‘Wheel of Fortune’ player solves puzzle in seconds — then celebrates huge win with family in wholesome moment
Some 'Wheel of Fortune' contestants buckle under the pressure of the Bonus Round, letting their nerves get the best of them. Others, however, make the final puzzle look like a cakewalk. Appearing on the 'Wheel of Fortune' episode that aired on January 27, John Boese did just that, solving his final puzzle within a few seconds. After successfully defeating his competition to reach the finale, Boese found himself in a fix in the Bonus Round; a short three-word puzzle left him perplexed. His initial selection of letters didn't help much, but he didn't give up. Boese managed to crack the $40,000 puzzle in just a few seconds.
Boese, a Santa Monica resident, was competing against Rachel Roberson of Houston, Texas, and Linda Bertolucci of San Diego. He kicked off the game on a winning note by solving a puzzle in the first Toss Up round, which read, "You're So Hypnotizing." Continuing with the game, Boese continued the momentum and went on to win a few thousand dollars. In the Mystery Round, he figured out the prize puzzle “Out With The Old, In With The New Orelens”, adding $10,500 to his bank account. In the Express Round, Boese solved the prize puzzle "Grand Canyon National Park", winning a trip to the Grand Canyon National Park and a stay at the Tanque Verde Ranch, worth $7,500, as per Andy Nguyen's blog.
In the following rounds, Boese successfully solved more puzzles and eventually secured the top position on the leaderboard with a total of $23,000 and the two trips. On the other hand, runner-up Roberson walked away with $2,000, and Bertolucci went home empty-handed. Finally, the time Boese had been waiting for had come, and Seacrest asked him to pick a category for the Bonus Round. Boese selected 'Phrase', and was soon joined by his mom, girlfriend, and sister on stage. He spun the wheel and picked out the 'M' Golden Envelope.
The 'Wheel of Fortune' presented Boese with the letters R, S, T, L, N, and E, and he went on to choose C, G, H, and O. With everything on the board, Boese's final puzzle read "O _ _ _ E GO." As Seacrest started the ten-second timer, Boese was seen mumbling the few possibilities that crossed his mind. Five seconds before the timer ran out, Boese yelled, "Off We Go." "Yeah, that's it! You go it!" Seacrest exclaimed as Boese's family rushed in to celebrate. Seacrest flipped the Golden Envelope and revealed that Boese had won an additional $40,000. Boese went home with a total cash prize of $63,000.
Several 'Wheel of Fortune' fans joined in to celebrate Boese's win in the comments section of the video shared on YouTube. "I was worried for a minute! I solved it myself, and he literally got to it midway! Good job, John!" one user complimented Boese. "He luckily selected two critical letters + it was a short puzzle = easy solve! Way to go, John!!!" wrote another, while a third went on to say, "Way to go, John! I knew that puzzle all along, but you got it right anyways!"