American History (Day 1)

Well, last week was one you will never forget. We had our first PERFECT BONUS ROUND WEEK of the season and gave away $334,350 in cash and prizes! Can we follow up on that?

According to Jim, "from our nation's capital, Washington, DC, here are the stars of our show..." Pat says to Vanna, "Hello from our nation's capital. See you later."

You guessed it - we're celebrating our "American History" on the Washington, DC set.

Contestants: Greg, Katie, Rachel

Toss-Up 1: Person
J U _ I _ R
S E N A T _ R

Greg tries to blurt out the answer, but it's Katie who finishes first with JUNIOR SENATOR.

Toss-Up 2: Living thing
W O O D
T H _ _ S _

Rachel solves WOOD THRUSH (a type of bird, credit to Google) to get on the board.

Featured Prize: $8,000 trip to Venice, Italy

Jackpot Round: Phrase

Rachel starts out with a $400 (near LaT) R and a couple of S's for the Gift Tag. But then she fails to add the Venice trip to her cardboard collection by calling a lackluster L. As luck would have it, Greg would pick up the Venice vacation with a T! And after lighting up a pair of N's on Jackpot...

_ N / T _ _ / _ _ _ _
_ _ / _ _ R _ N _ S S

...he nails this puzzle BIG TIME for the first Jackpot win of the season!!! Greg's NOT ON THE EDGE OF DARKNESS, as he's won a grand, a $6,900 Jackpot, and the Venice vacation, totaling $15,900 that round alone! Nicely done, sir!

Wrong Letter: L (Rachel)

Greg: $15,900 cash and Venice
Katie: $1,000 Toss-Up bucks
Rachel: $2,000 T.U. money

Mystery Round: Classic TV

Greg continues his run of luck with a $300 T and a $400 (near the empty Gift Tag) S. After that, he finds five L's on $800! He also fins a $1,100 pair of H's and a pair of B's on the MW near LaT. But he quickly goes for the solve rather than risking it...

T H _ / B _ _ _ _ L _
H _ L L B _ L L _ _ S

...and he IDs THE BEVERLY HILLBILLIES for $7,800 in cold hard cash!

DOMINATION!

Greg: $23,700
Katie: $1,000
Rachel: $2,000

Prize Puzzle: Phrase

Katie finally gets to spin. She starts out with an $800 pair of R's, but then she buys a bad vowel (probably the A). Rachel then Bankrupts on the MDW's left side. More luck for Greg, however - he picks up the MDW with an S! After finding a $300 T and a $1,600 pair of N's, he's going for his next quick solve...

S _ _ _ T _ _ N _
_ _ R / _ _ _ R _ _ N _

...and here's SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE to enjoy - Greg solves this puzzle for $1,900 and a $7,500 trip to ARUBA, earning him $9,400 that round! And don't forget, he has that MDW!

Wrong Letter: A (Katie)
Bankrupt: Rachel

Greg: $33,100 + MDW
Katie: $1,000
Rachel: $2,000

Toss-Up 3: Living thing (a 3-liner, BTW)
_ L A C K -
T _ R _ _ _ _ D
S P A R R O W

Katie catches this (yet another bird) BLACK-THROATED SPARROW to quadruple up.

Round 4: Phrase (another 3-liner)

Katie starts out with a dud of S on $300. And Rachel calls a strange dud of C on $300. After Greg calls a pair of T's worth a grand (near the empty Jackpot), the bells ring...

_ _ T / _ _
_ _ T / _ / _ _ _
_ _ _ / _ _ _ _ _

...and consonants are worth $1,500 (near the empty MDW).

Greg - 2 N's!
Katie - 1 R.
Rachel - 5 E's!

Does Rachel solve it with this showing?

_ E T / _ E
_ E T / _ / _ E N
_ N _ / _ _ _ E R

Nope. Greg then asks for a trio of P's...

_ E T / _ E
_ E T / _ / P E N
_ N _ / P _ P E R

...and LET ME GET A PEN A PAPER and write this down - he just won in blowout fashion with another $8,500!

Wrong Letter: C (Rachel)

Greg: $41,600 + MDW!
Katie: $4,000 Toss-Up bucks
Rachel: $2,000

Million-Dollar Bonus Round #1: Around the house

Will Greg be our first-ever millionaire? He lands on the R in AMERICA'S.

He'll need a lot of help on the first word thanks to RSTLNE...

L _ _ _ _
_ _ T T R E S S

He goes with FMPA...

L _ M P _
M A T T R E S S

...and he NAILS LUMPY MATTRESS for...




...JUST $25,000. Wow. But he still leaves with $66,600, cash and trips! Way to go, sir!