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 / ECONOMY & WORK

'Wheel of Fortune' contestant quickly solves tricky $40,000 puzzle with excellent choice of letters

Natalie's younger daughter Bailey couldn't hold back her tears after her mother won a grand total of $63,990.
UPDATED FEB 6, 2026
Vanna White and contestant Natalie on 'Wheel of Fortune' (Cover Image Source: YouTube | Wheel of Fortune)
Vanna White and contestant Natalie on 'Wheel of Fortune' (Cover Image Source: YouTube | Wheel of Fortune)

Fans of "Wheel of Fortune" eagerly wait for contestants to win big in the bonus round, even though they usually face disappointments. But when they do witness success, the reaction of the winners is priceless. Recently, viewers witnessed a heart-warming moment after a contestant named Natalie won $40,000 during the Bonus Round. Natalie's younger daughter Bailey couldn't hold back her tears after her mother won a grand total of $63,990. The moment of pure joy was lauded by host Ryan Seacrest and Vanna White towards the end of the episode. "So much excitement in all of this. I love it. Everybody's stunned. That was a good solve," Seacrest reacted.

Ryan Seacrest, contestant Natalie and her family on 'Wheel of Fortune' (Image Source: YouTube| Wheel of Fortune)
Ryan Seacrest, contestant Natalie, and her family on 'Wheel of Fortune' (Image Source: YouTube| Wheel of Fortune)

Natalie started by winning the Railroad Crossing round to bag $2,000. During the Prize Puzzle round called Like Nothing You've Ever Seen, Natalie came up with the correct answer "Like nothing you've ever seen" and won an exotic African safari trip worth $13,190. She cruised through the Triple Toss-Up and Show Me The Money rounds by solving the first two puzzles, "A penny saved is a penny earned" and "Pennies from heaven," to win $4,000. During the Final Spin round in the category Fun and Games, she successfully solved the final puzzle "Adventure sports," earning $4,500 while securing the bonus round spot with $23,990 in earnings.

Contestant Natalie's family on 'Wheel of Fortune' (Image Source: YouTube| Wheel of Fortune)
Contestant Natalie's family on 'Wheel of Fortune' (Image Source: YouTube| Wheel of Fortune)

She then introduced her family, husband Stephen, mother Sandra, and daughters Ellie and Bailey. During the bonus round, Natalie chose the "Food and Drink" category. In addition to the standard letters "R, S, T, L, N, E," she chose letters "C, M, H, and A." The board then showed a seemingly easy puzzle, "A, C, _, R, N, S, _, _, A, S, H." With 10 seconds on the clock, Natalie solved the puzzle "Acorn Squash" in a split second because she had already guessed the answer right when the puzzle was revealed.

Vanna White and contestant Natalie on 'Wheel of Fortune' (Cover Image Source: YouTube | Wheel of Fortune)
Vanna White and contestant Natalie on 'Wheel of Fortune' (Image Source: YouTube | Wheel of Fortune)

Natalie won an additional $40,000, bringing her total to $63,990. Fans attributed her success to the choice of letters, "Way to go, Natalie! You solved that puzzle in a flash! How about that?" @jamesmcilwee8939 praised. "The category was Food & Drink, and solving the puzzle was a piece of cake. Congratulations, Natalie! $40,000 will do wonders for you and your family!" @Garrison_the_Barbarian lauded. "I had a feeling she was going to get it because she picked good letters. Congratulations, Natalie!" @Janebow-t8x commented. 

Vanna White and contestant Natalie on 'Wheel of Fortune' (Image Source: YouTube | Wheel of Fortune)
Vanna White and contestant Natalie on 'Wheel of Fortune' (Image Source: YouTube | Wheel of Fortune)

"Natalie's letter combo went well, and QU's trap didn't matter. Happily ever after," @sy-kd6km congratulated. "She picked the right letters to solve the puzzle!" @anthonyguarino4242 added.

You can watch the heart-warming moment here.

More on Market Realist:

‘Wheel of Fortune’ contestant wins $55,000 by solving puzzle with a final-second guess

Wheel of Fortune player wins $67,000 with an unexpected move — even Pat Sajak was speechless

'Wheel of Fortune' player solves a really difficult puzzle and then says 'I don't know how I did it'

RELATED TOPICS WHEEL OF FORTUNE
MORE ON MARKET REALIST
The billionaire also predicted that other companies would follow suit in the future.
1 hour ago
His comments have led to several Americans calling him out for not reducing beef prices.
1 hour ago
Billionaires grew their wealth by an incredible 22% in the last year as regular Americans struggled.
1 hour ago
Americans in a Reuters/Ipsos poll identified the cost of living as the primary factor influencing their votes in the upcoming midterms.
3 hours ago
This will be damning for the DHS, which is already under immense pressure from the public.
20 hours ago
Experts believe that it has to do with getting a sense of momentary control.
22 hours ago
It seemed like the contestant was heading towards defeat, but his luck soon turned around.
22 hours ago
The company says it has taken action to protect its rights as an importer to seek duty refunds.
1 day ago
The payout was driven by the company’s financial strength and strong underwriting performance.
1 day ago
Trump made this claim during his lengthy State Of The Union address earlier.
1 day ago
Research predicted that in the consumer sector, "AI personalization strategists" and "AI supply-chain analysts" jobs are expected to emerge.
1 day ago
The product might contain germs as the pasteurization process was not done properly due to a equipment troubleshooting error
1 day ago
The contestant came as close as possible to winning big, but had her heart broken in the end.
1 day ago
Trump failed to address the affordability issue that voters care most about.
1 day ago
He said that society is not quite ready for the pace at which AI is currently displacing workers.
2 days ago
The recall affected products that were sold to customers in four states and in Canada.
2 days ago
Those opposed to the changes believe Trump is politicizing the health of children.
2 days ago
Bessent said that the proposition would be rolled out “in the coming weeks and months,” as a tool for working-class Americans left behind.
2 days ago
“It’s a bad idea. We are very alarmed,” a financial source stated about the proposed move.
2 days ago
A post on X could move trillions of dollars due to the power that retail investors hold
2 days ago