A woman from North Carolina took home a huge prize on Monday night’s episode of Wheel of Fortune—and the entire victory was made possible by a major mistake from another player.
Beth Barbee, who hails from Durham and loves genealogy, took center stage during the show’s special Disney Princess Week. Competing against Bryan Babler from Wisconsin and Twyla Arbuckle from California, Barbee established a massive advantage and secured an incredible win in the Bonus Round—though the journey to her victory included a surprising turn of events.
This specially themed week, which focused on princess-related puzzles and Disney Parks, featured Barbee competing directly against Babler, an ex-owner of a live music venue based in Oak Creek, and Arbuckle, a human resources naval officer.
Arbuckle made the first move, winning the initial toss-up puzzle. Barbee swiftly retaliated by taking the second one, resulting in both competitors getting on the scoreboard with $2,000 apiece.
The momentum soon turned in Barbee’s direction. She successfully guessed the first complete puzzle—the witty phrase “Snow White Chocolate”—and secured the highly desired Disney Princess wedge, which granted her a holiday package. She maintained her winning streak by figuring out consecutive puzzles, such as the Prize Puzzle, which dramatically increased her overall lead.
However, the competition experienced an intense shift during a puzzle categorized under “What Are You Doing?” With the screen almost completely revealed, Arbuckle had the opportunity to win—but she committed a fatal mistake. The board displayed “_ LLO_ING _ _ BL _ _,” and she requested the letter “B”—a consonant that was already showing.
“Just kidding. We already have a ‘B’,” Arbuckle confessed.
“Uh huh,” presenter Ryan Seacrest answered with a grin.
Attempting to bounce back, Arbuckle hastily suggested a different letter: “Y.” Nevertheless, Seacrest had to enforce the program’s strict regulations.
“Sorry, we have to take what you called first,” he stated.
“It’s fine. I messed up,” Arbuckle acknowledged.
This blunder created an opening for Barbee to swoop in and correctly guess the phrase: “Following My Bliss.” This accurate response won her an incredible vacation to the Bahamas on the extravagant Disney Wish cruise liner.
Even after her previous blunder, Arbuckle recovered by guessing two of the Triple Toss-Ups, finishing the evening with $9,800. Babler managed to secure one toss-up puzzle, walking away with $2,000. Ultimately, it was Barbee who absolutely controlled the episode, concluding with an impressive $32,392 in combined prizes and cash.
Her incredible run wasn’t over just yet. During the Bonus Round, Barbee chose that identical topic—“What Are You Doing?”—and following the provided R, S, T, L, N, and E, she utilized her Wild Card to select the letters P, G, F, O, and C.
The board presented “P_C_ _ NG PRO_ _CE.” Without skipping a single beat, Barbee confidently answered “Picking Produce”—and instantly, an additional $40,000 belonged to her.
Flashing a radiant smile, she embraced her husband and host Ryan Seacrest. Her grand total? An astonishing $72,392.
