Though Wheel of Fortune has certainly seen its fair share of seemingly improbable winning streaks during its four decades of existence, few compare to the mastery of Robert Santoli. Santoli, who ultimately walked away with a cool $76,000 and a pair of cruises, flexed uncontrollably when he nailed this puzzle with only a single letter there to guide him:
"The instant I got my theme, I immediately came up with an ever-growing list of puzzles themed towards cruises, sailing, fish, boats—anything on or in the water," Santoli explained to TAP Into, detailing his path to remarkable televised victory. "As soon as I saw that 'Places' was the category, I had a hunch and then I saw four blanks, an ampersand and nine blanks, and my face just lit up." Sadly, much of the nation missed Santoli's Wheel of Fortune domination due to NCAA coverage.
Though cruises are admittedly kind of lame, Santoli does have some admirably responsible plans for his newfound stack of cash. "Most importantly, I plan to pay off my student loans from Fordham and buy or lease my own car," Santoli told TAP Into. So this guy is just going to flex all over America's favorite game show and then put us all to shame by planning reasonable expenditures? Amazing.
Of course, for all the Robert Santolis that have graced the Wheel of Fortune stage, there are plenty of examples of the exact opposite. Just consult this (slightly vintage) clip:
Surf clay, where we go?
