A Wheel of Fortune player’s dad might have been more excited than the contestant after he won the Bonus Round. This win came after a string of losses struck the game show.
Mike Nunes, from Charlotte, North Carolina, played against Janet Clott, from Manchester, New Jersey, and Andreau Berry, from Houston, Texas, on Wednesday, June 4. Nunes is married to a woman named Chandler, with whom he shares a newborn baby Felix, and a bulldog named Chorizo Burrito.
Clott, who lives in a 55+ community, solved the first two tossups for $2,000. Host Ryan Seacrest offered to officiate her upcoming wedding. She also solved the first puzzle, giving her a huge lead of $11,700.
However, Clott’s luck ran out on the next puzzle when she landed on Bankrupt. Nunes, who used to play a Wheel of Fortune drinking game in college, solved “Standing The Test of Time.”
Nunes took the lead when he solved the Prize Puzzle — “No Better Place to Unwind” — and won a trip to Curacao, giving him $13,250.
It was a fight for the lead during the Triple Toss Ups, with Clott solving one and Nunes solving two. He took a wide lead when he solved the final puzzle, “Nothing But Dance Music.”
Clott ended with $13,700 and an offer of Seacrest officiating her wedding. Berry, a former teacher who studied abroad in Brazil, was given $1,000 by the game show after not having any money in her account. Nunes was the big winner advancing to the Bonus Round with $24,750.
During the Bonus Round, Nunes’ dad made himself known right away. “Somebody keeps yelling, ‘Mikey, Mikey’ from over there in the corner,” Ryan Seacrest said. “Who is that?”
He introduced his dad, Tony, who yelled, “That’s my son right there!” and clapped loudly.
“He seems like a lot of fun as a dad,” the host said.
“Oh yeah and he’s an even better grandpa,” Nunes replied. His wife and son were at home as his son was just born.
For the Bonus Round, Nunes chose “Phrase.” Wheel of Fortune gave him “R,S,T,L,N, and E.” He picked “D,B,M, and A” to round out his puzzle. It then looked like “AL_ _E AND _ _ _ _ _N_.”
Nunez solid the puzzle quickly, first guessing “Alive and Thriving” then “Alive and Kicking.” As he was about to guess something else, Ryan Seacrest said “That’s it! That’s it!”
He added an additional $40,000 to his total giving him $64,750. After the host revealed what was in the envelope, Tony ran over and jumped into his son’s arms. Seacrest smiled and held his arms out, shaking his head at the interaction.
Tony gave a thumbs up to the camera and a pat on Mike’s back as the show ended.
“Congrats Mike! Your dad is great,” a YouTube user wrote.
“After so many bonus puzzle losses, we finally have another WINNER,” said another.
Season 42 of Wheel of Fortune ends on Friday, June 6.
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