Suvechha Sarkar
ABC’s dazzling and ever-entertaining game show ‘Celebrity Wheel of Fortune’ has returned with season 5. Its first episode features Joe Manganiello, Tiffany Haddish, and Matt Walsh. The thrilling game will follow its iconic format and bring together different celebrities in each episode, who will compete against one another not for their personal gain but for their preferred charities. Unsurprisingly, the game will be hosted by the legendary television personality Pat Sajak, with Vanna White serving alongside him as co-host. As for the audience, they simply get to immerse themselves in the lives of famous individuals, word puzzles, spinning wheels, and surprise wins.
The Game Begins With the Celebrities Opening Up About the Causes or Charities They Are Representing
The episode kicks off with Pat Sajak introducing the three celebrities who will compete to win money for their selected charities or organizations. First off is Joe Manganiello, who is an actor, producer, and host. The second competitor is the actress and renowned comedian Tiffany Haddish, and the last contestant is Matt Walsh, an actor and comedian. Before getting into any conversation, the host asks the players to pick up the buzzer and prepare for the first toss-up round. The category is Things, and the question is worth $1000. Joe promptly provides the correct response, bagging the prize money. Pat then slows things down by joking with him, inquiring if he ever considered changing his name. Without missing a beat, he replies that his manager had asked him to, but he refused. He had hoped people would learn to pronounce and spell it over time, but then he quipped that it has been years since he debuted in the industry, and he is still hoping.
Pat even discusses a show Joe has been on before asking him about the animal tattoo on his arm. It is revealed that it is none other than the actor’s dog, Bubbles, who has been his steadfast companion for years. He reveals he had adopted the fur baby because he needed two surgeries, leading Tiffany to flirtaciously quip that he should adopt her too, and he plays along. Finally, Joe reveals that the charity he will be donating his winnings to is the UPMC Children’s Hospital Foundation of Pittsburgh. He expresses that he wants to raise some money and awareness for them since he is a native of the area and knows all that they do for kids. Pat next turns his focus on Tiffany, who discloses that she is currently on a comedy tour and performing at wineries nationwide. She then divulges that she is playing for the She Ready Foundation to support females in the foster system get the help they need to learn important life skills.
The spotlight then shifts to Matt, the first celebrity to feature in this game show, who raises chickens at his home. He admittedly began doing so during the COVID-19 pandemic, and it turned out to be his hobby. He discloses that he is on the show for Open Books, an organization that donates LGBTQ+-affirming books to public schools. It resonates with him as this initiative ensures that young individuals of all ages always feel seen and heard. Then, the game continues. The toss-up in the category of Characters begins for $2,000, and once again, Joe becomes the player to provide the answer and brings his total win to $3,000. The host informs the contestants that the player who wins this round will receive an additional $5,000 in total. The contestants subsequently have to spin the wheel for the category of Phrase, and Joe is selected as the player to begin the game.
Every Spin Affects the Game in One Way or Another
As the contestants continue spinning the fortune wheel, Joe ends up accumulating $3,600. However, it goes in vain when the wheel ends up landing on the Bankrupt wedge. Tiffany and Matt use their full potential during the game too, but missed chances and wrong guesses create a barrier for them. By the end, Joe earns $4,800 from this round, and since he wins, the bonus of $5,000 is added to his total, bringing it to $9,800 for the UPMC. For the next round, a twist is introduced to the wheel as Pat points out the four green $1 million wedges. He further announces that the player who wins this round will receive an additional $10,000 to their win. This time, Tiffany becomes the first competitor to spin the wheel in the category of Before & After but ends up taking a wrong guess.
Matt soon succeeds in landing the wheel on one of the $1 million wedges, and since he takes a correct letter guess, he is allowed to pick it up. However, Pat informs the players that Matt has to win this entire round without landing on Bankrupt to take control of his million-dollar prize. Over the next few spins, Joe ends up bankrupt, whereas Tiffany makes several correct guesses. This ultimately seals the deal for her, so with the winnings of $2,200 and the $10,000 bonus, she receives a total of $12,200. Vanna then announces that for the next round, the Triple Toss-Up, the winner will be able to bag an additional $15,000. Pat further explains that each of the three questions will be worth $5,000 and will be in the same category of What Are You Doing?
