'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.
Feb. 5 2026, Updated 10:25 p.m. ET
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.
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.
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.
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.
"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.
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