‘Wheel of Fortune’: Coast Guard Veteran Loses $45,000 as Fans Yell ‘How Did You Not Get It?’

Wheel of Fortune fans yelled after a Coast Guard veteran failed to solve the Bonus Round puzzle that many thought was easy. He lost out on taking home an additional $45,000 as fans wondered how he “didn’t get” the puzzle.

Josh Post, from Magnolia, Texas, played against Aaron Graham, from Los Angeles, and Arlene Kruser, from Grove, Illinois, on Friday, November 14. Post is a Coast Guard veteran who retired in 2022 after 22 years.

Graham, an army veteran, solved the first toss-up, which was “Great Courage.” Kruser, a Marine veteran who joined on a dare from her brother, solved the second one — “Guessing Someone’s Age.”

Kruser took the lead with $9,750 after she solved “Try Restarting Your Computer.” During the “Crossword” puzzle in the category “In My Desk,” Post picked up the Wild Card before solving “Food, Mousetrap, Pens, Staples.” He had $6,400.

He also solved the next puzzle — “Taking a Speed Boat Tour” — for $3,200 and won a trip to Montenegro. This gave Post the lead with $18,573.

Graham solved two of the three Triple Toss-ups in “Absurd Bird” for $4,000. Kruser solved the third one for $2,000. “That was a fun category for whoever came up with that,” host Ryan Seacrest said. “Thank you for entertaining us.”

Graham solved the final puzzle — “You Had to Be There.” But the last few solves weren’t enough to put him in the Bonus Round. Graham took home $11,000.

Kruser had $11,750. Post was the night’s winner with $18,573 and a Wild Card. He chose “People” for the Bonus Round category. Post brought his sister, Melissa, and his niece, Alexis, to cheer him on.

After Wheel of Fortune gave the game show contestant “R,S,T,L,N, and E,” Post chose “C,D,M,A, and Y.” His puzzle then looked like “_ _C_EY  _ANS.”

As the clock counted down, Post mumbled to himself. Right before the time ended, he said, “Juicy Fans,” but was incorrect.

“Some of the best fans are juicy,” Seacrest said. However, the puzzle was revealed to be “Hockey Fans.” Post lost out on taking home an additional $45,00.

Fans thought the puzzle was super easy and yelled at Post in the comments for not solving it. “HOW DID YOU NOT GET THAT?” a YouTuber user asked.

“How in the world did he not get it? I got it the minute that the letters showed up,” said another. 

“I got it after the letter selection. This guy must’ve not been a sports person because all those letters were great choices,” a third added. 

“I had this one solved as soon as Vanna [White] got done revealing the 3 letters,” a fan commented.

“How did he not get it? I got it before the buzzer went off,” another wrote.