Madrid (EFE).- The contestant Rafa Castaño has managed to win the biggest jackpot in the history of the Antena 3 program “Pasapalabra”, 2,272,000 euros, by guessing the 25 words hidden behind the definitions of “El Rosco”.
In the early hours of Friday, a few minutes before midnight, this contestant from Seville managed to guess which words were hidden behind the letters of the alphabet that surrounded him in the already classic television format, according to a statement sent by the television network.
The previous biggest jackpot had been delivered in 2006, when the contestant Eduardo Benito won 2,190,000 euros.
Last night, Castaño beat his opponent, Orestes Barbero from Burgos, with an all-time mark of 179 seconds, the third best record achieved by a contestant, and he ended up having a whole minute left over. He also completed the 25 letters of El Rosco in a single turn, something that no one had achieved before and without giving his rival any chance.
Rafa Castaño had 197 consecutive Pasapalabra programs and had already accumulated 127,200 euros. The 32-year-old from Seville has managed to win in 75 installments of the program and has tied 64 times against Orestes, who had been in the contest for 360 installments.
Presented in its current stage by Roberto Leal, “Pasapalabra” is a contest that has been broadcast in Spain since 2000, when the program began its journey on Antena 3 with Silvia Jato at the helm, and quickly became a hit with audiences.
In 2007, Telecinco took over the rights to the program in Spain and Christian Gálvez took the helm, leading the audiences in his time slot almost daily. In 2020, the show returned to its original network.
The greatest emotion of the contest is concentrated in its final stretch, when the two contestants of the day reach the last test, “the donut”, in which each one must individually guess twenty-five words, each one with a letter of the alphabet -excluding the K and W- in a time of 85 seconds plus what they have managed to accumulate in the previous tests.
At almost inhuman speed, the presenter reads a short definition for each word to be correct or, in the case of doubt or not knowing it, asks for a pause with the expression that gives the program its name and meaning.
Before, the participants must overcome other tests, which have varied throughout its history, which serve to accumulate the precious seconds that make a decisive difference in the rosco and for which they have the help of two celebrities each.