A deserving Wheel of Fortune contestant spun off with the biggest payday since Ryan Seacrest began hosting, but not before he got a legitimate scare thanks to the shady producers. It could all have ended in a cat-astrophe.
On Monday, October 22’s Halloween-themed episode, Mallory Rosetti, pediatric emergency nurse, military wife, and proud mom proceeded to the bonus round with a sizable $40,000, choosing the category “Thing.” Two of her boys cheered her on off-sides as she stood with Seacrest and spun the prize wheel. Ensconced by spooky scenery, she landed on the “I” wedge, with Seacrest snatching up the envelope.
Suddenly, and seemingly unbeknownst to Seacrest, the sound effect of a cat screeching permeated through the studio. The host looked around and waved the cue card through the air, appearing caught off-guard while warning off the cursed critter. “Woah!” he said. “Watch out!” Mallory quipped.
Escorting Mallory to the puzzle board, Seacrest made clear he was not in on the bit nor aware of the SFX addition: “I was not expecting that myself,” he said. “Alright,” he added with a nervous chuckle, pivoting back to the game. “You chose ‘Thing.’”
The two-word puzzle was presented by Vanna White, and Mallory selected the additional letters of “D, B, M, A,” the puzzle reading as “_ _ BEAT’ ‘M_ S_ _’.
The ten-second timer began, and Mallory got it as UPBEAT MUSIC” in her first answer. She screamed in joy (which was a little less jarring than the cat) and Seacrest shared she won an extra $40,000, which led to her taking home a total of $81,248. She embraced her sons as Seacrest concluded: “I have chills!”
The game show shared the big win on YouTube, where fans took to the comments section to praise the impressive solve and collectively crack up over Seacrest’s scare.
“Ryan is a great host great personality and fun to watch congratulations to her she’s a smart contestant! Well deserved,” one fan wrote.
“The biggest one since Ryan joined,” pointed out a second, as Mallory pulled off the largest one-episode winnings of Season 42, in which Seacrest began as host.
“Congratulations and that was awesome [with the] sound effects LOL,” wrote a third.
“Loved the meow,” wrote a fourth. “I know that Ryan wasn’t expecting that. Congrats to her.”
“The cat sound,” wrote a fifth with a skull emoji.