One of the fastest Bonus Rounds ever? 'Wheel of Fortune' fans were blown away — and so was Ryan Seacrest
‘Wheel of Fortune’ is currently airing summer reruns before launching its highly anticipated Season 43. NBC re-aired a September 20, 2024, episode where contestant Angie Sutton stunned Ryan Seacrest with her lightning-fast answers and Bonus Round win. According to TV Insider, the episode re-aired on Friday, June 13, and featured Sutton competing against Barry Wolfsheimer of Jarrettsville, Maryland, and Teresa Vaughn of Paducah, Kentucky. The game began with Sutton solving both toss-ups. Vaughn briefly took the lead by solving the first puzzle, but later went Bankrupt. Capitalizing on the opportunity, Sutton solved “Thrilling Trips & Terrific Tours” and took the lead with $17,200. She also won a trip to Las Vegas during that round.
When Vaughn tried her luck again during the Prize Puzzle round, she unfortunately hit Bankrupt once more. Eventually, Sutton solved “Elephants and Rhinos,” also winning a trip to Tanzania. By this point, Sutton had racked up a total of $32,550 and held a Wild Card. Later in the game, Vaughn solved two of the three toss-ups while Sutton answered the other. Solving the final puzzle, “Collecting Vintage Cars,” added another $8,000 to Sutton’s total, bringing it to $42,550. Wolfsheimer finished with $1,000, while Vaughn took home $9,700. Sutton selected the “Living Things” category for the Bonus Round, receiving the standard letters "R, S, T, L, N, and E." She then used her Wild Card to choose the letters "B, M, H, A, and C." The puzzle eventually looked like “_ _L_H_NS.” Sutton had her answer ready even before the clock started ticking. By solving “Dolphins,” Sutton won $40,000, bringing her total earnings to $82,550. Looking at her rapid win, Seacrest shockingly asked, “How’d you do that so fast?” with Sutton replying, “It just worked out.”
While this was Seacrest’s first time witnessing such a fast-paced win, longtime host Pat Sajak had seen a few during his run. As per The US Sun, Jerome Mack Sr. left a lasting impression during his October 2023 appearance on the show. Under the "Before and After" category, he instantly solved the puzzle “fresh fallen snow cones,” correctly guessing “Fresh fallen snow cones.”
Jerome, a father from Washington Court House, competed against Taryn Oubre of Wellesley and Colleen Price of Trabuco Canyon. He also solved the $2,000 Toss-Up round with the answer “ATHLETIC DIRECTOR.” During the Mystery Round, Jerome nearly went bankrupt, but a correct guess saved him, bringing his total to $19,499 and a trip to Switzerland.
