‘Wheel of Fortune’ Fans React to Stunning Comeback Win & ‘Case of the Munchies’

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Wheel of Fortune brought the entertainment on Thursday night (January 16) with a hilarious wrong answer, a surprising comeback, and an incredible Bonus Round puzzle solve.

The episode saw a tense showdown between Angela Johnson, a flag football linesperson from Phenix City, Alabama, Ada Vega, a crocheter from St. Cloud, Florida, and Frank Mantesana, a pro-wrestling fan from Brooklyn, New York.

Johnson got off to a hot start, nailing the first puzzle of the episode to take an early lead. She then increased her winnings to $20,600 in the Express Round, where she also bagged herself a Scottish cruise. At this point, Mantesana trailed with $5,850, while Vega had yet to get on the board.

The Triple Toss Up round saw all three players answer correctly, though Vega also made a hilarious incorrect guess on the last puzzle, which had the studio audience laughing. Faced with a board that read, “A / _ A S E / _ F / _ H _ / M _ N _ _ _ S,” Vega guessed, “A case of the munchies.”

“I have a few follow-up questions for you, Ada, after the show,” host Ryan Seacrest joked.

“”A Case of the Munchies” is hilarious!” wrote one X user, while another added, “Y’all watch @WheelofFortune tonight? A meme is born. A case of the munchies.”

“A CASE OF THE MUNCHIES? CLIP THAT! GET IT TRENDING!” said another.

Back to the episode, Mantesana buzzed in with the correct answer, “A Case Of The Mondays.” From there, the New York native mounted an impressive comeback, especially after landing on $6,000 per consonant for the final Speed Up puzzle.

After correctly guessing three letters, Mantesana solved “World Atlas” for a huge $18,000, meaning he overtook Johnson and won the episode with $25,850 compared to her $20,600. Vega finished last with $2,000.

Heading into the Bonus Round, Mantesana selected the dreaded “Phrase” category, along with the additional letters “H, C, F, and O.” This left him with a three-word puzzle that read, “T O _ _ H / _ _ T / F _ _ R.”

As the ten-second timer started, Mantesana quickly figured out the first word as “tough,” but it took a couple of seconds to put the rest together. Eventually, he got it, stating, “Tough But Fair.”

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“Yeah, that’s it, you got it!” Seacrest exclaimed before opening the prize envelope and revealing Mantesana won an extra $40,000, giving him a massive grand total of $65,850.

“I never would’ve guessed it! Good job Frank,” wrote one YouTube commenter.

Another added, “I can’t believe he got it! I never would have guessed that!”

“Talk about two close shaves in one in the Speed-Up! He spun up the big one, beat the buzzer, and won by just a couple thousand, not to mention this amazing Bonus Round solve. I wonder what else Frank can pull off, but kudos to him for all he did tonight!” said one fan.

“Congratulations Frank on a fantastic solve in the bonus round,” added another.

What did you think of Thursday’s episode? Did you solve the final Bonus Round puzzle? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.