‘Wheel of Fortune’ Contestant Lost $74,000 In Bonus Round After Giving Up Wild Card
A bad mistake! A Wheel of Fortune contestant lost out on taking home $74,000 after he gave up his Wild Card earlier in the game.
Steven Meeks, from Sacramento, California, played against Gabrielle Gonzalez, from Cape Coral, Florida, and Kenlyn Evelyn, from Colorado Springs, Colorado, on February 19. Meeks is a travel and adventure lover who has done bungee jumping in Costa Rica and rappelled off a mountain in Switzerland.
Gonzalez, who has known her husband since she was 6 years old, solved the first toss-up. Meeks solved the second.
Meeks gained the Wild Card in round one, where he solved “Start a Lengthy Discussion.” He also picked up the Wheel of Fun wedge, worth $4,500, giving him $12,900.
Meeks gave up his Wild Card during the next round to get a free letter, but the “L” wasn’t in the puzzle. He solved “Gymnastics & Bath Mat” for $19,250.
Gonzalez solved the prize puzzle — “A Breath of Fresh Air” — and won a trip to Alaska. This gave her a total of $14,400.
Gonzalez solved two of the three Triple Toss-ups while Meeks solved the third one. Meeks put even more money in his bank when he solved the final puzzle — “Don’t Do Me Like That” — for a total of $29,750.
Gonzalez left with $18,400. Evelyn, a married 22-year Army veteran, did not have any money, so Wheel of Fortune gave him $1,000 to take home.
Meeks brought three friends with him to the Bonus Round. He chose “Phrase” for his category.
After being given “R, S, T, L, N, and E,” Meeks chose “H, F, D, and O” to round out his puzzle. It then looked like “TOO _ _ _H H_ _E.”
He used his Wild Card early, but needed it for the Bonus Round. The puzzle was “Too Much Hype,” but Meeks guessed “Too Much Hope,” “Too Much Hire,” and “Too Much Happy.”
The game show contestant lost out on taking home $74,000 after $45,000 was in his envelope. Meeks groaned, but wasn’t mad about his total.
Wheel of Fortune, weekdays, check local listings, stream next day on Hulu and Peacock
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