A military veteran shared how he was “locked in” during his Wheel of Fortune game, but heartbreakingly couldn’t quite figure out the Bonus Round. He called being on the game show one of the “best experiences” of his life and how he got to shake host Ryan Seacrest‘s hand.
Christopher Young, from Chino, California, played against Siobhan English, from Batesville, Mississippi, and Janine Lazi, from New York City, on July 31. Their episode first aired on February 6, but was reshown during the game show’s summer reruns.
During the interview round, Young got to shake Ryan Seacrest’s hand after he told him about his multitude of military experiences. “Let me shake your hand,” the host said. “Thank you for your service!” He also shook his hand again after Young was on a roll and solved the toss-ups.
His luck lasted throughout the game when he rode the express train during one puzzle, racking up $8,000 and an Ireland trip.
Young, the retired 24-year Army vet, ended the game in the lead with $27,398 and a trip to Ireland. English, a lady who likes reading and napping, ended with $1,000. Lazi, a sports fan and memorabilia collector, had $10,000, which wasn’t enough to move on to the next round.
For the Bonus Round, Young picked “What Are You Doing?” for the category. He brought along his wife, Megan, with whom he shares five children.
After Wheel of Fortune gave him the “R,S,T,L,N, and E,” Young quickly picked “C,D,M, and A.” “Wow, you had that planned, huh?” Seacrest asked him.
“I hope something’s up there,” the contestant said.
His puzzle then looked like “R_D_N_ M_ _ _ _E T_ _ _R_.” When the timer counted down, Young said, “Riding my bike to… yard,” and “Riding my bike to cars.” Young couldn’t figure out the last word, which turned out to be “Work.” “Wow. You were right there,” Seacrest said.
“I work too far away, I would never do that,” Young said, which made the host crack up. He lost out on an additional $40,000 and trips to South Africa & Botswana.
After his time on the show, Young spoke out about it on Facebook. “Wheel of Fortune! One of the best experiences of my life – getting to be a contestant on my favorite game show! I was locked in, focused, and gave it everything I had. And the best part? Sharing the moment with my amazing wife, Megan, who joined me on stage for the final round-she looked as beautiful as ever!” he wrote.
“I couldn’t have done it without her support, and I’m beyond grateful for this incredible journey. Ireland, here we come!”
“A huge thank you to everyone at Wheel of Fortune-the producers, director, judges, hair and makeup team, Ryan, Vanna, the in-studio crowd, and the millions watching at home-for making this dream come true!” Young ended.
He replied to one of his followers and said that he “gave it his all” because you only get one shot at the game show.
“I found myself watching this and cheering you on as you just annihilated your competition. Like. I wanna say I felt all the awesome feels too, but my focus was on your complete destruction of the enemy here. And you didn’t disappoint. Well done, doc. Well done!And congrats!! Enjoy the trip, you two!” one of his followers said.
“Bro, I was locked in! Just hyper focused, it was a badass feeling, and I feel bad for the ladies, but I wanted that win bad! I know you know that feelin,g bro, it’s addicting!” he replied.
Wheel of Fortune, Season 43, September 8, check local listings