There was nothing but emotions on the set of Wheel of Fortune when a contestant won $63,000.
Gerard Amento, from Beaumont, California, played against April Kutchinski, from Chandler, Arizona, and Donna Jones, from Collinsville, Alabama. The episode aired on Wednesday, June 25, a rerun from its original broadcast date of October 16, 2024.
Amento is a stay-at-home married father of two daughters who dreams of becoming a teacher. He brought his wife with him to cheer him on, and she teared up during his Bonus Round win.
The former professional yo-yoer ended with $23,440 and a trip to Greece and Turkey. Jones, who has been married for 32 years, ended with $3,350. Kutchinski, a former soccer player, went home with $3,000. Despite landing on a Bankrupt wedge early in the game, Amento fired back, solving puzzle after puzzle, including ones with barely any letters on the board.
When he got to the Bonus Round, host Ryan Seacrest pointed out that Amento’s wife, Leah, was emotional. “She’s maybe even more excited than me. She wants to go to Greece,” the contestant said.
“So, if he wins big money, will you cry more?” Ryan Seacrest asked.
“No. I’m just so happy for him,” Leah responded as she wiped her tears away with a tissue.
“It’s going to be great no matter what happens,” the host replied.
He chose “Phrase” for his category. Wheel of Fortune gave him “R,S,T,L,N, and E,” and Amento chose “C,B,M, and A” to round out the puzzle. It looked like “T_E_ _A_E A BR_ _ _T _ _T_RE.”
As the clock counted down, Amento guessed, “They have a bright future.” He was correct and added $40,000 to his total, giving him $63,440.
“Unbelievable, this guy,” Ryan Seacrest said.
Amento folded in half when Seacrest showed him what was in the envelope, and then he ran over to his wife and picked her up. As Leah came to the stage with her husband, Seacrest handed her a handkerchief to wipe her tears.
“How’d you do that so fast?” the host asked.
Since his episode premiered, Amento graduated from college to get his teaching degree.
Wheel of Fortune will keep airing reruns of Ryan Seacrest’s first season until Season 43 begins in September.
Wheel of Fortune, Season 43, Fall 2025, check local listings