‘Wheel of Fortune’ contestant with odd job turns show into a dating game—but Ryan Seacrest was all for it
Every episode of ‘Wheel of Fortune’ offers something that intrigues both the hosts as well as viewers. Throughout the years, the reality game show has hosted many contestants with fun backstories. Such was the case with Nikki Lopez, who stepped on the sets of ‘Wheel of Fortune’ to also find love besides winning big. Lopez from Melbourne, Florida, played against Julie Allen, from Spokane, Washington, and Thomas Young, from Detroit, Michigan. The contestants were seen competing against each other on the April 15, 2024 episode. While Lopez did not have much luck when it came to winning that night, she surely impressed Ryan Seacrest and a couple of audience members on ‘Wheel of Fortune.’
During the episode, Lopez shared that she was unlucky in love and that she was “single as a pringle.” The contestant was eager to share her relationship status with those ones watching ‘Wheel of Fortune’ back home. In response, the host, Seacrest, who stepped into the shoes of Pat Sajak after his departure from the long-running game show, asked, “Single as a what?... A pringle? Don’t they come in a big pack all together?”
The contestant shared that she plans to work on her love life and also turn it into a career. Lopez explained that she was an aquascaper, an interior designer for fish tanks. “Wow. This is the first Finterior designer I have ever met,” Seacrest quipped. “That sounds like a really cool job. Good luck with that.” As per Aquascaping Love, it is about “artistically and creatively arranging natural elements-like aquatic plants, stones, driftwood, and substrates-within an aquarium.” The field has its roots in the Netherlands, where it began in the 1930s.
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In the end, as Seacrest walked up to Lopez to shake her hand, the host looked at the audience, pointed toward her and stated, “Single as a pringle. WheelofFortune.com to make a match.” Lopez later shared clips of the same on her Instagram Story, captioning it, "So let’s petition to get me on a dating show,” tagging reality dating shows such as 'Love Island', 'Love is Blind', as well as 'The Bachelor'.
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Another story on her social media was of her mother, who wrote, “Your daddy is smiling down on you!! He has always been proud of you! The experience was worth way more than a million dollars. He is celebrating your amazing accomplishments and taking care of you from heaven. You will always be his princess forever and ever.” Unfortunately, Lopez could not win the game show that night, with Allen becoming the winner. Lopez had earned only $1,000, while the winner took home $17,000 and a new Ford Bronco after she solved the Bonus Round with lightning speed, as per TV Insider. When not designing the fish tanks, Lopez works for DOE Media, a marketing agency. She also has a dog named Morgan.