‘Wheel of Fortune’: Easton man wins $60,000, cruise to Canada, New England

EASTON, Pa. – Rickhaslo “Ricky” Brown jumped up and down and gave “Wheel of Fortune” host Ryan Seacrest a hug.

Brown had good reason to embrace Seacrest during Wednesday’s episode of the ABC-TV show.

For guessing the phrase “As You Wish” during the bonus round, Brown, a West Ward resident, walked away with $60,000 in cash prizes.

He also won a cruise to Canada and New England courtesy of Holland America (it happens to be “Cruise Week” on the show, now in its 42nd season).

“As you saw, a lot of the answers just popped into my head, especially the last one,” Brown told a watch party at Rivals Sports Bar and Restaurant, wiping away tears of joy.

“I had no idea what it was and then it hit me.”

A proud family

At the party, Brown; his wife, Heather; and their 11-year-old son, Khenan, screamed with joy.

About 20 family and friends joined in clapping and cheering as Brown bought vowels, spun the wheel and advanced to the final round.

During commercial breaks, Brown went from table to table offering tidbits from his experience on the beloved game show.

Occasionally he looked down at his Smartwatch, which was flashing notifications.

“My colleagues at the hospital blew up my phone,” he said of his colleagues at Trenton Psychiatric Hospital, where he has worked for 17 years.

“The staff and the patients all saw it tonight.”

His family also sent messages to his phone via What’sApp from his native Jamaica.

“For us, for me, it’s great that someone from (the) island is on American TV,” he said. “I am so grateful and humbled by the experience.”

‘Always been good at guessing’

As a young boy living on the Caribbean island, Brown said he would watch “Wheel of Fortune” with his late grandmother, Eliza.

Moving from Jamaica to America was a dream he fulfilled, he said.

The opportunity to appear on the beloved game show was another.

“If my grandmother was here, she’d probably be crying right now,” he said.

Midway through the episode, when Brown’s wheel hit the “Bankruptcy” wedge, the crowd booed.

But he guessed the right consonants and secured a lead against the other two “Wheel” contestants.

“I’m so proud of him, but not surprised because I knew he was good at playing ‘Wheel of Fortune,'” Brown’s father-in-law exclaimed as he put his arm around his son-in-law.

“He’s always been good at guessing puns.”

A ‘Wheel of Fortune’ hit song?

With the cash winnings, the Browns said they plan to renovate their home — but not before taking a well-deserved vacation, courtesy of Holland America.

“We’ve always wanted to go on a cruise,” Ricky Brown said. “My family has all been on cruises, so we’ve always talked about it.

“And the fact that we’re coming to Canada is great because we were going to vacation there, but then the COVID lockdown happened.”

The pair traveled to Los Angeles to film the episode in November.

On Wednesday, Brown told the story of how a song he wrote ended up on the show.

He said his son Khenan repeated a catchphrase from “Wheel” one night after hearing a commercial on his iPad.

“I was in my kitchen and Khenan repeated the phrase, ‘Wheel of Fortune is the place to be,'” Brown said.

That same night, Ricky Brown, a reggae artist and songwriter (he met his wife after one of his gigs at the former Crocodile Rock Cafe in Allentown) wrote a medley and emailed the show’s producers.

On Wednesday’s episode, he performed the song — without a band — much to the delight of Seacrest and longtime “Wheel” host Vanna White.

Brown, who admitted to Seacrest that he was nervous, excited about his spot on TV, would happily return if asked.

“If the song (or the episode) goes viral, they will invite me back,” he said.

“If not, I have to wait two more years. But I would love to be on ‘Top Wheel of Fortune’.”