He lost the puzzle, the prize, and $89K — but this ‘Wheel of Fortune’ player still walked away smiling
A 'Wheel of Fortune' contestant had zero luck during the Bonus Round when none of the letters he picked appeared in the puzzle, leaving him with just two letters to solve the entire puzzle. Eventually, he ended up losing a staggering $89,000 due to the tricky puzzle. During an episode of 'Wheel of Fortune' which was released on May 20, Chad Benner, a minister and teacher from Wheelersburg, Ohio, competed against Darlene Campisano, from Brockton, Massachusetts, and Reuben Cheatem, from Dallas, Texas. Cheatem, a stage 3 colon cancer survivor, won the first toss-up, but sadly, he landed on Bankrupt during the first puzzle.
Soon after, Benner landed on the Home Renovation wedge and he deciphered the puzzle, “This Time It’s Going to Be Different”, putting $8,650 in his bank. During the Mystery Round, Benner bagged the Wild Card after calling an "S." Unfortunately, Benner had to give up the Wild Card as well as the House Wedge when he landed on Bankrupt. However, Benner solved the puzzle, "I’m Not Lazy, I’m Just Very Relaxed,” and won $11,000.
On the other hand, Campisano made her way to the board when she figured out the Prize Puzzle and won a trip to Mexico, giving her $9,605. Then, Cheatem solved two of the three toss-ups for $4,000. Shortly afterward, Campisano cracked the last one for $2,000, and she took the lead by $150. In the end, Benner worked out the final puzzle, “Taking the Next Step,” for $3,000. Following that, Benner got a spot in the Bonus Round with $14,450, meanwhile Campisano was left with $11,605, and Cheatem went home with $6,000.
During the Bonus Round, Benner picked “Living Things.” Then, 'Wheel of Fortune' gave him “R, S, T, L, N, and E," and he selected “M, C, P, and I," and the puzzle looked like “_ _ _ _ _E_ _E _ _ _.” As per TV Insider, at that point, Ryan Seacrest, the show's host, told Benner, “I don’t think we can reveal much more or anything." As the timer ticked down, Benner guessed “Dead Heathens.” The correct answer to the puzzle was “Baby Hedgehog.” Benner missed out on an additional $75,000 due to the difficult puzzle.
While having a conversation with WSAZ3 following his big loss, Benner candidly spoke about his experience on the game show. “Once in a lifetime experience, I really can’t, I can’t put it into words. Like, I’m a word guy, but I can’t put it into words. It was just an incredible experience,” Benner told the media outlet. Along with this, Benner stated that he had kept this a secret for five to six months and shared, "I’ve been keeping a secret and I’m about to explode." In the same interview, Benner revealed that his children grew up watching 'Wheel of Fortune' with him and mentioned they were excited to see him on television. Benner's daughter Caleigh chimed in and quipped, “It’s a show I grew up watching here at my Mamaw’s and Papaw’s, and just like the fact that he was on it was like, whoa, this is mind-blowing.”