‘Wheel of Fortune’ contestant had his dream vacation in the bag — until greed got the best of him
In a 2024 episode of 'Wheel of Fortune,' viewers were stunned when a contestant lost a trip to Saint Lucia. He also lost the entire game after repeatedly spinning the wheel instead of solving a nearly completed prize puzzle. The contestant, Arlando, eventually landed on Bankrupt after several risky spins. Arlando, a Kansas City resident, appeared on the November 19, 2024 episode and made a move that shocked viewers.
Arlando made strong progress in the initial puzzle, especially in the three-word prize puzzle within the category “Places,” a round that ensured a trip destination to whoever won it, as per TV Insider. He kept spinning and eventually landed on a $650 wedge. Arlando guessed “P,” which correctly filled the first letters of the puzzle’s first two words. The puzzle on the board read, “‘P_CTURE’—‘PERFECT’ ‘_E_C_ES.” Surprisingly, Arlando spun again instead of solving the nearly completed puzzle. He eventually landed on a $500 wedge. The contestant then went on to pick an “H.” With only three letters missing, host Ryan Seacrest said, “Good call, there’s one of those.”
Arlando spun the Wheel again without attempting to solve. But his luck ran out, and he landed on Bankrupt, prompting groans from the audience as Seacrest exclaimed, “I don’t know if it could get closer. Ugh!” Then came Miracle from Georgia, who immediately chose to solve, telling Seacrest, “I have to solve it, Ryan.” Miracle correctly solved the puzzle, “Picture Perfect Beaches,” winning a $9,000 trip to Saint Lucia.
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As Miracle celebrated, Arlando looked on while she giggled on the 'Wheel of Fortune' stage. That round was worth about $18,000, and Miracle’s total winnings reached $27,550. The moment sparked a Wheel of Fortune Reddit thread, where one user wrote, “Arlando spinning instead of solving made me scream at my TV. Category: Place P_CTURE PERFECT _E_CHES Are you kidding me? During the prize puzzle?” A fan of the game show was then seen commenting on the post, “Gave Miracle a nice $18k gift.” Meanwhile, another viewer's comment read, “My wife and I screamed at the TV too. It was so obvious.” “He got too greedy. Or didn’t know the answer,” a fourth comment read, while a viewer posted, “We were pretty shocked, But then I was thinking maybe he just got in the groove of spinning, didn’t really, truly look at the puzzle, just kept spinning?? Like he just spun, call a letter, look down, spin again, call a letter…” 'Wheel of Fortune' Season 43 will release this September.
