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'Wheel of Fortune' contestant humorously plans a Boba tea party after losing $50,000

"I'm not going to lie, that was a tough puzzle. Deceptively tough. Sorry about the loss! No shade to you for that one," a fan reacted.

BY MARY ANTHONY

PUBLISHED JAN 8, 2026

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

"Wheel of Fortune" continues with the cruise week, and in tonight's episode, contestant Nikisha won herself a trip to Northern Europe. But despite her best efforts, Nikisha missed $50,000 grand cash prize after being unable to solve a tough puzzle. However, her daughters humorously suggested that they would be spending the $15,608 on Boba tea.

In the Mystery Round, the contestants were given the "Rhyme Time" category. Nikisha solved "GENTLE BREEZE AND MANATEE", winning $1,000. She then went on to win a luxurious trip to Northern Europe after solving the "Food and Drink" puzzle, "EXQUISITE CUISINE" in the Prize Puzzle Round. During the Triple Toss-Up round that featured "Song Lyrics" as the category, Nikisha solved "THE LION SLEEPS TONIGHT". She is revealed as the big winner of the night and advances to the Bonus Round with $15,688 in cash and prizes.

Nikisha then introduced her family, including her two daughters, Jordan and Nia, her mother, Sher Ferguson, and her husband, Justin Lewis, to host Ryan Seacrest. "Now, kids,

mom's got a lot of money she won so far tonight. What would you like to spend it on?" Seacrest indulged the children in a light-hearted conversation. And that is when Nikisha's daughters humorously expressed their desire to spend her winnings on boba tea. Nakeisha then proceeded to play the game, selecting consonants and a vowel to solve the puzzle.

After receiving the standard letters R, S, T, L, N, and E, she went with C, M, D, and A. The puzzle board looked impossible to solve without any known hint, _, _, _, _, C, _, A, L, A, _, _, R, _, _, A, L. Nikisha kept fumbling during the whole ten seconds to guess the right answer, but unfortunately, she couldn't get "Official Approval". Despite the $50,000 loss, she took home $ 15,608 and, in the end, hilariously mentioned that it's time to celebrate with a Boba tea party.

Fans thought the win was disappointing, but at the same time, pointed out that choosing the wrong letters was becoming a pattern. "I'm not going to lie, that was a tough puzzle. Deceptively tough. Sorry about the loss! No shade to you for that one," @Garrison_the_Barbarian lamented. "DCMA...but what came out was BFO. A typical pattern of missing the bonus round recently," @sy-kd6km criticized. "The c and a were good choices but the f should have done it for her," @Animegamespublishing added. "One day they'll learn to not use CDMA," @matthewgumball4568 chimed in.

You can watch the moment here.