‘Wheel of Fortune’ player wins $57,000 after wheel spin bumps Ryan Seacrest

A lucky one Wheel of Fortune contestant had a huge spin and a huge win on Monday’s (Dec. 23) episode of the long-running game show. And in doing so, he left the show’s host almost speechless.

Thomas Russo of Scarsdale, New York proved to be a force to be reckoned with when he took on the iconic wheel. Russo, a New York Mets and New York Jets fan who dreams of visiting Mount Rushmore in South Dakota, met Brenda Sweetser of Oak Lawn, Illinois, and Cobina Gibson of Chicago, Illinois.

Things got off to a steady start for Russo before he upped his game in the Express round, increasing his winnings to $11,700 and taking a trip to the Caribbean island of Bonaire. He continued to dominate in the Triple Toss Up, eventually finishing with $17,100 and moving on to the bonus round.

After choosing “What are you doing?” category and introduced his mother, Diane, and aunt Carol, Russo was asked by host Ryan Seacrest to give the prize wheel a “big spin.” Russo delivered such a strong spin that the wheel kept turning, leaving Seacrest at a loss for words.

“A very good spin!” the host said awkwardly as the wheel finally slowed down after what seemed like an eternity.

Russo turned to the puzzle and studied the blanked out sentence before choosing the letters “H, G, C, and I” to go along with his already listed letters of “R, S, T, L, N, and E.”

This left him with a three-word puzzle that read: “_ _ _ ING / TH _ NGS / H _ _ _ E N.”

It didn’t take long for Russo to figure it out. As soon as the ten-second timer started, he yelled, “Making things happen!”

“You sure are,” Seacrest replied before opening the prize envelope and revealing that Russo won an additional $40,000. This gave the New York native a total of $57,100 — which he exclaimed throughout the show, that’s some “big money!”

Fans took to social media to praise Russo’s game, with one YouTube commenter writing, “He sure gave it a big spin!”

“Way to go Thomas! You sure made things happen!” said another.

“Cash money moolah, no matter how you say it, you just won $40,000!!!!! Congratulations Thomas!” another added.

Another wrote: “Thomas was an absolute beast tonight. Didn’t have to think too much about his letter choice or the puzzle. He nailed it right from the start. Congratulations Thomas! Enjoy the extra money!”

“Thomas made the Christmas celebration happen with $40,000! Merry Christmas!!!” said a fan.

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