ECONOMY & WORK
MONEY 101
NEWS
PERSONAL FINANCE
NET WORTH
About Us Contact Us Privacy Policy Terms of Use DMCA Opt-out of personalized ads
© Copyright 2023 Market Realist. Market Realist is a registered trademark. All Rights Reserved. People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.
MARKETREALIST.COM / NEWS

'Wheel of Fortune' contestant surprised herself after solving a difficult puzzle on the first try

She did not have a lot of confidence when she gave her answer, and her reaction was hilarious.
PUBLISHED APR 4, 2025
Screenshots showing Ryan Seacrest and the contestant on "Wheel of Fortune." (Image credit: YouTube | Wheel of Fortune)
Screenshots showing Ryan Seacrest and the contestant on "Wheel of Fortune." (Image credit: YouTube | Wheel of Fortune)

Getting to the Bonus Round on “Wheel of Fortune” is a big deal for several contestants, but winning big money in that round must feel extra special. In a recent episode of the show, a contestant had made it to the final round and was faced with what seemed to be a difficult puzzle. However, she got the answer right on her first attempt. The contestant was not expecting this at all, and her expression after winning was priceless.

The contestant was a woman named Nora, who had her husband on stage supporting her. “I love you so much, baby. Good job. Bring it home,” he said. It was then time for the puzzle, and the contestant had chosen the person category. As per usual, she was given the letters R, S, T, L, N, and E. After these were revealed, the puzzle read, “_RE____S ______NT.” She then had to choose three consonants and one vowel.

Screenshot showing Ryan Seacrest and the contestant on
Screenshot showing Ryan Seacrest and the contestant on "Wheel of Fortune." 9Image credit: YouTube | Wheel of Fortune)

Nora chose the letters P, C, M, and A. There were good guesses as the puzzle now opened up a bit more to read, “PRE____S _CC_PANT.” Although many of the letters were revealed, it was still tough. The show has seen contestants fluff the simplest of puzzles in this round and history could have repeated itself. Nora wasn’t all that confident but she took a chance and said, “Previous occupant.”

Screenshot showing the contestant trying to solve the puzzle. (Image credit: YouTube | Wheel of Fortune)
Screenshot showing the contestant trying to solve the puzzle. (Image credit: YouTube | Wheel of Fortune)

“Congratulations,” said host Ryan Seacrest immediately afterward, as it was the correct answer. The contestant’s jaw dropped as she could not believe that she had gotten it right on her very first try. “We’re quite sure that was right, and we’re adding this,” the host added as he revealed that Nora had won an additional $40,000. That got her total winnings from the episode up to a whopping $67,912. It was an incredible moment.



 

While some contestants get lucky and are able to solve the tough puzzles in a matter of seconds, the same cannot be said for others who sometimes fail to get even the simplest ones right. That’s what happened in a different episode, which also aired recently and left fans stunned. The contestant was a man named Stephen, and he too had made it to the Bonus Round. He had chosen the Phrases category for his puzzle.

As per usual, the letters R, S, T, L, N, and E were given, after which the three-word puzzle read, “_N __R ___.” Stephen was then asked to choose three consonants and one vowel, and he chose the letters C, M, G, and O. After these were revealed, the puzzle read, “ON O_R ___.” It seemed simple, and many people thought that the contestant would get it right.



 

“On our zip, on our pair, on our own,” he said. Unfortunately, neither of those was correct. The right answer was ‘on our way.’ The contestant could have won an extra $40,000, but it was just not meant to be. Maybe if he had a little more time, he could have gotten it right, but we’ll never know.

MORE ON MARKET REALIST
Turns out Harvey was just trying to help out a player get some points.
8 hours ago
Host Ken Jennings accepted an answer despite an error that most found unacceptable.
9 hours ago
The U.S. district court judge's ruling comes ahead of a verdict on tariffs by the Supreme Court.
13 hours ago
The player, Erica Sciuto picked all the letters that she needed to win.
13 hours ago
While the host comically tried to hide the mistake, the prop was clearly on the floor.
16 hours ago
Harvey wasn't prepared to hear some of the answers, at all.
1 day ago
Starting January 7, about 7,000 defaulters are set to receive notices from the Education Department.
1 day ago
Even the host, Ryan Seacrest was surprised to see the good player lose out.
1 day ago
Walmart has deployed several AI-powered tools to deliver a smooth shopping experience.
2 days ago
The warehouse retailer is making a layout change, which may dictate how long customers wait for checkout.
2 days ago
Retailers including Best Buy, Kohl's, Macy's, and more will charge a fee on returns.
2 days ago
Hearing the answers, Harvey wondered how the team that won the question got so far in the game
Dec 16, 2025
Shopper, creator, @sharpintx fell victim to 'return fraud' in the worst possible way.
Dec 16, 2025
Several companies have publicly stated that they are passing on the tariff costs to customers.
Dec 16, 2025
The guest was at a loss for words after hearing the value of the Patek Phillippe watch.
Dec 15, 2025
The fast food chain has raise prices like other but won over its customer base like none.
Dec 15, 2025
BofA Metals Cheif, Michael Widmer estimates gold to hit the $5,000/oz mark in 2026.
Dec 15, 2025
Kevin Hassett said it would solely be up to the Fed Officials to make decisions on interest rates.
Dec 15, 2025
As per the Congress' Joint Economic Committee, Americans paid over $158 billion in tariff costs
Dec 12, 2025