‘Wheel of Fortune’ Contestant Wins Big, Gets $51,000 Mercedes After Stunning Comeback

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A Wheel of Fortune contestant walked away a massive winner on Friday night (January 3) despite getting off to a rocky start.

The player  in question was Jason Miner from Evansville, Indiana, who told host Ryan Seacrest that he enjoys game night with his friends, where Wheel of Fortune is one of the games they play nightly. That experience paid off as Miner faced Preeti Ram from Columbia, Missouri, and Gabriela Rolon from Taunton, Massachusetts.

Miner struggled to get going in Round 1, failing to get letters on the board and allowing his opponents to swoop in with the solves. After the first round, Miner had zero money in the bank, while Rolon led with $7,000, and Ram followed closely behind with $4,000.

However, Miner turned things around in the Express Round, nailing “The Hottest Show In Town” puzzle and bagging himself $14,000 cash and a trip to Las Vegas worth $7,050.

Miner led the way heading into the Triple Toss-Up Round, where he increased his total after landing two more puzzles. Things slowed down for him in Round 4 and Round 5 as Rolon attempted to make a comeback, but he managed to hold on to his lead.

In the end, Miner won the episode with $25,050 cash, compared to Rolon’s $16,900 and Ram’s $4,000. This sent Miner through to the Bonus Round, where he selected the dreaded “Phrase” category and the additional letters “C, G, H, and O.”

This left him with a four-word phrase that read: “S O / _ _ C H / _ N / C O _ _ O N.”

Miner had a big smile on his face before the ten-second timer even began. As soon as Seacrest gave him the go-ahead, Miner correctly answered, “So Much In Common.”

Seacrest then opened the prize envelope to reveal Miner had won a brand new Mercedes-Benz GLA250 4MATIC worth a huge $51,990, giving him a final total of $77,040 cash and prizes.

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Speaking to his local news station, Evansville WFIE, following his victory, Miner said he was so focused on getting the Bonus Round puzzle right that he’d completely forgotten about the prizes on offer.

“When I spun the wheel for the bonus round, I was not even thinking about a prize. I was just focused and saying, ‘I have to get this puzzle. I have to get this puzzle,” Miner shared. “After I solved the puzzle and I saw Ryan with the envelope, it reminded me that I was about to win a prize. When he turned the envelope over, and it said a Mercedez-Benz, I was super excited.”

Miner celebrated his win with his friends and family at a watch party for the episode at a local movie theater. His sister, Julie, who appeared in the episode, said of her brother, “Anybody that knows Jason knows that his heart is huge and that he likes to have a lot of fun. So to sit out there and watch him succeed was a lot of fun.”

What did you think of Miner’s big win? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.