‘Wheel of Fortune’ contestant takes a huge risk in tough bonus round — ends up losing a brand-new Ford
A 'Wheel of Fortune' contestant failed to win a brand-new car after he made some poor choices while picking letters for the final puzzle. During an episode of 'Wheel of Fortune' Season 42 which saw the light of day on March 25, 2025, a player named Bill, also called 'Big Bill' by his wife Lee, emerged as the big winner of the night with $31,600 in cash and prizes, and ultimately, he advanced to the Bonus Round. However, Bill's luck ran out during the Bonus Round as he wasn't able to guess the correct answer to the puzzle, and unfortunately, missed the opportunity to win a new Ford.
During the Bonus Round, Bill chose the ‘What Are You Wearing?’ category. The 'Wheel of Fortune' then gave him the letters "R, S, T, L, N, and E." Next, host Ryan Seacrest asked Bill to pick three more consonants and one vowel. In a funny twist, Bill selected the first four letters of the alphabet: “A, B, C, and D.” Unfortunately, the letters he chose didn’t help solve the puzzle, revealing only one spot.
At the end, Bill's final puzzle looked like “_A_R __ ___TE _L__ES.” As the ten-second timer began, Bill made his first guess and said, “Hair on white cliffs," which was not the right answer. After some deliberation, Bill said with confidence, “Hair on white glasses,” which also turned out to be incorrect. Shortly afterward, the correct answer to the puzzle was revealed to be, “Pair of white gloves.” Bill may have been far away from the correct answer, but Seacrest liked the fact that he went all in and tried his best to get the right answer.
According to Market Realist, Seacrest told Bill, “But you went for it. You really did. Great night though." Following that, Seacrest opened the Golden Envelope and disclosed that Bill could have won a brand-new Ford. While looking at the bright side, Seacrest quipped, "$But 31,600 and a true pleasure. Thank you, buddy, congratulations. What a great family here. I'm sure they enjoyed watching you."
Once the episode dropped, many fans shared their honest thoughts on Bill's final puzzle and stated that he should have gotten the right answer. One social media user penned, “I was screaming the answer at the TV 😂🤣But Bill did great!!! I do understand cause I was in front of the bonus puzzle last year and totally went blank! Congratulations, fellow WOF alumni!!” Another 'Wheel of Fortune' fan wrote, “Got it with just the RSTLNE!” Followed by a third user who commented, "PAIR OF WHITE GLOVES" are for the Rich, Famous, and Royalty. Never would have expected a regular hard-working Joe to solve it. Great battle though, BILL!!!" Another netizen remarked, "P W G and O would've been the solution." Meanwhile a fan noted, “It took me a while, but I figured it out." A user chimed in, "That’s tough, but $31,600 is a really good night."