‘Wheel of Fortune’ Fans React to ‘Heartbreaking’ $100K Loss

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.

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.

“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…