‘Wheel of Fortune’ Fans React to ‘Heartbreaking’ $100K Loss
Wheel of Fortune/YouTube
Wheel of Fortune ended its 50th anniversary week on a bummer, as a contestant missed out on the game show’s $100,000 jackpot.
That player was Kiana Moreland, a University of La Verne graduate from Grand Terrance, California, who recently got a doctorate in organizational leadership
Earlier in the game airing on Friday, January 10, Kiana won thousands of dollars — and a three-country African safari — but her luck ran out during the bonus round.
The category was “What Are You Doing?” And after filling in the free letters — R, S, T, L, N, E — and Kiana’s selections — D, C, H, and A — the puzzle board looked like this: H A _ _ N _ A _ E _ L A _ _ H S.
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Kiana got “having” and “laughs” but couldn’t get the third word by the time the buzzer sounded. The answer, it turns out, was “HAVING A FEW LAUGHS.”
Showing good sportsmanship, Kiana had a few laughs — and a few winces — when host Ryan Seacrest revealed her prize would have been $100,000. Still, Kiana went home with a $19,290 prize package and a new, Wheel of Fortune-branded addition to her shot glass collection.
On YouTube, viewers empathized with Kiana.
“That was a heartbreaking loss,” one commenter said.
“Very unfortunate moment,” another wrote. “This was solvable for me. Sad. I wanted her to win that prize.”
One commenter said it was a “tough loss” but an “easy [solution] for a $100K puzzle.”
Someone else pointed out the string of losses in the 50th anniversary week, writing, “4 out of 5 bonus rounds lost; this is not the way to celebrate 50 years of America’s game!”
According to Wheel of Fortune recapper Andy Nguyen, Kiana’s misfortune marked the first $100K loss of 2025 and the sixth of the game show’s 42nd season.
Next week, however, is Holland America Cruise Week, so maybe some other player will cruise to victory…