Joe does not waste a single moment and wins after answering the first question correctly. In the second question, Matt presses the buzzer before him and snatches the right answer. However, Joe gets back in the game with the answer to the third question. Therefore, in the end, Joe ends up with $19,800, Tifanny has $12,200, and Matt receives $5000. Since the latter didn’t win the round, Pat asks him to put back the $1 million wedge on the wheel before promptly moving on to the next phase. The host informs them that this round has a $20,000 bonus for the winner and adds that even the viewers will have a chance to win a fabulous prize. The next round commences in the category of Song Title, and Joe is selected as the first player to spin the wheel.
A Massive Win Lights up the Stage and Resets the Game to a Fresh Start
To his absolute delight, Joe dominates the round with multiple correct guesses and even gains control over the $1 million wedge in the process. After the incredible victory of $3,000 from this round and the bonus of $20,000, Joe has raised $42,800 for his charity. With his control over the $1 million wedge, the contestant now heads to a bonus round, where one of the spaces on the bonus wheel actually has the money – if he lands on it, it will be immediately added to his bag. Joe selects the category of What Are You Doing? for this round. The player then spins the wheel, hoping it will land on big money, but Pat informs him that he will not discover the result of this spin until the very end. Hence, Joe has no choice but to proceed with the game, where he successfully chooses four correct letters for his answer. The contestant gradually builds up anticipation during his 10-second countdown to guess the correct phrase.
Joe later breaks the tension by answering the phrase correctly and joking about it with Pat, admitting he took his time on purpose. The host finally reveals that during the spin, the player has won $75,000, bringing the total amount for UPMC Children’s Hospital Foundation to $117,800. As the first half ends, Pat announces that the winnings of the contestants will be transferred to their bank, and it will set a fresh start in the second half of the game. The second half commences with another Toss-up round for $1,000 in the category of Song Lyrics. Joe promptly comes up with the right response and is off to an incredible start. During the ensuing discussion about his passion for the subject of History, he reveals that a direct ancestor was one of the 5,000 Africans who fought in the American Revolution against the British.
As Pat shifts his attention to Tiffany, he compliments not only her talent as an actress and comic but also her prowess as a musical performer before asking what she would choose if she could only focus on one for the rest of her life. The competitor divulges that she would go for stand-up comedy because she considers her ability to make people laugh as a superpower. It then comes to light that Matt is one of the founders of the Upright Citizens Brigade, a comedy theater that later incorporated educational programs. The next Toss-up shortly begins for $2,000 in the category of Things. Joe guesses the answer correctly and becomes the player who spins the wheel first. Once again, the host reminds everyone that the winner of this round will receive $5,000. This time, the game changes entirely as Matt takes the lead and wins the round with $5,950 and the bonus, bringing the total to $10,950.
The Final Round Brings Excitement, Especially With the Entry of an Adorable Guest
The wedges of $1 million are added to the wheel to make things interesting, and it is announced that the player who wins this round will again receive an additional $10,000. Tiffany is the first to spin the wheel in the category of Proper Name. However, her wrong guess passes on the opportunity to Matt, whose spin lands on the green wedge, and he again secures it with his correct guess. The player continues to make his correct guesses and ultimately declares the answer to the puzzle. Pat notes that his strategy of pretending not to know the answer worked well for him and assisted him in gaining more money. As he receives the bonus and the winning of the round, it brings his money to a whopping $26,550. The competitors now proceed to the next toss-up round with three questions worth $5,000 each.
While Joe gets the first two puzzles correct, Tifanny fails to give the right answer on the third one. Joe once again provides the correct answer, fetching him the win of $15,000 and bringing his total to $18,000. Pat declares that the player who wins the next round will receive a bonus of $20,000, and they will be playing in the Phrase category. As Joe first spins the wheel, it lands on bankrupt, passing the opportunity to Tifanny. To her delight, she discovers that her spin will provide her with $6,000 for every correct guess of the consonants for the puzzle. However, there is a twist since every contestant will get only three seconds to guess the right one. Ultimately, Matt misses his chance by a small margin, providing Joe with the chance to grab the win.
Joe wins $56,000, bringing his total win of the night to $173,800, and will proceed to the bonus round. Pat congratulates Tiffany for her win of $30,000 and Matt for his overall gain of $31,550. In the bonus round, the host jokingly pleads with Joe not to raise the tension, and the contestant quips that it is good hosting. As he introduces Bubbles to everyone, he spins the wheel with him in his arms. Following this, Joe chooses What Are You Doing? as the category and successfully guesses the correct answer to the puzzle. It is finally revealed that Joe had won $25,000 during his spin, which brings his entire win to $198,800. The episode concludes with everyone congratulating him and fussing over the cuteness of Bubbles.
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