‘Wheel of Fortune’ fans react to contestant’s $66,000 win

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Wheel of Fortune fans may have found their new favorite contestant in Geoffrey Smith after his recent appearance on the beloved game show.

Smith competed on the Monday, January 13, episode of Wheel alongside Kaitlyn O’Keeffe and Sonja Hughes and proved from the start that he was a force to be reckoned with. After correctly solving the first puzzle, the native Jamaican collected a total of $7,500 by the end of the first round and the mystery round. He then answered all three puzzles in the Triple Toss-Up round and the Speed-Up round, bringing his earnings to $26,000.

For the bonus round, Smith chose the “Phrase” category and chose C, F, M and I as his extra letters, leaving him with a puzzle that read: “_ _ ST / _ L _ RT / IT / _ _ T .” Ryan Seacrest, the host of the show, reminded him: “It’s a sentence, you have ten seconds.” Smith immediately replied, “Just blurt it out,” and correctly solved the puzzle as soon as the timer started. Seacrest, 50, was visibly shocked by the quick and correct answer, exclaiming, “Yeah! Wait a minute…come on!” The host then revealed the prize envelope, which added $40,000 to Smith’s already hefty winnings of $26,000.

Fans of the game show took to the subreddit on Reddit to share their excitement. “Jamaican guy here tonight is a legend,” one fan wrote, while another noted he was an “excellent riddle solver.” Fans also shared their enthusiasm on X (formerly Twitter). One user wrote: “Geoffrey is the best #wheeloffortune player ever. Holy smokes.” Another tweeted: “#Geoffrey on tonight’s @WheelofFortune might be my favorite contestant ever!!!! Love him!!!”