A contestant on “Wheel of Fortune” came remarkably close to winning a significant prize this week, but ultimately left without anything after a Bonus Round puzzle left both the player and the audience puzzled.
Tierra Woods from Rowlett, Texas, entered the May 25 episode known for her resourcefulness both on and off the show. As mentioned in her introduction, she loves to build and create a variety of items, ranging from handmade furniture to jewelry and custom party decorations.
Woods faced off against BJ Herndon from McRae, Georgia, and Josh Montiel from Northfield, Illinois, in a closely fought game that saw the momentum shift several times throughout the evening.
Herndon was the first to strike in the toss-up round, while Woods quickly made her mark by solving an early puzzle and taking an initial lead. She correctly guessed “That Makes My Blood Boil” for $5,200, then increased her total by solving “Boardwalk and Park Place,” bringing her winnings to $8,500 at that point in the game.
Montiel, who owns a well-established Italian restaurant that has been around since the mid-1980s, started to gain ground in the middle rounds. After obtaining the Wild Card, he successfully solved “Poets and Writers” and won a trip to Ireland, pushing him into the lead with $13,747.
As the game moved into the high-stakes Triple Toss-Up segment, Woods managed to solve two of the three puzzles, while Montiel extended his lead by capturing the third.
Herndon also finished strong, solving the final standard puzzle, “Teddy Bears,” and wrapping up the game with $5,000. Woods ended her game with $12,500, while Montiel maintained the lead with $15,747, earning a spot in the Bonus Round.
For the final challenge, Montiel chose the category “Phrase” and received the standard letters: R, S, T, L, N, and E. He then added M, D, B, O, and H, which revealed a partially completed board that read: “_ _ _ _ O E T _ _.”
Even though Montiel had some valuable letters on the board, he couldn’t come up with the right answer before the timer expired. Host Ryan Seacrest pointed out how tough the puzzle was, emphasizing how difficult it can be without additional consonants to guide players.
When the solution was disclosed as “Wax Poetic,” many viewers were taken aback. The Bonus Round envelope held $45,000, which meant Montiel could have left with a grand total of $60,747 if he had answered correctly.
Online reactions were immediate, with some fans questioning if the phrase was too obscure for a game show. Others confessed they had never heard the expression before, labeling it as one of the more challenging final puzzles in recent times.
However, some members of the audience mentioned that they managed to figure it out at the last second once “poetic” became apparent, although most concurred that it demanded a very particular mindset under pressure.
Ultimately, the episode sparked discussions among viewers not only about the contestant’s decisions but also about whether the final puzzle was a fair challenge for a high-stakes Bonus Round.
