A recent Wheel of Fortune contestant wowed viewers when he solved an entire puzzle after seeing just one letter.
Wheel of Fortune is a long-time favorite game show that’s spanned many generations. We likely all have fond memories of watching this show with our parents or grandparents growing up.
That being said, it’s quite rare to see such quick success from a contestant who had barely any help in the letter department.
The New York Post shared a video of this instance on its Instagram this morning:
In the video, you notice the contestant, Tom Stednicki, spinning the wheel and landing on $5,000. He then said the letter “S,” and the puzzle revealed just one “S” in the answer: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ S_ _.
The theme for the puzzle was “On the Map,” meaning the answer would be a place/location.
“Glacier Bay, Alaska,” Tom said quickly.
All he had to go off of was the one “S” in Alaska. Yet, somehow, he was able to come up with this complex location within seconds.
“How’d you do that?” asked Pat Sajak, host of Wheel of Fortune. Pat has been a host of the show since 1981, yet Tom’s victory still blew him away.
“I looked a lot at maps before this show,” Tom joked.
Fans were extremely shocked by how easily Tom solved the puzzle — and with such little help. Commentators on Instagram left remarks like, “[He’s] too smart for Wheel of Fortune” and “Bro bought the answers beforehand.”
It surely is hard to believe Tom was able to make such an accurate guess within a matter of seconds.
Tom Stednicki’s Impressive Wheel of Fortune Success
Even before his quick and accurate response, Tom had a successful game that eventually led him to the bonus round.
According to TV Insider, “During the bonus round, Tom (who chose Phrase) slowly selected his letters (I, M, G, and B) with the board reading _ T _ _ S _ _L_ _E.”
Unfortunately, he ended up only getting the letter “I” from his selection. He was able to get as far as “It was a,” but could not finish the phrase, which was “It was a Fluke.” As a result, Tom lost $50,000.
Even so, after his wild, spot-on guess, Tom certainly goes down as an incredibly smart contestant.