Math teacher almost doubled her winnings on 'Wheel of Fortune' — but one tiny mistake cost her $40K
‘Wheel of Fortune’ is a game where one letter can mean the difference between walking away with a life-changing prize or leaving empty-handed. That truth hit contestant Alexa Kalanz hard during the September 23, 2024, episode of the show. After an impressive run that earned her more than $20,000 in cash and prizes, she reached the Bonus Round with a chance to add $40,000 more to her total. But when the final puzzle appeared on the board, a single slip-up left her just one letter away from the right answer. Kalanz found herself up against a tough competitor named Hernandez, who wasted no time dominating the early rounds. Within minutes, Hernandez had solved multiple puzzles, banking $15,650 in cash and snagging an exotic trip to Italy.
The pressure mounted on Kalanz, who struggled to keep pace at first. As her opponent pulled further ahead, the odds of catching up seemed slim. But she wasn’t ready to quit. Kalanz finally caught a break in the Mystery Round. She managed to solve the puzzle at just the right moment. She locked in a major win that not only boosted her cash total but also awarded her a trip to Costa Rica valued at $10,000, according to Andy Nguyen’s blog. From that point on, Kalanz chipped away at Hernandez’s lead, gradually building her score and proving she had the skill to stage a comeback. By the end of the regular rounds, she had secured around $20,000, per Market Realist. The turnaround earned her a place in the Bonus Round, where the stakes were about to get even higher.
Standing with Ryan Seacrest at center stage, Kalanz was tasked with choosing her Bonus Round category. She went with ‘What Are You Wearing?’ before spinning the golden wheel to determine which prize envelope she would play for. As the wheel clicked to a stop, Seacrest tried to lighten the tension with a quick joke: “This is fun. It’s going to get funner. But I shouldn’t say funner.” Kalanz, who works as a math teacher, laughed and reassured him that she wouldn’t hold it against him. The light moment drew smiles from the audience and her husband, Michael, who cheered her on from the stands. Then the puzzle appeared. The standard letters R, S, T, L, N, and E were revealed, and Kalanz chose her additional four: B, G, M, and O. When the letters filled in, the board displayed: R _ _ _ N G B O O T S.
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As the 10-second timer began, Kalanz quickly rattled off guesses, determined not to leave the board blank. “Running Boots,” she shouted first, followed by “Raining Boots.” With the clock ticking down, she tried “Rising Boots” and even “Rubber Boots.” Her guesses were close, and “Rising Boots” missed the mark by only a single letter. But none matched the actual answer: “Riding Boots.” When the buzzer sounded, Seacrest consoled her: “Oh, well, you really gave it a good try.” Moments later, co-host Vanna White revealed the completed puzzle, confirming what fans already suspected: Kalanz had been just one step away from victory. If the sting of being so close wasn’t enough, Seacrest then revealed what was inside her golden envelope.
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Had she solved the puzzle correctly, she would have walked away with an extra $40,000. Instead, her total remained just above $20,000, along with the Costa Rica vacation she earned earlier in the night. Kalanz took the loss graciously, thanking Seacrest and White for the experience. But for many watching at home, the miss felt brutal. Within hours of the episode airing, clips of the Bonus Round were posted to YouTube and social media, where fans quickly flooded the comments with their thoughts. Some argued that Kalanz simply ran out of time, and that with five more seconds, she might have gotten to “Riding Boots.” Others pointed out that her guesses weren’t unreasonable, given the letters that appeared on the board.