Wheel of Fortune contestants win more than $55k after solving word puzzle

A grandmother-grandson duo took home more than $55,000 as Wheel of Fortune contestants after solving a bonus-round word puzzle with only five of the 13 letters on the board. 

Retta Alexander and Julian Hernandez, from Mississippi, faced quite the challenge when they appeared together on the popular game show.

The category was 'Place' and the existing configuration of letters and blank spaces read  '_ A N C _ / _ _ _ T _ _ _ .' 

'Oh boy,' bantered host Pat Sajak, his tone sympathetic given the baffling arrangement - but the pair beat the odds and ended up taking home thousands of dollars.

Retta Alexander and Julian Hernandez, from Mississippi, faced quite the challenge when they appeared together on the popular game show 

The category was 'Place' and the existing configuration of letters and blank spaces read '_ A N C _ / _ _ _ T _ _ _ ' 

The adorable duo beat all the odds and embraced as they jumped up and down in joyous victory 

The two-person team puzzled over the solution until - with just ten seconds left on the clock - Retta shouted out: 'Fancy Boutique!' 

And, once it was revealed that it was indeed the correct answer, the crowd burst into rapturous applause.

'Yeah, what do they need?' quipped Sajak about the ease with which the word-wise pair had determined the answer. 

Julian embraced his grandmother as the dynamic duo jumped up and down in joyous victory.

Sajak then opened an envelope containing their earnings which were revealed to be a whopping $40,000.

Between that and the winnings from earlier in the game, the pair took home a total of $56,590.

A video of the moment took off on Wheel of Fortune's official Instagram page, with well-wishers gushing over the loveable team. 

'One of the sweetest duos I've ever seen on Wheel,' one wrote. 'So so happy for them! They were the pair that we were rooting for at home.' 

The pair puzzled over the solution until - with just ten seconds left on the clock - Retta shouted out: 'Fancy Boutique!' 

And, once it was revealed that it was indeed the correct answer, the crowd burst into rapturous applause 

A video of the moment took off on Wheel of Fortune's official Instagram page, with well-wishers gushing over the loveable team 

'Great solve! I got nothing,' another chimed in. 

'This was so so cool! She's an excellent puzzle solver!' another commenter echoed. 

Retta is far from the first grandparent to slay as a contestant on the game-show circuit. 

Back in 2015, a British granddad was crowned the 'world's most prolific game show contestant' by the Guinness Book Of World Records after 34 appearances on various quiz shows beginning in 1982.