Wheel of Fortune host Ryan Seacrest stuns contestant with sweet gesture after $74,000 win

Wheel of Fortune host Ryan Seacrest proved that he is always willing to help contestants celebrate after they win big on the game show.

Monday night saw the 50-year-old giving his warmest hugs to Charles Tapacio, an email marketer from Hoffman Estates, Illinois, who managed to scoop up an impressive $74,00 win.

He had been playing against Daneka Howard from Dallas, Texas, and Jeremy Foreshew, from Los Angeles, California – and successfully managed to advance to the bonus round.

With a huge $34,650 in his cash pot, the contestant selected a puzzle from the What Are You Doing? category.

After adding his additional letters, ‘C, P, M and A’, he was left with a puzzle that read: ‘_ R _ T _ N _ / A / M E M _.’

When the ten-second timer began, Charles confidently guessed the right answer and stated: ‘Writing A Memo.’

‘Congratulations, you got it!’ Ryan exclaimed before giving Charles a warm hug.

The smiling host then went on to reveal that Charles had added $40,000 to his winnings, giving him a total of $74,650 as well as a trip to Vermont.

Charles then appeared to second guess whether he could go in for second hug with Ryan, who swiftly pulled him in for another embrace.

‘You can squeeze me,’ he playfully commented as the pair shared a sweet hug.   

Charles had already won Ryan over earlier in the episode after he revealed his weekend alter ego named DJ Wildcat. 

‘During the week, I’m in email marketing as Charles. On the weekend, I’m DJ Wildcat… Wiki Wiki Wildcat.

‘I DJ at weddings, birthday parties, gyms… Wheel of Fortune afterparties.’

His bubbly personality made him a hit with viewers as well, with many sharing their delight over his win on Instagram and YouTube.

Elsewhere, others praised him for his clever approach to the puzzle as one wrote: ‘I had writing a before the letter choices. The M was crucial here.’

Another commented: ‘I personally thought Charles picked badly with WHAT ARE YOU DOING over THING and PLACE. Charles your pick of M was clutch!!!!’

Meanwhile, another viewer noted that Charles win was yet another big money ending following a string of similar episodes.

‘At least they’ve gotten on a good roll when it comes to the bonus round in the last few episodes,’ the fan commented on YouTube.

Indeed, just days before contestant Traci Demus-Gamble made a truly impressive puzzle solve in record-time.

The incredible solve earned her a cool $50,000 – taking her total win to $78,000 and two cruises.  

Prior to that, Geoffrey Smith showcased his fine skills as a puzzle-solver – with the Saint Cloud, Florida resident walking away with an impressive $66,000 for his troubles.

Elsewhere, though some diehard fans have been slow to warm to new host Ryan Seacrest, adding him to the game show has been good for ratings. 

Wheel of Fortune averaged 7.99 million viewers during Seacrest’s first month, and during that time, the show was ‘the most-watched entertainment series across broadcast, cable, and syndication,’ according to Nielsen data per Newsweek.