‘Wheel of Fortune’ Contestant Loses $45,000 After Revealing Sweet Show Connection

A Wheel of Fortune contestant may have lost big money, but she left the show with several sweet memories.

Alyssa Burnett from Vashon, Washington, solved the first toss-up on the game show’s Wednesday, October 7, episode. While chatting with the contestants, host Ryan Seacrest noted that appearing on Wheel of Fortune has been Burnett’s “dream” since she was young.

Burnett went on to share her heartwarming connection to the series. “My elementary school principal was actually on the show, and she won,” she revealed. “And I said, I was like, ‘I’m gonna be on Wheel of Fortune just like Ms. Gavula.’ And here I am.”

Burnett noted that she “reconnected” with her former teacher before traveling to California to film the show. “I called her and told her, and she was so excited. And she just said, ‘Have fun.’ So, that’s what I’m planning to do,” she said.

Burnett competed against Omar Moore from Rockwall, Texas, and Tony Arena from Stoneham, Massachusetts, the latter of whom won the second toss-up. “Show Biz” was the category for the episode’s First Round, and Burnett ended the round with $4,000 after correctly guessing the clue: “Starting Out in the Mailroom.”

Burnett, unfortunately, went bankrupt during the Mystery Round, while Arena guessed the clue again. Burnett’s luck turned around during the Prize Puzzle Round, as she scored a trip to Ireland worth $7,007, bringing her total winnings to $13,557.

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“I mean, I’m just throwing it out there, but Ms. Gavula is probably gonna expect a phone call for a trip to someplace after this,” Seacrest joked, to which Burnett replied, “Or I’m gonna expect a phone call from her.”

Moore got on the board by correctly guessing a clue during the Triple Toss-Up round, but Burnett guessed two of the round’s three puzzles. She got the final spin of the night and won the main game.

Before the Bonus Round, Burnett gave a special shout-out to her family members in attendance. “It was [my niece] Myla’s first time on a plane yesterday,” she gushed. “She came here from the Midwest. And she’s never seen the ocean, so we’re gonna go to the ocean after this.”

Seacrest shared in Myla’s excitement, telling the young fan, “The ocean’s only, like, 15 minutes away, so we’ll get this show done, and you can go to the beach.”

Burnett chose “Food & Drink” for her Bonus Round category but couldn’t figure out the puzzle’s answer: “A Zesty Dish.” Seacrest opened the envelope to reveal she lost out on taking home an extra $45,000.

Burnett still ended the episode on a good note, having earned $21,357 worth of winnings. The episode ended with Seacrest inviting Burnett’s niece and father over to wave goodbye to viewers. “She’s going to the beach now!” he gleefully exclaimed.

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