‘Wheel of Fortune’ contestant made wild comeback — but lost $100K in heartbreaking final round
'Wheel of Fortune' is a household favorite as viewers watch and guess along with contestants as they earn big. But not all who try their luck on the show meet have success. The show's format ensures contestants go through unexpected highs and lows. Such was the case with contestant Nekeia Borders, who experienced both in one night. Borders, a US Navy veteran and a retail store supervisor, walked onstage with a beaming smile on the February 7 episode of the show. She competed against Patrick Thomassie from Chicago, Illinois, and mom-of-two Abby Gerlemann from Hermann, Missouri.
Borders secured the first win by winning the toss-up round with $2k; however, by the end of the Express Round, she was left far behind by both opponents, with Thomassie’s win totalling to $15,298 and Gerlemann being at $21,350. Things took an interesting turn, however, during the Speed-Up round. With each consonant worth a whopping $6,000, Thomassie took the lead and earned the amount with the first correct consonant, but Borders seized the moment. She guessed five consonants to the puzzle, 'WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE,' raking in a total of $34,000 and overtaking both her competitors to win the game.
Borders made a comeback that no one saw coming. Even host Ryan Seacrest quipped, "Well, with that last solve, I think you’ve got a new favorite band.” Borders replied promptly, “Yeah, absolutely, 'Guns N’ Roses', you know it." She joked, “I gotta memorize the song now.” Seacrest was alluding to the fact that it was a 'Song Lyrics' puzzle, with 'Welcome To The Jungle' being the words to the Guns N’ Roses classic.
Borders subsequently moved into the Bonus Round with a Wild Card wedge and the momentum on her side. She picked the dreaded 'Phrase' category and the letters 'D, M, P, I, and C.' The four-word puzzle that appeared on the board read: 'L _ _ _ / _ _ C _ / _ I T _ / _ _ N D N E S S'. Unfortunately, Border, she couldn’t figure out the answer and lost the race against time. The correct answer to the puzzle was 'LOOKING BACK WITH FONDNESS.' Seacrest then opened the prize envelope and revealed that the contestant lost out on a whopping $100,000 along with a trip to India, making her the sixth contestant to miss out on $100K this season. Borders managed to hold back her emotions and said, "It's Okay." But fans couldn't let it slide so easily. In the comments section on the YouTube video, a viewer wrote, "KILLER puzzle. Unlucky to get that one. No way anyone is solving that."
Agreeing to the sentiment, another penned, "Yeah, that was impossible. You had to call the right letters to have any chance." Noting the increasing challenge in the Bonus Round lately, a netizen wrote, "This is some cursed month of February 40K's and some random 100k losses." Meanwhile, a 'Wheel of Fortune' fan praised the contestant for her showmanship, remarking, "I like that attitude from this contestant."