A ‘Wheel of Fortune’ contestant ended a 19-episode dry spell — and claimed $40,000 in the Bonus Round
‘Wheel of Fortune’ fans were delighted after a contestant broke the unusual 19-episode losing streak by solving the final puzzle in the Bonus Round. During an episode of ‘Wheel of Fortune’ which aired on December 9, 2024, a player named Sunita Baru impressed the game show host Ryan Seacrest as well as the fans with her incredible puzzle-solving skills. In the episode, Baru from Brentwood, California, competed against Kristin Martin from Cranston, Rhode Island, and Ken Nathanael from Northborough, Massachusetts. Eventually, Baru advanced to the Bonus Round. With her great selection of letters, Baru managed to solve her Bonus Round puzzle with ease, and she won $40,000.
Baru had a rocky start as she trailed in third position during the first Toss-Up round. However, she made a remarkable comeback in the Express Round by solving the prize puzzle and winning a trip to Disney World, worth $9,316, according to Andy Nguyen’s blog. In the end, Baru secured the top position on the leaderboard with $11,000 in cash and a trip to Disney World, advancing to the Bonus Round. At that point, Seacrest told Baru, “Lucky belt got you to the Bonus Round,” to which the latter responded by saying, “Yes, it did.”
Shortly afterward, Baru was asked to pick a category for her final puzzle, and she chose “Event.” Then, Baru was accompanied on the stage by her husband, Paresh, and her daughter, Narali. While chitchatting with Seacrest, Baru also mentioned that the pair’s other daughter, Soraya, was watching the show from home. Subsequently, Baru spun the wheel and picked out a Golden Envelope. After ‘Wheel of Fortune’ gave Baru the standard letters, “R, S, T, L, N, E," she selected “M, H, D, and A” as her additional letters. With everything on the board, Baru’s final puzzle looked like “ _ R _ D A L S H _ _ E R.”
Even before Seacrest kicked off the ten-second timer, Baru had figured out the right answer. When the clock began ticking, Baru shouted, “BRIDAL SHOWER,” which turned out to be the correct answer. Following that, Seacrest flipped the Golden Envelope and revealed that Baru had won an extra $40,000, taking her total to $51,016. Then, Baru celebrated her big win by hugging her husband and her daughter. As per Market Realist, while reflecting on Baru’s gameplay during the Bonus Round, Seacrest quipped, “I heard you took that deep breath in like you knew it and exhaled with the answer.”
Once the episode dropped, many fans of the show congratulated Baru on her victory, and they called it a 'Christmas miracle.' One social media user wrote, “That's definitely a Christmas miracle.” Followed by a second user who penned “Her lucky belt didn’t just help get her to the bonus round; it helped her win it!" Another netizen exclaimed, “Sunita, some steal Christmas, you can just buy it with $40,000!! Oh ho ho congratulations!" A ‘Wheel of Fortune’ fan commented, “Way to go, Sunita! What a great way to start the first Disney Secret Santa Sweepstakes of the Ryan Seacrest Era of Wheel of Fortune!”