One contestant on Wheel of Fortune came agonizingly close to a massive payout—but a simple mix-up cost her $40,000 in the Bonus Round.
Tabrina Smith, a college professor from Painesville, Ohio, had an impressive run on the March 20 episode, racking up over $23,000 in winnings. But when the final puzzle appeared, she took a wild guess, thinking it was related to fried food—and just like that, her chances of a big payday went up in smoke.
A Strong Start on the Board
Smith faced off against Eric Steinmiller, a high school principal from Chicago, Illinois, and Laura Huang, a Boston-based book lover.
She started the game on fire, solving the first Toss-Up puzzle, “Playing to Win,” to score $1,000. She followed that up with another quick solve, correctly guessing “Bottle of Cologne” to bring her total to $2,000.
But her early momentum stalled when she guessed a “T” in the first round—only to find out there were none in the puzzle. That mistake gave Steinmiller his first chance to play, but after landing on Bankrupt, it was Huang who ultimately solved “Cheddar Cheese Soup” and took the lead with $5,000.
Winning Big—Then Losing It All
Smith bounced back in the Mystery Round, solving “Photo Finish Your Vegetables” and adding another $1,000 to her total. Then, in the Prize Puzzle round, she really cashed in. She correctly guessed “Kayaking Expedition”, which earned her $2,500—and a trip to Alaska. That win pushed her total to $22,198, putting her in first place.
Heading into the Triple Toss-Up, Huang snagged two puzzles for a total of $4,000, while Steinmiller grabbed one for $2,000. Smith then solved “The Power of Love” in the final puzzle, adding $1,500 to her winnings.
With a grand total of $23,698, Smith secured her spot in the Bonus Round.
The Costly Final Mistake
For the Bonus Round category, Smith selected “Thing.”
After the usual R, S, T, L, N, and E were revealed, she chose P, M, D, and I. The board now looked like this:
_ RIE _ ER_IE
With only 10 seconds to solve, Smith made a critical error. She blurted out “a fried…” and then “a dried…”, thinking the answer had something to do with food.
Unfortunately, the correct answer was “A Brief Overview.”
That slip-up cost her $40,000, which would have brought her total winnings to more than $63,000.
Fans React to the Missed Opportunity
After the show aired, Wheel of Fortune fans flooded YouTube and social media with reactions.
“I figured this one out right away!” one viewer wrote.
“I thought the second word was ‘fried’ too,” admitted another.
“These puzzles are getting ridiculous—how vague can you get?” a frustrated fan commented.
While Smith still walked away with $23,698 and a trip to Alaska, it’s safe to say she won’t forget this costly mistake anytime soon.
