'Wheel of Fortune' player gets host Ryan Seacrest to spill some personal secrets before winning $63,000
A 'Wheel of Fortune' contestant managed to convince the game show host, Ryan Seacrest, to reveal some of his personal stories on national television. During an episode of 'Wheel of Fortune' Season 42, which saw the light of day on March 11, Seacrest was seen engaging in friendly conversations with contestants. In the introduction rounds, a contestant named Jill McDaniel from Lakewood, Colorado, stated that she often holds “discussion dinners” with her friends where they ask each other questions. When Seacrest asked McDaniel what kind of questions, McDaniel quipped, “What’s your biggest fear?”
According to Market Realist, Seacrest turned to his fellow co-host, Vanna White, and asked her, "Vanna, what is your biggest fear?” In her response, White quipped, “Oh, my biggest fear? Erm… spiders? Spiders is a big one. How about you?” Then, the 'American Idol' host looked directly at the cameras and said, "Relationships." Soon after, McDaniel leaned over and gave Seacrest a fist bump. Then, Seacrest told McDaniel, “We are each other’s people.” Throughout the game, McDaniel solved many puzzles, and she bagged an early lead, winning thousands in cash and a trip to the Canadian Rockies worth $7,999.
In the end, McDaniel secured the top spot on the leaderboard with $23,749 in cash and the sponsored trip, and she advanced to the Bonus Round. When Seacrest asked McDaniel to pick a category for her Bonus Round puzzle, she selected "Phrase." At that point, McDaniel was joined on stage by her friends and mentioned that they had a dinner discussion the previous night. Then, a curious Seacrest asked, "And what did you discuss? Was there a topic?" to which McDaniel replied, "There was one that said, 'How would your mom describe you?' and 'How would your last boyfriend describe you?' Following that, Seacrest quipped, "Well, I can't answer that one, but my mom would say very tall and strapping."
After spinning the wheel, McDaniel picked a Golden Envelope, and she was faced with a three-word puzzle. After getting the show's standard letters, "R, S, T, L, N, E," she chose “M, C, D, and A” as her additional letters to round out the puzzle. With everything on the board, McDaniel's final puzzle read, “A _ A _ _ _ M E D _ _ M.” As Seacrest began the ten-second timer, she shouted, "A Happy Medium," which turned out to be the correct answer. Shortly afterward, Seacrest flipped the Golden Envelope and revealed that McDaniel had won an extra $40,000, taking her total to $63,749.
Once the episode dropped, numerous fans stopped by the comments section to congratulate McDaniel on her big win. One social media user wrote, "Congratulations, Jill, on winning $40,000 for a total of $63,749; well done." Followed by a second user who penned, "Congrats, Jill - have a great time at the Canadian Rockies! (BTW her voice reminds me of Kristen Schaal.)" A 'Wheel of Fortune' fan echoed the same sentiments by writing, "Now that was a fighting chance for Jill to solve the puzzle and win, and the 'M' was definitely the right letter to pick, and an extra 'A' gave her the fighting chance. Congratulations, Jill, and that was a great solve." Another netizen went on to say, "Jill knows how to solve puzzles in the main game and the bonus round."