LOS ANGELES — Sometimes things just work out in your favor — and that was the case for Wheel of Fortune contestant Shannon on Monday night’s show. Shannon Buganski impressed Pat Sajak and viewers at home with her puzzle-solving skills. However, her incredible string of good fortune was equally impressive.
Buganski solved nearly every puzzle in Monday night’s show. In less than five minutes, she landed on the $10,000 space, won a car and a trip to Italy. She also landed on the $1,000,000 space, which gives contestants a chance at $1 million in the bonus round puzzle.
In the last puzzle before the bonus round, Buganski solved “I’m hooked on a feeling” — to which Sajak responded, “Boy, you are.”
Buganski only needed one second to solve the bonus round puzzle “Bandwidth,” which secured a $32,000 prize and brought her total winnings to $86,368.
Rachel Hartz, a publicity assistant for the show, told the Hartford Courant that of the 10,000 people who audition each year, only 600 contestants make a taped broadcast. Some contestants have won up to $1 million on the show, but she called Buganski’s haul “significant.”
The show was taped in Culver City, Calif., on March 13.
