A Wheel of Fortune contestant revealed a shocking medical incident that made him change his life. He lost a car during the Bonus Round, but gained a positive outlook on life.
Eric Robbins, from Kalispell, Montana, played against Kerri Collier, from Victorville, California, and Sandra Correa, from Oak Lawn, Illinois, on January 29.
Robbins is a health coach who quit his corporate job after his doctor told him he had three to five years to live. He lost 100 pounds, and seven years later, he appeared on the game show.
“I went into my doctor’s office for a routine physical, really had a life-changing moment. My doctor came in and said forget the physical, I need you to surrender your car keys under Montana state law because I’m surprised you’re not having a stroke,” he shared with KRTV News Great Falls.
“It gave me the ultimatum that if you don’t make radical change in your life over the next three to five years, somebody else is going to walk your daughters down the aisle for their wedding one day soon.” His lifestyle change also allowed him to compete on American Ninja Warrior.
He solved the first toss-up. Collier, a mom of two and a grandmother of four, solved the second one.
Robbins took the lead when he solved “Black and White Television” for $9,920. He picked up a Lake Tahoe wedge, making his total $10,920.
The game show contestant landed on a Wild Card and the One Million Dollar Wedge in the next puzzle, but quickly had to give them up when he landed on Bankrupt. Collier guessed letters, but also landed on Bankrupt during the Crossword puzzle.
Correa, a recent empty nester solved “Slow ____” with “Motion, Cooker, Poke, Down.” She put $1,000 in her bank.
During the Prize Puzzle, Correa landed on the Express Wedge. She didn’t ride the train and instead solved “Spectacular Landscapes.” She won a trip to Iceland, putting $15,298 in her bank.
But she could have added $1,000 more if she had ridden the train. “When someone clearly knows the puzzle, lands on Express, and doesn’t ride the train… Seriously, you just lost thousands of dollars,” a Reddit user said.
“I was screaming at the TV,” another commented.
“I was screaming at the tv. She threw away $1000. Ryan needs to prod them like Pat [Sajak] used to do. Eg say something like ‘don’t you want to get a bit more money?'” a third added.
Robbins took the lead when he solved all three of the Triple Toss-ups for $10,000. This gave him $20,920. He also solved the final puzzle — “That’s a Riot!” for an additional $5,100. This gave him a total of $26,020.
Collier ended with $2,000. Corea had $15,298. Robbins advanced to the Bonus Round, where he chose “Food & Drink.” He brought his 77-year-old mother and his wife of 32 years with him.
After being given “R,S,T,L,N, and E,” Robbins chose “F,M,B, and U.” His puzzle then looked like “_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _L.”
He didn’t guess anything and wound up on losing a Ford. The puzzle was “Avocado Oil.”
“Thank you for sharing your story,” host Ryan Seacrest told him.
Wheel of Fortune, weekdays, check local listings, stream next day on Hulu and Peacock
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