‘Wheel of Fortune’ contestant crushed every round — but lost $100K on an easy puzzle many solved at home
All the ‘Wheel of Fortune’ fans were left heartbroken after a contestant lost a whopping $100,000 in the Bonus Round. During the show’s 50th anniversary week, which saw the light of day in January 2025, Kiana Moreland, a University of La Verne graduate from Grand Terrace, California, who recently got a doctorate in organizational leadership, played incredibly well, winning thousands of dollars and a three-country African safari. However, Moreland ran out of luck during the Bonus Round when she failed to solve an easy four-word puzzle and missed the game show’s $100,000 jackpot.
In the episode, Moreland competed against Cara Green from Albany, New York, and Frankie Allocca from Howard Beach. Moreland had a rocky start as Green bagged the early lead by solving the first few puzzles. Soon after, Moreland regained her form in the Express Round, where she cracked the Prize Puzzle to win an exotic African safari, courtesy of Overseas Adventure Travel, worth $12,990. In the end, Moreland came out on top with $19,290 cash and the safari trip.
Eventually, Moreland advanced to the Bonus Round. When the game show host Ryan Seacrest asked Moreland to choose a category for her final puzzle, she selected “What Are You Doing?” Following that, Moreland spun the wheel and picked her prize envelope. After ‘Wheel of Fortune’ gave Moreland the standard letters “R, S, T, L, N, E,” she chose “D, C, H, and A” as her additional letters. With all the letters on the board, Moreland’s final puzzle looked like "H A _ _ N _ A _ E _ L A _ _ H S."
As the ten-second timer began, Moreland didn’t have the correct answer in her head. According to Market Realist, while guessing, Moreland managed to get just two out of the four words, “having” and “laughs,” but she couldn’t figure out the remaining two words. As the buzzer went off, Seacrest’s co-host Vanna White revealed that the right answer to the four-word puzzle was "Having A Few Laughs." Shortly afterward, Seacrest flipped the envelope and revealed that Moreland lost the golden opportunity to take home an extra $100,000. Despite her big loss in the Bonus Round, Moreland showed good sportsmanship and had a few laughs. At last, Moreland walked away with a $19,290 prize package and a Wheel of Fortune-branded shot glass collection.
Once the episode dropped, several fans of the show shared their honest thoughts on Moreland’s devastating loss. One social media user wrote, "That was a heartbreaking loss." Followed by a second user who penned, “What makes this worse is that I literally solved it myself! It is so sad she didn't get the $100,000.” Another netizen went on to say, “I got the puzzle before her time started. There’s nothing to laugh about when missing out on $100,000.” A ‘Wheel of Fortune’ fan commented, “Very unfortunate moment. This was solvable for me. Sad. I wanted her to win that prize.” Another fan remarked, “I'm so sorry she missed out on the extra cash; it wasn't a hard solve once she gave her letter choices... Maybe she was nervous.”
