Caitlin Burke just had a “good feeling” about her “Wheel of Fortune” puzzle.
The 26-year-old game show contestant has become the latest viral video sensation, thanks to her remarkable solve of a seven-word puzzle on the long-running game show – with just one letter showing.
Caitlin left host Pat Sajak dumbfounded and at a loss for words when she asked to solve the puzzle, with only an “L” revealed on the board. But when she guessed “I’ve Got A Good Feeling About This” – lo and behold, she was correct.
So how did she do it?
“Just years of practice and watching,” Caitlin told Harry Smith on CBS’ “Early Show” on Tuesday morning. “I don’t know, you just try to instantly think of — instead of getting so caught up on the letters on the board, rather than thinking this is a phrase. Seven letters, that’s a phrase. How many of those do you know that start with ‘I.’ I’ve had the time of my life.”
The leap of faith guess earned the eager game show fan a Caribbean vacation, worth about $6,500.
[VIDEO: Click here to watch Caitlin’s amazing moment!]
When she asked to solve the puzzle, Caitlin – who said she had been trying to get onto the show for years — said she couldn’t help but notice Sajak’s puzzled reaction (“Is it just me or is that the most amazing solve we’ve ever had?” he later said).
“He didn’t say anything at first,” she added. “He was just shocked. And I just wanted to see what I won. I was so excited. So much energy. He’s like, hold on. Hold on.”
As for suggestions that it could’ve been rigged, with just the one letter on the board and the letter “R” eliminated by a fellow contestant’s previous guess, Caitlin said the moment was genuine.
“I guess that’s flattering if people think that it’s that great that it was fake. But, no. Anyone who has ever been on a game show would know, there’s no way,” she said on the “Early Show.”
When she heads out on her Caribbean getaway, Caitlin will have a little bit of spending money to take along as well – she finished her run on the show with a total of $53,618.
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