Winning an amount of money that would actually change one's life has to be a pretty incredible feeling, and such a possibility is the big reason that many people try their skills and luck on game shows. But it's not just the winners who get pumped, considering how incredibly excited Ryan Seacrest seemed to be after witnesing the first million-dollar winner on Wheel of Fortune during his tenure as host. You’d think he was the one who won all that money.
Last night, a Wheel of Fortune contestant defied all the odds and walked away with the biggest prize of one million dollars. If you don’t watch the show, but you follow Ryan Seacrest on Instagram, then you’d still know this happened, because his social media page is absolutely filled with it. There are no fewer than five different IG Stories about it, as well as the main post highlighting the moment.
I mean, I guess I don’t blame him. I don’t usually watch Wheel of Fortune, but even I’m excited to see this. I had no idea how long the odds were to win that particular prize. The number of things that have to go right for a person to even get a shot at winning the $1 million, all before you even try to solve the puzzle, is wild.
First, you have hit the right spot on the wheel, and guess a correct letter. Then you have to solve that puzzle. Then you have to be the overall winner. Then the $1 million goes into a wheel that you spin to select a blind prize, so you have to hit the right spot. Then you have to solve the bonus round puzzle. Winning on Wheel of Fortune is wild.
This is why Christina, the world’s newest millionaire, is only the 14th person even to go for the prize during the bonus round, and only the fifth person in the history of the show to win $1 million. She’s also the first to win it since Seacrest took over as host from Pat Sajak a little over a year ago. Seacrest had previously said he was looking forward to the first million-dollar winner. Considering how rare the win is, this is the fifth win in the 17 years the prize has been available. Seacrest got his wish fairly quickly in his tenure.
It isn’t easy to describe just how excited Ryan Seacrest is when he gives away seven figures. The look on his face in that brief moment when he knows she’s won, but she doesn’t know it yet, is absolutely fantastic. Check it out in the full video of the win below.
Ryan Seacrest has so many jobs these days that it’s hard not to see him hosting something on TV, but this moment has to be right up there as a career highlight for him. I’m not sure he’s been this excited when crowning winners on American Idol.
