Ryan Seacrest Gets Pushed by ‘Wheel of Fortune’ Contestant With Big Money on the Line

One Wheel of Fortune winner couldn’t contain their excitement. After winning over $70,000 from the puzzle game show, Chad Hedrick pushed host Ryan Seacrest.

Hedrick, a long-time local TV reporter from Lexington, Kentucky, played against Michelle Hutson-Crawford, from Pflugerville, Texas, and Rudy Dinglas, from Fallston, Maryland, in the January 23 episode. He buzzed in on the first toss-up, but Hutson-Crawford, a baker, solved it for $1,000. 

Hedrick would go on to solve the second one for $2,000. Dinglas solved the first puzzle — “Serves, Returns, & Volleys” — for $1,800. Hedrick took the lead when he solved the “Crossword” Puzzle in the category “I’m Feeling — “Joy, Jubilant, Glee, Delight” — which resulted in him having an additional $3,000 in his bank.

Dinglas won a trip to Croatia when he solved “A Must-Visit Destination,” bringing  his total to over $13,000. With only a few letters revealed in the Triple Toss-Ups, Hedrick solved all of them, adding another $10,000 in his bank, bringing his total to $13,000.

When he spun the wheel on his final puzzle, Hedrick landed on “Lose a Turn” twice and then “Bankrupt” before settling on $600, making the consonants worth $1,600. With only four “T’s” on the board, he solved “Catch-Twenty-Two” for $6,400, which earned him $19,400 and the win. Next came the bonus round.

He chose “Around the House” for his Bonus Round category. Wheel of Fortune gave him “R,S,T,L,N, and E” and Hedrick picked “B,F,K, and A” to round out his puzzle. He guessed: “A Fluffy Blanket, A Puffy Blanket,” he guessed. “When Seacrest told him he guessed right, in shock, Hedrick responded “You’re lying!” 

Seacrest showed him that he had $55,000 in the envelope, Hedrick pushed him gently on the arm and said, “You’re lying!” Seacrest replied, “I don’t know if you want me to read more numbers to you, but your grand total is $74,400. Why were you so surprised by yourself?”