fortune’ for one heartwarming reason — and still won big

'Wheel of Fortune' contestant risked losing the prize puzzle to send a sweet message that instantly made all of us smile
PUBLISHED JUN 10, 2025
Screenshot of Bradley Rose on the stage of 'Wheel of Fortune' (Cover Image Source: YouTube| Wheel of Fortune)
Screenshot of Bradley Rose on the stage of 'Wheel of Fortune' (Cover Image Source: YouTube| Wheel of Fortune)

Wheel of Fortune’ is known to create an environment that not only has the contestants but also the viewers biting their nails. However, even in such a tense situation, a contestant managed to show his love for his kids. We are talking about Bradley Rose, who was seen in the March 8, 2023, episode. The contestant in discussion had only 10 seconds left to make his move and was also warned by the host, Pat Sajak. Interestingly, all of this happened during the bonus round. 



 

Asking Rose not to panic, the host of 'The Wheel of Fortune' explained, "You have only ten seconds—not 11, ten. Good luck!" In case you might not know, the puzzle was a phrase, and the available words were "HAPP_ T_ HEAR THAT." Well, much to the intrigue of the audience, instead of solving the puzzle, for which Rose had his answer ready, he addressed his kids, stating, "Sino, Kalani, Shiloh, Daddy loves you," after which he instantly answered, "Happy to hear that." With his answer being right and using his little time to come up with a stunt, Sajak labeled him "sneaky." In episode 7748, the Kansas City player was seen competing with Jenny Taylor from Sylmar as well as Whitney McCraney from Memphis. The episode had begun with a toss-up of WAYD? Later on, the game moved to a $2K Tossup: Person. Moving forward, during the Blue-Emu Mystery Round, Rose had made $3K, with Taylor leading the game, having $5,850 earned, and McCraney going bankrupt. 



 

As Rose won the round, Sajak revealed the prize, which was a Chevy. Besides the new wheels, he had even won $9,600 in cash, a $7,000 Bahamas vacation, bringing his total winnings to a total of $58,569. His move had not only earned him a grand prize but also great respect from the audience, as one fan wrote on X (formerly Twitter), "Gutsy move. 10 seconds isn't all that long. I am very happy he won $58,569 I love last night's show. You had teachers & an RN on as players & they all won a lot of cash. Those two occupations are hard & serve this country very well for a long time. They all won $. Well deserved." Meanwhile, on YouTube, a viewer was seen commenting, "I do admit I thought he was going to get carried away and get buzzed out. Fortunately, he didn't," as per Newsweek.  



 

In case you might not know, this episode came during the time when the audience had started to believe that the show had run out of money. These speculations came as the reality game show witnessed 19 straight losses, with fans thinking the ‘Wheel of Fortune’ was purposely making its players lose the game. Fortunately, all of this was proved to be only speculations by one player, Rachel Granier. As per Market Realist, showcasing her talents and winning $22,200 in cash, she advanced to the Bonus Round. Confidently chosing the ‘Phrase’ category, she received the standard board with letters and a three-word puzzle, “_ _ _ R     _ _ _ R N E _       _ _ _ _ T S.” Soon when the ten seconds timer hit, Grainer came up with the phrase, “YOUR JOURNEY AWAITS,” ultimately making her win the $40,000 golden envelope.  'Wheel of Fortune' is currently in its Season 42. While being a great hit since it first premiered back on January 6, 1975, the show is still gaining great traction. After the exit of Sajak, the game show is currently being hosted by Ryan Seacrest and Vanna White, while Jim Thornton is associated with the show as its announcer.

RELATED TOPICS WHEEL OF FORTUNE

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