ABC 7 Los Angeles’ weather team takes on ‘Wheel’: Who winds up solving the puzzle?

KABC’s weather team takes the wheel in a new “better together” promo showcasing some friendly competition between the forecasters on “Wheel of Fortune.”

The promo features chief meteorologist Dallas Raines, morning meteorologist Leslie Lopez and meteorologist and reporter Brianna Ruffalo lined up as contestants on the actual “Wheel of Fortune” set.

“Wheel” host Ryan Seacrest then introduces the category for the puzzle — and it just so happens to be “MegaDoppler 7000,” a nod to the station’s branding for its radar system (the on-screen graphics provided by “Wheel” spell it as one word, though the station stylizes it as “Mega Doppler 7000” online).

The puzzle is shown as a toss up, which take significantly less time to solve than most of the full-length puzzles, which makes it ideal to fit inside of a promo slot.

After letters begin to reveal, it’s ultimately Lopez who solves the puzzle: “First live and most accurate radar.”

It doesn’t appear KABC actually uses that line to refer to its radar, but it clearly is meant as a way to differentiate its weather technology as being, at least according to the station, the first “live” radar in the market.

It was a forecast no one expected — ABC 7 Los Angeles’ trusted weather team traded their green screens and Doppler radars for a spinning wheel, flashing letters, and a national TV audience. In a whirlwind crossover episode of Wheel of Fortune, the meteorologists known for predicting sunny skies and storm warnings found themselves under the hot lights of a game show stage. But while the laughs were plenty, the competition quickly heated up — and only one would emerge as the puzzle-solving champ.

Anchored by the ever-charismatic Ryan Seacrest and longtime letter-turning icon Vanna White, the episode featured meteorologists Dallas Raines, Brianna Ruffalo, Leslie Lopez, and Shayla Girardin stepping out of the studio and into game show history. It was a lighthearted yet fiercely competitive special episode that quickly took social media by storm.

At first, it seemed like everyone was just there for a good time. Brianna Ruffalo opened the show with her trademark smile, joking that this was “the only time the pressure is higher than a heatwave.” Dallas Raines, the veteran weatherman with over three decades of broadcasting under his belt, quipped, “I’m usually predicting patterns — now I’m just trying to guess a word!”

The first few rounds were full of laughs and surprisingly sharp guesses. Shayla Girardin nailed a tricky phrase involving “climate change” (how fitting), and Leslie Lopez pulled ahead briefly by solving a bonus puzzle in the second round. But it was the third round that changed the game entirely — a lightning-fast buzzer round where one meteorologist’s instincts truly kicked in.

In a moment that left even Seacrest stunned, Dallas Raines buzzed in with only two letters revealed and solved the puzzle: “UNDER THE WEATHER.” The entire studio erupted in applause, with Vanna White gasping, “He really is the weather guy!” Seacrest laughed and shook his head, joking, “We should’ve seen that one coming on the radar.”

From there, Raines seemed to dominate with quiet confidence, racking up points and eventually securing a spot in the final round. The other contestants cheered him on, though not without some playful groans. “He tells us the forecast every day — of course he saw this outcome,” Leslie Lopez teased.

In the final puzzle, Raines faced the category “Thing” with the letters “_A_E _F _I_DS.” With just 10 seconds, he calmly said, “WAVE OF WINDS” — and he was right. Confetti fell, the audience cheered, and the prize? A luxurious trip to Maui, perfect for a man who’s spent a lifetime chasing sunshine and tracking storms.

The special episode wasn’t just fun — it was a celebration of community faces stepping into a new spotlight. “We’ve delivered the news together for years,” Ruffalo said. “But tonight, we shared something really special — and honestly, more nerve-wracking than a live forecast!”

On social media, fans couldn’t get enough. The hashtag #WheelWeatherChallenge trended locally in L.A., with viewers praising the team’s camaraderie, humor, and surprising puzzle-solving prowess.

As the credits rolled, Ryan Seacrest offered a final word: “Whether it’s predicting the weather or spinning the wheel, these folks know how to bring the energy. Let’s just hope tomorrow’s forecast is sunny — for Dallas and for Maui!”

One thing is certain: ABC 7’s weather team didn’t just survive the storm — they stole the show.