‘Wheel of Fortune’: Contestant Loses $40,000 & Trip on Super Hard Puzzle

An orange what? A Wheel of Fortune contestant was stumped on the Bonus Round puzzle, which fans deemed super hard.

Eleni Kapetanakis, from Austin, Texas, played against Russ Paoletti, from Park Ridge, Illinois, and Nikki Ashley, from New York City, New York, on Wednesday, March 19.

Kapetanakis solved the first tossup of the game, “Choose Your Own Adventure,” after Ashley, a travel blogger and spicy margarita lover, guessed “Form your the adventure.” Kapentanakis, a big foodie and certified sensory analyst,  added $1,000 to her bank.

However, Ashley redeemed herself for the second tossup worth $2,000, guessing “Fashion Photographer.”

During the Collete Trip Round, Ashley had the lead of the board, with the puzzle almost solved. It looked like “C _ _ _ I _ _ / T H I N G S
H _ _ _ / H _ _ _ _ N _.” However, she landed on “Lose a Turn.” Kapetanakis swooped in and solved “Crazier things have happened.” She won $14,998 cash, and a trip to Costa Rica.

In the Mystery Crossword round, the first word was blank while the second word read, “Bar.” Kapetanakis guessed two letters. When she guessed a wrong one, the turn moved to Paoletti. He landed on “Bankrupt,” ending his turn. The turn eventually came back to him, and he guessed “Pool” and “Protein.” He gained $1,350. Kapetanakis and Ashley earned $2,000, but Ashley also obtained a Wild Card.

Ashley solved the Prize Puzzle/Express Round, which was “Shamrocks and Clovers.” She won $1,950 and a trip to Ireland, worth $11,898, putting her in the lead.

During the Triple Toss Up Round, Kapetanakis solved two of them, earning $4,000. Ashley solved one for $2,000.

On the final puzzle, Kapetanakis made a comeback, solving “Showcasing My Skills” for for $5,100. This put her at $17,100, and moved her to the Bonus Round. Ashley was a close second with $14,148, and a trip to Ireland. Paoletti remained at $1,350.

Kapetanakis chose “Place” for the category. She brought her husband, Alexi, whom she married in 2023, with her to cheer her on. In this episode, the envelopes on the wheel contained cash and a trip.

After Wheel gave her “R,S,T,L,N, and E,” she chose, “P,C,M, and A.” Kapetanakis only got one letter and the puzzle looked like “_RAN_E  _R_ _E.”

As the timer counted down, the game show contestant didn’t say anything as she was at a loss for words.

“I wish you had another letter at the beginning,” host Ryan Seacrest said. The puzzle was revealed to be “Orange Grove.” She lost $40,000, and a trip to the Plains of Africa.

Fans chimed in and said that the first word was easy, but the second wasn’t.

“The first word was easy, but not the second,” a YouTube user wrote.

“I knew the first word was orange. But that was it. I hardly know any places with orange in its name other than The Blorange,” said another.

“Tough,” added a third.

“Failed,” said another.