Is This ‘Wheel of Fortune’ Contestant the Best Ever?

Plenty of people have tried their luck on Wheel of Fortune, but it seems a new contestant is being crowned the ‘best ever’ contestant on the long-running game show. Alex Harrell from Stafford, Virginia, impressed host Pat Sajak, Vanna White, and viewers during Wednesday night’s show when he managed to solve the Bonus Round puzzle immediately.

Harrell’s skills at the game were showcased from the beginning. Up against Betty Hunter, a “sports mom” from Fort Wayne, Indiana, and Kaley Keller, a pig farmer from Sulphur, Louisiana, Harrell ultimately came out on top. By the end of the Mystery Round, he had $13,648 and a a cruise. In the Express Round, he increased his winnings to $27,105 and a trip to the Divi Dutch Village in Aruba valued at over $9k, prompting the retiring Sajak to quip, “Wow… He’s having quite a run.”

Harrell’s winning streak continued into the Bonus Round, where he chose Food and Drink as his category, along with the additional letters H, G, P, and O. He was presented with a two-word puzzle that read, “T _ P _ O _ _ / P _ _ _ _ N G.”

“Don’t go telling me you’re nervous, you’re a Marine pilot for God’s sake,” Sajak teased. But to everyone’s surprise, Harrell had no problem solving the puzzle, delivering a correct answer of “Tapioca Pudding” in just mere seconds.

Harrell – a married dad with a baby boy on the way who has served over nine years in the Marine Corps as an Osprey pilot and is currently stationed in San Diego, California – ended the Bonus Round with extra $40k, bringing his total earnings up to $67,150, as well as his various won trips.

But more than just his winnings, his fast-answer earned him plenty of praise from viewers, who crowned him the “best ever” Wheel of Fortune contestant, high praise for a show that has been airing since 1975. Commenting on the show’s YouTube clip of the moment, one person wrote, “Way to go, Alex. Best contestant ever tonight!” Another person said, “Intense bonus round, he rocked it,” with somebody else adding on X (formerly Twitter), “WOW!! Alex did Excellent!!! All contestants once some money that’s the way we like it. Congratulations to all. And thank you for your service Alex.”

Wheel of Fortune airs weeknights at 7 p.m. ET on NBC.