Geoffrey Smith Wins $66,000 on Wheel of Fortune, Captivates Fans

LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Geoffrey Smith, a resident of Saint Cloud, Florida, became an instant fan favorite after winning $66,000 on Monday night’s episode of *Wheel of Fortune*. The contestant’s quick thinking and puzzle-solving skills left viewers and host Ryan Seacrest in awe.

Smith faced off against Sonja Hughes of Oklahoma and Kaitlyn O’Keeffe of New York, but quickly dominated the game. He won the first round, the mystery round, the triple toss-up, and the final speed round, amassing $26,000 before the bonus round. For the bonus, he chose the challenging ‘Phrase’ category and solved the puzzle ‘Just Blurt It Out’ in under 10 seconds, securing an additional $40,000.

‘Take your time, it’s a phrase, you’ve got ten seconds,’ Seacrest advised, but Smith confidently blurted out the correct answer almost immediately. ‘You were looking down at me like, ‘I don’t need you to talk anymore, Ryan, I just wanna blurt it out,” Seacrest joked after the win.

Viewers took to social media to praise Smith’s performance. One Twitter user called him ‘the best #wheeloffortune player of all time,’ while YouTube commenters lauded his ‘amazing solve.’ Another fan wrote, ‘Geoffrey definitely knew the puzzle, but intentionally called the wrong letters except for the ‘I.’

Smith, who grew up in Kingston, Jamaica, shared a heartfelt moment with Seacrest during the show. He recalled watching *Wheel of Fortune* on a neighbor’s black-and-white TV and joked about seeing co-host Vanna White ‘in living colors’ for the first time. White later congratulated Smith as he danced and celebrated his victory.

Despite his success, some fans missed the episode due to NFL playoff coverage. A Reddit user explained that ABC preempted the show in many cities, but the episode will air later this week for those who missed it.

Smith’s win comes as *Wheel of Fortune* continues to thrive under new host Ryan Seacrest. The show averaged 7.99 million viewers during Seacrest’s first month, making it the most-watched entertainment series across broadcast, cable, and syndication, according to Nielsen data.