A Wheel of Fortune contest did the unthinkable when he correctly solved a puzzle with a single letter on the board as a clue.
In a March 25 episode of the popular puzzle-solving game show, a contest that went by "Tom" had one puzzle left to solve before going to the bonus round, and he did it with surefire conviction.
With every letter worth $6,000, Tom guessed the letter "S" would be part of the mystery phrase in the category for "On the Map."
When the board revealed there was an "S" in the puzzle, it was enough for Tom to go on and shout out the correct answer, which was "Glacier Bay, Alaska."
"Of course," said host Pat Sajak casually, as if the single-letter puzzle solving was a regular occurrence.
You can watch a clip here.
The stunned studio audience cheered for Tom's impressive masterstroke.
"That was phenomenal!" commented a fellow contestant who stood next to him and was beside herself.
Sajak strolled over to him as the crowd's thunderous applause tapered off and asked, “How’d you do that?”
Tom replied:
“I looked a lot at maps before this game."
Spoken like a pro.
Sajak feigned nonchalance by sarcastically remarking, "Oh, did you?" adding:
"I would've done the same thing. I would have said it like eight letters down the road.”
People were buzzing online after the mind-blowing game play.
While Tom continued to the bonus round with his $33,048 earnings, he didn't fare as well.
In the game's final puzzle of a four-word phrase, the board appeared with only four letters, T, S, L, and E, for Tom to solve in ten seconds using his letters, I, M, G, and B.
Sajak remained hopeful that “If anyone can pull this out, maybe it’s him."
However, what followed was Tom frantically scrambling, to which the host quipped:
"For a really good solver, you sound perpetually confused."
Alas, none of Tom's guesses, including "It Was A Plane," stuck before the time ran out.
The answer, fittingly, was "It Was A Fluke."
As the crowd collectively sighed a chorus of "Awww," Sajak remarked, "It was a good try."
He added that he appreciated Tom's style and described his final efforts as "rather chaotic."
Tom's lucky streak earlier in the game may have ended prematurely, but his arrival at "Glacier Bay, Alaska" was a highlight that audiences are sure to remember.
@kileywrestling/Bluesky
