A massage therapist shocked Wheel of Fortune viewers after turning an ordinary night into a jaw-dropping $122,000 payday during one of the most chaotic episodes of the Ryan Seacrest era so far. But the massive cash win quickly became only part of the story after Jay Leno’s highly publicized car giveaway sent fans into a frenzy, with viewers obsessing over who actually walked away with the legendary prize and whether the entire episode was the wildest Wheel spectacle in years. Now social media is exploding as fans replay the emotional wins, Ryan Seacrest’s stunned reactions, and the unbelievable ending that had the studio screaming from start to finish.

Kicking their heels up! Wheel of Fortune fans reacted to a contestant’s $122,000 win, which was the first $100k win of 2026. Plus, someone took home the luxury car that Jay Leno chose.

Candace Coleman, from Chicago, Illinois, solved both toss-ups on May 15. She is a licensed massage therapist and healer.

Coleman played against Michael Vaca, from Tempe, Arizona, and Tricia Forsberg, from Prairie, Minnesota. Vaca appeared on Family Game Night when he was 10 years old with his mom and sister.

With a lot of letters left, Forsberg, a coowner of a 10-acre hobby farm with her husband, solved “Making Mountains Out of a Molehill.” She put $1,700 in her bank.

Vaca solved most of the Mystery Puzzle, but when he guessed “R,” which wasn’t in the “Before & After” puzzle, the turn moved to Forsberg. She only guessed two letters before solving “Safe-Deposit Box of Doughnuts.” She took the lead with $4,200.

Forsberg won a trip to the countryside of England when she solved “Checks and Balances.” She had $17,998.

Forberg took even more of a lead when she solved two of the three Triple Toss-ups for $4,000 more. Coleman solved the third.

Coleman took home $8,800 when she solved the final puzzle —”The Great Gatsby.” Vaca did not win any money, so Wheel of Fortune gave him $1,000. Forsberg was the winner with $21,998.

She chose “What Are You Wearing?” for the Bonus Round puzzle. Vaca brought her husband, Andy, and her sister, Jennifer, with her.

Wheel of Fortune gave the game show contestant “R,S,T,L,N, and E.” She rounded out the puzzle with “B,C,G, and O.”

The puzzle then looked like “CO_BO_  BOOTS.” Forsberg solved “Cowboy Boots” within seconds. There was $100,000 in her envelope, which gave her $121,998.

The top five winners of the week returned at the end of the show to find out who won the Chevy Corvette Stingray. The contestant picked an envelope in order of who won the most money. Four of the envelopes said “Wheel of Fortune,” while the other said “Corvette.”

After Leno appeared on stage, it was revealed that Jason Nieradka was the one who had the Corvette envelope. That means he took home $156,060. He won $78,000 during his game, making the car $78,060.

Fans reacted to both wins on Reddit. “That was a pretty easy bonus puzzle, and how about a $100,000 win to boot (no pun intended)!” one said.

“As soon as she started calling letters in the bonus round, I knew that she had it. So exciting!” another wrote.

“‘O’ really paid off as a vowel choice,” a fan replied.

“I CAN FINALLY REST,” a fan joked.

“What an excellent ending!” another commented.