'Wheel of Fortune' contestant's perfect run ends with a $40,000 loss after failing to solve final puzzle
Contestant Eleni Kapetanakis faced a rather unusual 'Place' category puzzle on the show.
Aug. 18 2025, Published 8:45 a.m. ET
Yet another Bonus Round puzzle on "Wheel of Fortune" upset the fans after it cost a player $40,000. The player Eleni Kapetanakis, who played beautifully to reach the show's finale, was stumped by the unusual puzzle, "Orange Grove." While she took the loss in stride, fans complained that the puzzle wasn't appropriate for the "Place" category, as most of them had never heard of the place before.
In the episode, Kapetanakis from Austin, Texas, went up against Russ Paoletti from Park Ridge, Illinois, and Nikki Ashley from New York City. She started the game with a flyer as she solved the very first Toss Up puzzle of the game to take an early lead. Ashley then tried to claw back as she solved the following puzzle and overtook Kapetanakis. However, Kapetanakis mounted a strong comeback during the Triple Toss Up Round and solved two puzzles on the fly. She went on to solve the final puzzle in the last round as well and emerged as the big winner of the night with a total of $17,100 in cash prizes. Advancing to the Bonus Round, she chose the rare "Place" category for her final puzzle.
Alongside the host, Ryan Seacrest, at the wheel, Kapetanakis was joined by her husband Alexi, whom she married in 2023. After picking out her prize envelope, the player was faced with a short two-word puzzle. With the show's standard letters, "R, S, T, L, N, E," on the board, she went on to choose “P, C, M, and A” as her additional letters to get some more clues on the board. With everything, her Bonus Round puzzle read, “_RAN_E _R_ _E.”
Unfortunately, it seemed like Kapetanakis needed a few more letters on the board to crack the answer. As Seacrest kicked off the ten-second timer, she looked completely lost for words. As the clock ticked down, she kept looking back and forth at the time and the board, but couldn't come up with anything. “I wish you had another letter at the beginning,” Seacrest said as the time ran out. Co-host Vanna White then revealed that the answer was "Orange Grove." With disappointment on her face, the player looked at the host, who revealed that she lost on winning an additional $40,000 and a trip to the Plains of Africa.
Nevertheless, the player took the loss sportingly and expressed her gratitude to the host. However, fans were quick to bash the final puzzle as soon as the Bonus Round clip was shared on YouTube. "An orange grove is more of a thing than a place," complained @cynthiaamitrano8915.
"I knew the first word was orange. But that was it. I hardly know any places with orange in their name other than The Blorange," suggested @lunamelody2025.
While the puzzles of season 42 upset the fans a lot, they recently got something to cheer about, as the show announced September 8, 2025, as the premiere date for the 43rd season.
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