'Wheel of Fortune' contestant picks letters most players won't — ends up winning a Mazda car

The contestant was super excited to have made it to the Bonus Round and he won big.

PUBLISHED SEP 17, 2025

Screenshot showing the contestant trying to solve on "Wheel of Fortune" (Cover Image Source: YouTube | Wheel of Fortune)

Winning big on "Wheel of Fortune" is mostly about solving puzzles, and picking the right letters to fill blank spaces makes things a lot simpler. It was proven to be effective when a contestant won a brand-new car after choosing unconventional letters. Even if he did not win anything, he’d still be going home with a whopping $45,000, but the player made it through the bonus round as well.

via GIPHY

The contestant was a man named Gabriel, who was giddy with excitement upon reaching the Bonus Round. He had his brother and best friend cheering him on as he hoped to win even more than he already had. His best friend called him a superstar, and host Ryan Seacrest agreed. Once all that was done, it was time to play the game. Gabriel spun the wheel, and it landed on the letter A.

Seacrest then took the contestant in front of the screen. Gabriel had chosen the ‘What Are You Doing’ category and, as per the rules, was given the letters R, S, T, L, N, and E. He then had the chance to pick three more consonants and one more vowel. He chose the letters G, J, Q, and U. Although Q and U aren’t letters contestants usually pick, this time, they worked wonders.

Screenshot showing Ryan Seacrest with the contestant. (Image credit: Wheel of Fortune)

A lot of the puzzle opened up, and it now read, “J_URN_L_NG.” Gabriel knew exactly what the answer was and said, “Journaling.” His brother rushed to celebrate when Seacrest said it was correct, but the contestant asked him to wait. The host still had not revealed the prize. One of the biggest complaints the show has had was that contestants only win the $40,000 prize. However, that was not the case this time around.

Seacrest slowly opened the envelope and showed it to the contestant. It read, “Mazda.” Gabriel’s excitement knew no bounds as he celebrated with his loved ones. After all, he had won himself a brand-new Mazda convertible worth more than $41,000. That meant that he had won prizes worth more than $86,000 on the show, which was absolutely incredible.

But everyone isn't this lucky, and in a different episode, one contestant suffered a heartbreaking car loss in the Bonus Round after being off by just one word. The contestant was a woman named Wanda, who had already won $21,300 and a trip to Portugal. She had chosen the ‘Thing’ category in the Bonus Round and was given the necessary letters.

Wanda then chose H, C, D, and A, which made the puzzle read, “A _ATCH _ _ TH_C_ _ _ _.” She guessed a lot of answers. “A patch of thick, a match of thick, a watch of thick,” the contestant said, but none was correct. The right answer was revealed to be "a patch of thick fog." She let out a loud groan after realizing that she missed out on a brand-new Mercedes-Benz.