'Wheel of Fortune' fans call out a 'tough' puzzle that made contestant lose out on $40,000

The contestant tried his best to get the answer right but it was just not meant to be.

PUBLISHED AUG 2, 2025

Screenshot showing the contestant trying to solve the puzzle. (Cover image source: YouTube | Wheel of Fortune)

"Wheel of Fortune" fans had a lot of complaints when contestants almost broke the record for the most consecutive Bonus Rounds without a win. One of the biggest issues that fans had was how tough the final puzzles were. It cost a contestant named Andrew a $40,000 win, sparking outrage among the fans.

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The contestant gave the wheel a strong spin. He was given the letters R, S, T, L, N, and E as per the norm for the show, and had the chance to pick three more consonants and one more vowel. Andrew chose the letters C, M, D, and O. They did not do much for him, as only a small part of the puzzle was revealed, which now read, “__N_ _OL_D__.”

The contestant seemed confused right from the start with the puzzle, and as his 10 seconds were ticking, he had no idea what the right answer was. “Nothing,” he said as his time came to an end. Host Ryan Seacrest empathized and said, “You need more.” The correct answer was then revealed to be ‘Bank Holiday.’ The host then revealed the card, and the contestant had lost $40,000.

Screenshot showing Ryan Seacrest (L) and the contestant. (Image credit: YouTube | Wheel of Fortune)

Andrew was not too upset about losing, however, as he already had $17,850 in the bank. Fans of the show believed that the puzzle was too difficult. They made their thoughts clear in the comments section of the clip on YouTube. “Who thought of that one, bank holiday? That was a hard puzzle tonight, and of course, he missed it by one envelope to a million. That was really close,” one fan wrote.

“Bank holiday? The clue gotta be more specific,” quipped another. “Tough solve,” a third user wrote. “That’s tough, but $17,850 is not bad,” another fan commented. It’s safe to say that the period of no Bonus Round winners was not the best in the show’s history. Thankfully, it was broken by a woman named Rachel Granier.

She had chosen the Phrase category and had picked the letters C, M, P, and O. After they were revealed, along with the letters that were already given to the contestant, the puzzle read, “_ O _ R _ O _ R N E _ _ _ _ _ T S.” She said, “Your journey begins,” at first which was not the correct answer but answered the right one in time, which was, “Your journey awaits.”

Granier won $40,000, and fans of the show were relieved. “YES!!! FINALLY!!! After all the losing streaks, we finally have a winner for so long! Excellent job for Rachel!” one user commented. “FINALLY!!! WE FINALLY SEE THE LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL!!! ALL HAIL YOU, RACHEL!!! I LOVE YOU!!! GOD BLESS YOU!!!” mentioned another.