Marine vet picks weirdest letters in 'Wheel of Fortune' bonus round — but somehow nails it in 2 seconds
For many contestants, ‘Wheel of Fortune’ bonus round can be scary, but that was not the case for Marine Corps veteran Brandon Shields. In a special November 2024 episode in honor of Veterans’ Day, Shields, from Wilmington, Delaware, went head-to-head with two other military veterans, Ashley Smith and Mark Fletcher. During the game, Shields, who had mastered a pulled pork recipe while serving in the military, invited host Ryan Seacrest and Vanna White to try it, according to TV Insider.
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After winning $22,400 and a trip to St. Maarten, Shields advanced to the bonus round. He chose to go ahead with the “What Are You Doing?” category, and the board presented him with a four-word puzzle: "L _ _ _ _ N _ _ _R _ _ _E_S". Thinking through to answer the question, Shields responded with the very unusual letters, "Y, K, F, and O". As 'Wheel of Fortune' co-host White moved towards the screen, Seacrest remarked, “I think you’re gonna see a few things here.” The words gave Shields some confidence as was evident from the smile on his face.
As White added Shields' letters to the puzzle, the possibility of him winning the coveted bonus round quadrupled. Two words of the puzzle—'Keys' and 'For'— were solved, and Shields was two letters away from a victory. "That's a nice start," Seacrest remarked, knowing that the answer was almost revealed, before adding, "Let me say what I've got to say. The category is ‘What Are You Doing? You’ll have ten seconds and, blah blah blah. Good luck.” In less than 2 seconds, Shields answered, "Looking for my keys," and the audience erupted in cheers.
"Yeah, that's it. You got it," Seacrest exclaimed as he opened the envelope, revealing an additional $50,000 prize money for Shields. His total earnings were $72,400. Shields’ family soon joined him to celebrate the win. “I can pay for childcare, that’s awesome!” an exalted Shields exclaimed. The video, posted on YouTube, garnered an immense response from fans, with several flooding the comments section to congratulate the veteran who once served in Afghanistan. While some thought he got lucky in selecting the unconventional letters, many believed that his response was calculated and that he had figured out the answer before giving his choices.
“He picked letters you don’t see often in the bonus round, and they all worked out. Well done!” one user wrote. “Unusual letter picks that paid off…literally! Such a beautiful family! Way to go, Brandon!” another commented. Addressing what the win might've felt like, another user wrote, “He knew that from the beginning.” Echoing a similar sentiment, a fourth user commented, “You knew that Bonus Puzzle all along! How about that?” “When Brandon picked Y, I just knew he was toying with us as Pat [Sajak] would say,” another wrote, while a fifth user agreed, stating, “He definitely knew it from the beginning.”