A Wheel of Fortune contestant was so excited after his big win on Tuesday’s (January 21) episode that he tackled Ryan Seacrest to the ground during his celebration.
The contestant in question was Daniel Thomas from San Marcos, California, who went up against Dina Carlow from Chesapeake, Virginia, and Amaryllis DeJesus from Wesley Chapel, Florida.
Thomas, who told Seacrest he likes driving down the coast with his dad and listening to talk radio, made it to the Bonus Round with $31,950 cash and a trip to Alaska. He selected the “Living Things” category, along with the additional letters “H, G, D, and O.”
This gave him a one-word puzzle that read: “G _ _ _ _ E S.”
“Good luck,” Seacrest said as the ten-second timer started.
Thomas looked baffled, struggling to even come up with an attempt at an answer. However, with just two seconds remaining, he was struck with a moment of inspiration and answered, “Guppies!”
“That’s it! You did it,” Seacrest said as Thomas ran over to hug him.
During the embrace, Seacrest lost his footing and took a tumble onto the studio floor. “Oh my gosh, are you okay?” Thomas asked, helping the American Idol host back to his feet.
Seacrest took the fall in his stride, saying, “I’m good,” and then opening the prize envelope to reveal Thomas added an extra $40,000 to his winnings, giving him a grand total of $71,950.
The host then humorously backed away from Thomas and ducked behind the prize wheel. “Vanna [White], you’ll have to take over,” he joked, clutching his stomach.
Seacrest asked Thomas how he managed to do that in the last second, to which the contestant quipped, “Push you over or solve the puzzle?”
Closing out the show, Seacrest told White, “I don’t know if you saw, but I think he was excited.”
“You think?” White replied before asking if her co-host was okay.
“Oh yeah, it’s great,” he said. “To all future contestants, please, if you win, pick me up, throw me over, tackle me, I’m totally fine with it.”
“Don’t listen to him!” White warned.
It was an episode of unforgettable moments, as earlier in the game, the three contestants landed on the Bankrupt wedge four times in a row… on two separate occasions!
This led to Seacrest turning to the camera and saying, “If you’re just joining us to Wheel of Bankrupt, welcome!”
Fans took to social media to react to the wild episode, with one Reddit user writing, “I saw this episode…It was totally CRAZY!!!”
“Truly an insane show! At least everyone shared in the misery,” said another, referring to the amount of bankrupts.
“That was so wholesome! You sure you’re okay, Ryan?” another added.
Another wrote, “I’m glad Ryan is ok but man that was funny!!”
“Ten thousand bankrupts and then Ryan gets knocked over at the end. Fun episode,” said one fan.
What did you think of Tuesday’s wild episode? Did you solve that final Bonus Round puzzle? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
Wheel of Fortune, Weeknights, Check local listings