'Wheel of Fortune' contestant misses out on $40,000 after failing to guess the last word in a puzzle
Maureen couldn't make it because of her choice of words, despite performing well earlier.
Jan. 2 2026, Updated 5:07 a.m. ET
"Wheel of Fortune" had been plagued by underwhelming bonus round performances in 2025, and it started the new year with another disappointment. Fans were left complaining about the dismal performance of a contestant named Maureen, who had a good hold on the game during the start, but she failed to win the Bonus Round.
Maureen solved the Second Toss-Up puzzle for $2,000, and during the Mystery Round, she quickly earned $4,000 by identifying four 'N's. She then solved "Snowman in the front yard" and increased her winnings to $8,000. Maureen solved all the Triple Toss-Up puzzles worth $2,000 each and won $10,000 for all three. With $18,000 in the bag, Maureen successfully entered the Bonus Round.
Maureen chose the "Living Thing" category, a rare one to snag the bonus prize. She was given the letters R, S, D, L, N, E, and she added D, G, C, A. The puzzle board now got mixed reactions from Maureen, and she looked confused and confident at the same time. With A, _, _, L, D, _, R, N, C, _, on display, the timer pushes Maureen to think fast. "A wild wrench. A wild...A wild...Oh," she fumbled, but was unable to, despite being very close to the solution. Vanna White then revealed the answer as "A Wild Bronco".
Maureen looked completely devastated as she lost $40,000 cash prize. "It could have been a wild wrench. But it was a wild bronco. Don't be frustrated," the host Ryan Seacrest reacted. Maureen ended up walking away with her $18,000 winnings. Fans lost it as they thought it was an easy puzzle to solve, "That is not a good way to start the year of 2026 if we don’t get a bonus round win or let alone break the losing streak tomorrow, it will be a skunked. Somebody’s gonna have to break the streak tomorrow," @StarrtasiaJackson-jj4ou complained.
"This year is the Year of the Horse, so "Bronco" was included in the puzzle. However, Maureen succumbed to the consonant "W" and the vowels "I" and "O." It was a wild puzzle. In other words, DCGA's choice was nothing. Incidentally, although he lost the battle, Jack's win of a trip to Tokyo was a highlight of New Year's Day," @sy-kd6km pointed out a key New Year hint. "Not a good bonus win to start 2026. We need a winner tomorrow or it's gonna be skunked. Don't give up!" @myles-spikewebby8519 chimed in.
You can watch her underwhelming bonus round here.
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