PINELLAS PARK, Fla. — "Wheel of Fortune" fans got to cheer on a Tampa Bay-area local as he competed for a big win at the big wheel!
At 7 p.m. ET on Oct. 30, Ryan Burkett from Pinellas Park was one of three contestants joining hosts Ryan Seacrest and Vanna White on "Wheel of Fortune."
The theme of Wednesday night's episode was "Great Escapes."
In a sneak peek sent to 10 Tampa Bay, Burkett talks with Seacrest as part of his introduction.
"You're quite the bowler, I hear," Seacrest said to Burkett.
"That depends," Burkett answered, "If you think bowling a 300 good. A perfect game, for those who don't know."
"I haven't bowled in a long time," Seacrest said. "So it's a lot of strikes?"
"12 strikes," Burkett said. "In one game. That's the key."
"12 in a row?" Seacrest asked. "Wow."
"It's the hole-in-one of bowling," Seacrest added.
"Yes, exactly," Burkett replied.
Seacrest went on to say that, apparently, Burkett forgot that he had applied to be a contestant on "Wheel of Fortune."
Burkett explained that when he got the email to do a Zoom audition for the show, he immediately thought it was spam and joked that his mother confirmed it was spam. But, he said he figured "what's the worst that can happen?"
"And this," he said, gesturing to the studio and where he is, "is the worst that can happen, America."
There was a watch party for Burkett at The Sports Bar and Grill on 1160 94th Avenue N. in St. Petersburg. Dozens of people showed up to see how our Pinellas County contestant fared.
Keep scrolling to find out how Ryan Burkett did on Wednesday night's episode.
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Ryan Burkett not only won "Wheel of Fortune" on Wednesday — he won big.
The Pinellas County man beat out contestants Jill Schaae and Sharay Grant to win $22,300 and a trip to Portugal. But when he advanced to the bonus round, Burkett easily solved the puzzle reading, "LOCAL BAKERY," to take home an additional $100,000.
In total, Ryan Burkett won $122,300 and a trip to Portugal on Wednesday night's episode of "Wheel of Fortune."
10 Tampa Bay's Andrea Chu updated this report with the results of the episode.