New York woman nails ‘Wheel of Fortune’ puzzle before the clock even starts — scores $40K and a dream trip
'Wheel of Fortune' fans were taken by surprise when a contestant managed to solve a Bonus Round puzzle in just one second. During an episode of 'Wheel of Fortune,' which was released on December 13, 2024, a player named Staci Urban impressed the game show host Ryan Seacrest as well as the fans with her quick puzzle-solving skills. Throughout her time on the beloved game show, Urban solved numerous puzzles and won thousands of dollars and a trip to Walt Disney World before moving to the finale. In the end, Urban's great selection of letters helped her to solve her final puzzle in no time.
In the episode, Urban from Lindenhurst, New York, faced off against Christian Gallardo from Chula Vista, California, and Kemi Akindude from Rochester, New York. Urban started the game by solving the first puzzle of the night. Soon after, Gallardo bagged the lead when he cracked the prize puzzle in the Express Round, winning a trip to the Aulani Resort in Oahu. Following that, Urban bounced back in the Mystery/Crossword Round, when she solved the prize puzzle and won a trip for herself to Walt Disney World worth $9,316, according to Andy Nguyen's blog.
Urban maintained the momentum in the Speedy Round, where she guessed a few more puzzles. Eventually, Urban finished in the first place on the leaderboard with $24,866 in cash and the Disney trip. Then, Urban advanced to the Bonus Round. When Seacrest asked Urban to pick a category for her final puzzle, she chose "Food & Drink." Shortly afterward, Urban's two friends, Stacy and Marissa, came on the stage to support her, and Seacrest told them, "Nice to have you all with us."
Soon after, Urban spun the wheel and picked a Golden Envelope. After 'Wheel of Fortune' gave Urban the standard letters, "R, S, T, L, N, E," she went on to choose "M, C, P, and I" as her additional letters. With everything on the board, Urban's long single-word puzzle looked like "P _ M E _ R _ N _ T E." Even before Seacrest began the ten-second timer, it seemed like Urban had figured out the correct answer. As the clock started ticking, Urban shouted, "Pomegranate," which turned out to be the right answer. At that moment, Seacrest quipped, "You knew it. I could tell you knew it. I sensed that from you over here." Then, Seacrest flipped the Golden Envelope and informed Urban that she had won an additional $40,000, giving her a total of $64,866.
Once the episode dropped, many fans stopped by the comments section to congratulate Urban on her big win on 'Wheel of Fortune.' One social media user wrote, "That was an easy puzzle! Congratulations, Staci, for winning $40,000!" Followed by a second user who penned, "I got it too, but not the $40K... Oh well, I'm happy for her." Another netizen remarked, "Congratulations, Staci, season's greetings, and happy holidays. You won $40,000 for a total of $64,866; well done." A fan commented, "Possibly the easiest $40k ever lmaoo. Congrats to Stacy!"