It’s rare to see someone solve a puzzle with just one letter on the board, but that’s exactly what happened in the March 25 episode. Tom Stednicki was already having a great game even before the final puzzle ahead of the bonus round. In fact, he was the one to spin the wheel when it came time to see how much each letter would be worth for everyone and he landed on $5000. “I don’t know if he’s happy about that or not because he’s got a big lead,” host Pat Sajak remarked. The category was On the Map, and with just an S on the board (pictured above), Tom solved it: Glacier Bay Alaska.
The show's fans spun into a meltdown on social media, with varying reactions to the solve that seemed nearly impossible. “What just happened on Wheel of Fortune? I sense a scandal brewing," one X user wrote. “I’m sorry, did anyone else just see dude on @WheelofFortune guess “Glacier Bay Alaska” after only putting up the “s”???" wrote another. “Seriously! How?!?" a third replied.
"It’s a plant!" joked a fourth. “@WheelofFortune Naw tom, you looked at a lot of VOWELS before this game, not maps!” wrote a fifth. “I'm convinced tom is a time traveler and came back to just dunk on everyone #wheeloffortune," theorized a sixth.