Groom-to-be freezes on ‘Wheel of Fortune’ — almost loses $60K after he struggles to solve simple puzzle
Solving word puzzles on ‘Wheel of Fortune’ isn’t always easy, even for the best contestants. In the June 6 episode, contestant Pat Ralph nearly lost out on a $60,000 prize after struggling in the Bonus Round. Ralph only had to guess three letters, and many viewers thought the puzzle was surprisingly simple. In that episode, Ralph, from Westfield, New Jersey, competed against Kelly Rushford of Buffalo, New York, and Stefani Adams of Chicago, Illinois.
Ralph shared that he needed the money to help pay for his upcoming wedding. He also said he’s a foodie like host Ryan Seacrest and enjoys trying new restaurants. As per TV Insider, while speaking of wedding planning, Seacrest went on to say, “Well, we were looking in the mirror until that part." Ralph managed to solve both the toss-ups, taking the lead with $3,000. Soon after, both Ralph and Adams, who joked that appearing on the show was on her bingo card, struggled with the first puzzle. On the other hand, Rushford cracked the puzzle with two letters left to solve.
Adams, who had “travel” on her bingo card, won a trip to Hawaii and the Wild Card after solving the puzzle “Winning a Flying Car,” taking the lead with $14,334. However, Adams' luck ran out after she landed bankrupt during the Prize Puzzle. Ralph solved the Prize Puzzle “Hammock Between Two Palm Trees,” winning a trip to Barbados and reclaiming the lead with $20,500. Rushford added $10,500 to her bank after solving all three Triple Toss-Ups. Adams later solved the final puzzle, “A Narrow Escape,” but still couldn’t clinch the top spot.
In the end, Adams finished with $15,944, while Rushford ended with $11,000. Ralph emerged as the big winner of the night with $20,500. For the Bonus Round, Ralph chose 'Phrase.' During the Bonus Round, Ralph was joined by his fiancée, Courtney, after they exchanged 'I love yous.' Then, the 'Wheel of Fortune' gave Ralph “R, S, T, L, N, and E,” and he picked “C, D, P, and A" to round out the puzzle. At last, the puzzle looked like “P_C_ A CARD AN_ CARD." With the clock ticking, Ralph paused for a moment before saying, “Pick a card, any card," and he was right. Ultimately, Ralph added $40,000 to his bank account, taking his overall total to $60,500.
After the episode aired, fans took to social media to share their reactions to Ralph’s close call. One social media user wrote, “Thank goodness he got that. He almost blew an easy puzzle. Phew." Followed by a second user who penned, "He scared me for a minute, but I’m glad he got it!” Another netizen went on to say, "Holy moly, I was on the edge of my seat with this one and didn’t think he was going to get it in time, especially with the additional ten letters displayed. Wedding paid in full." Another user chimed in, “My goodness! I thought he would not solve that really easy one!”
