Bride-to-be wins honeymoon but misses out on dream wedding after fumbling Wheel of Fortune’s Bonus Round
‘Wheel of Fortune’ once saw a contestant who won big but faced issues in the final round of the reality game show. A bride-to-be, Auriel Heath, from Rochester, New York, was seen playing opposite Marcus Ogawa, from Boise, Idaho, and Linda Guerrero, from La Habra, California. The game in question was seen on the March 10, 2025 episode, where Heath had a tough time during the initial puzzles. Ogawa was the one to solve both of the initial toss-ups. However, Heath soon successfully solved the first puzzle, “I’ve Got News For You,” that helped her earn $1,000.
Ogawa was still in the lead, winning $3,000, and Guerrero was facing issues getting on board. In the second puzzle, Heath won a Wild Card when she guessed “D” in the ‘Before & After’ category. However, the contestant still could not solve the puzzle -“Pretty in Pink Cadillac.” The move then went to Guerrero, a lead with $12,000, as per TV Insider. Guerrero had also won a rail tour in the northwest part of the U.S. Towards the third puzzle, Heath was still struggling in the last place. Things for the New York resident changed when she guessed the prize puzzle- “Sipping Champagne.” This correct guess won her a trip to Scandinavia, also taking her grand total to $12,299. Which was only $200 behind Guerrero.
Heath then also guessed the last toss-up of the game, which was “Wedding Dress Train.” The puzzle made host Ryan Seacrest tell ‘Wheel of Fortune’ viewers, “She just told me that she’s getting married, and she’s taking that trip as her honeymoon.” Heath gained $4,000 by guessing two toss-ups, after which she also guessed the final puzzle, winning $6,000 more. Eventually, her total earnings were $22,299 and a trip, becoming the night's winner. Meanwhile, Guerrero had earned $14,499 and a trip, settling in second place, and Ogawa ended with $3,000.
View this post on Instagram
In the Bonus Round, Heath invited her sister, Nika, on stage. This was when Seacrest mentioned that Nika told him that Heath’s finances were going on the trip and not hers. In the final round, Heath chose to go ahead with the ‘Food & Drink’ category. This was when the Wheel gave her “R, S, T, L, N, and E.” However, with the Wild Card, Heath chose to go ahead with “C, D, M, A, and F.” Eventually, with the letters being revealed, her puzzle looked like “_ _ M_ _ _ N RA_ _ _ L_.” With only 10 seconds on the timer, Heath managed to guess the second word was was, “Ravioli.” However, it was tough for her to come up with the first word. The whole puzzle was “Pumpkin ravioli,” which Heath could not solve, losing another $40,000.
View this post on Instagram
This was one of the initial episodes where Seacrest was seen as the host, after picking up the mantle of former host Pat Sajak. As per Today, Seacrest mentioned, still can’t believe my luck being here with you tonight to continue this legacy of this incredible show with all of you, and of course, my good friend Vanna White,” as his opening remarks on his first ever episode of ‘Wheel of Fortune.’ The reality game show is currently airing reruns and will soon be back with Season 43.
