MEAWW.COM / ENTERTAINMENT / TV

‘Wheel of Fortune’ winner who guessed puzzle at the last second spills what it’s really like to be on show

Professional drag queen who won $100K shares the wild story of how a McDonald’s ad changed everything

‘Wheel of Fortune’ has had major wins and losses over the years. Since it’s the game of fate, some went home empty-handed while others won thousands of dollars in the blink of an eye. One such example is contestant Berto Borroto, who won the $100,000 bonus prize. Borroto is a performer and Drag Queen from Minneapolis, Minnesota, who admittedly came on the show to ditch the cold weather and earn some cold-hard cash. He appeared on the show during its Marvel Week and competed against Pamela Davis from Sherman Oaks, California, and Melinda Smith from College Park, Maryland.

Borroto had a slow start in the initial rounds and but picked up his pace. He was on fire during the Express Round and ended up winning a Caribbean Cruise aboard the Marvel Day at Sea. After that, his path to victory seemed like a cakewalk. He ended the rounds with a total of $21,917 in cash before the Bonus Round, which became a game-changer for him. During the round, Borroto had to guess the missing letters of a sentence to win the grand prize of $ 100 K. He selected the phrase category and chose the W, M, G, A, and F. That’s when the puzzle appeared that read, “W E / A R E / _ N / A / _ _ R R _.”

He had 10 seconds to guess the puzzle, but Borroto solved it a little early and announced his answer: “We Are In A Hurry.” The accurate guess earned him a whopping $100000 cash prize, taking the grand total to $21,917. “Oh my god!” the contestant screamed and jumped out of excitement.  He seemed ecstatic as the confetti rained on him. Host Pat Sajak, known for his unique humor, joined in the celebration by placing the confetti over Borroto’s shoulders. “The things you gotta do,” he quipped to co-host Vanna White, who came on stage to congratulate the contestant. 

Not only did Borroto win a cruise and a grand prize, but he also became the third grand prize winner of season 41. After winning the money, Borroto hosted a live watch party of his episode back in his hometown. Dressed in his Drag Queen attire, he welcomed the people at his watch party in a video posted on social media. He took it way back and narrated the series of events that landed him the show. In that process, he also spilled some lesser-known behind-the-scenes secrets. “It feels like a dream. It feels like I’m gonna wake up any second and wish it was real,” he said in the video.

He recalled watching an advertisement for ‘Wheel of Fortune’s Marvel Week while waiting in line at McDonald's. He admitted to being a huge superhero fan, and Marvel combined with the game show made it a win-win deal. A week after he sent his audition, he got a call from the show. He was asked a few random questions, then he was asked to do a “virtual” audition with the contestant producer. Borroto stopped right there and said, “I don’t know if I’m allowed to talk about that.” Without getting further into the details, he revealed that he was confirmed within a few weeks, and the rest is history.