Celebratory gestures can get a little out of hand at times, especially if you find out you just won tens of thousands of dollars. For a Wheel of Fortune contestant, this dream became a reality, as he netted the show's $40,000 grand prize. Unfortunately for host Ryan Seacrest, the celebrations were a bit too much, as he was accidentally thrown to the ground after hugging the winner.
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Daniel Thomas, from Pittsburgh, correctly guessed a seven-letter puzzle in the "Living Things" category to win the grand prize, according to the New York Post. However, it was not easy, as Thomas correctly solved the puzzle at the very last moment. Seacrest gave Thomas the letters "R, S, T, L, N, E," but only "S" and "E" appeared on the board. Thomas, in turn, only made the letter "G" appear on the board.
Thomas, under insurmountable pressure, had only a few seconds to correctly solve the puzzle. Just before the time expired, Thomas blurted out the word "Guppies," which are a type of fish. Seacrest informed him immediately that he just won. Thomas, overwhelmed with emotion, went on to hug Seacrest. Ryan Seacrest then, as a result, was knocked to the ground by Thomas' gesture.
Celebratory Hugs
Thomas quickly helped Seacrest get up, with the latter then awarding the $40,000 to Thomas. As Thomas celebrated with his family, his total prize money was revealed to be $71,950. "Daniel, easy on our host, but celebrate with $40,000," said Jim Thronton, Wheel of Fortune announcer, Jim Thornton, jokingly.
Thomas then attempted to hug Seacrest once again. The latter, however, refused, fearfully retreating in a hilarious moment of camaraderie. "How did you do that in the last second?" Seacrest then asked Thomas. "Push you over or solve the puzzle," Thomas joked, later traveling it was the letter "P" that sealed the deal for him.
Many users reacted to the funny interaction between Ryan Seacrest and Daniel Thomas as Wheel of Fortune uploaded the clip to their YouTube channel. "That was an amazing solve & the funniest thing I've seen all day after the solve," one user wrote. "Way to go, Daniel! You beat the buzzer very well! I hope Ryan Seacrest is okay! I hope you didn't tackle him too hard!" a second user wrote.
