'Wheel of Fortune' player dampens New Year's Eve after failing to solve an easy puzzle
"Wheel of Fortune" finished New Year's Eve with a nail-biting Bonus Round. Contestant named Shakeel got all the letters right but was left speechless as the final puzzle unraveled on the board. He let down fans when they almost believed he had solved the riddle and also lost a $50,000 cash prize, dampening the celebration.
Shakeel made a fast impression by solving the $1,000 Toss-up Puzzle ("On My Playlist"): "Today's top hits". However, during the Mystery round, he went bankrupt. He made a stunning comeback by solving the Prize Puzzle Round ("Fun and Games") edition, "Party hats and noisemakers," and won $1,050 cash and a vacation to the Conrad, New York downtown. His total reached over $9,000. Shakeel cemented his position in the Bonus Round by solving all three Trip Toss-Up puzzles: "Exercise more", "Read more books", and "Have more fun". Each win added $2,000, propelling him into first place with $19,050.
Final Speed-up Round ("Colorful Language"): Shakeel continued his winning streak, solving "It's a red letter day" for an additional $4,800. His total increased to $23,850 in cash and prizes, including the New York vacation. He then introduced his emotional mother, Fonda, to the host Ryan Seacrest. "I was nervous for a second there," Fonda almost teared up while expressing her emotions. Shakeel then chose the category "Phrase." After receiving the standard letters R, S, T, L, N and E, he went for Q, P, H, and A.
The puzzle board then looked interesting: _,_, T, H, _, _, T, Q, _, E, S, T, _, _, N. "Important question. Most major question. Million-dollar question. I don’t know." Shakeel attempted to solve the puzzle, but despite getting close, he was unable to guess "Without Question" within the time limit. He ended up winning only $23,850 and lost out on the $50,000 cash prize. "You got close on the second part of it. You were on the right path," Seacrest tried to remain positive. However, fans were upset that New Year's Eve ended in a debacle.
"Bruh, this guy solved all the most random puzzles on the other rounds no one would ever think of, but failed to do the easy bonus round," @bboi joked. "This is the third time this season where a contestant called Q in the bonus round, but this is also the first time where a contestant correctly called Q but failed to solve the bonus puzzle," @anthonyguarino4242 added. "I can't believe Phrase was chosen to kick off the last night of 2025. Tomorrow night, we need a bonus round win for tomorrow as we kick off 2026!"@myles-spikewebby8519 chimed in. "Shakeel chose "Q" and came close, but without $50K. This week's Bonus round will end the year without a winner," @sy-kd6km lamented.
You can watch the New Year's Eve moment here.
More on Market Realist
'Wheel of Fortune' contestant wins big in bonus round a decade after her sister failed to do so
'Wheel of Fortune' player's great choice of letters helps her win $40,000 in bonus round
