‘Wheel of Fortune’ Fans React to Contestant’s ’Tough’ $40,000 Loss

A Wheel of Fortune contestant was crushing basically every puzzle that came his way on Tuesday’s (December 23) Secret Santa Holiday Giveaway episode until a tricky Bonus Round puzzle became his undoing.

The contestant in question was Caleb Trent, a budding baker and crocheter from Winter Garden, Florida, who was up against Monica Flores, a golf obsessive from Gilroy, California, and Dana Collins, whose middle name is “Christmas,” from Aynor, South Carolina.

Trent started the episode hot, nailing both the $1K and $2K Toss-Up puzzles to give himself an early lead. And even though he landed on a Bankrupt in Round 1, Trent held onto the lead by the end of the Mystery Round with $13,000. Collins followed with $2,050, while Flores trailed with zilch.

Things only got better for Trent in the Express Round, where he solved yet another puzzle, bagging himself $2,550 and a Collette Christmas tour of London worth $8,298. He also figured out two of the three Triple Toss-Up puzzles, essentially securing the victory. Thankfully for Flores, she snatched the last two puzzles of the game, pushing her into second place with $3,500.

With an episode-winning total of $27,848, Trent moved on to the Bonus Round and selected “Place” as his category, along with the additional letters “P, C, M, and O.” This gave him a two-word puzzle that read: “M _ _ N / _ O _ L E _ _ R _.”

As the 10-second timer began, Trent quickly worked out the first word as “Main” but struggled to land on the second. He guessed “Main Cafeteria,” “Main Collector,” and “Main Corridor” before the timer ran out and the correct answer was revealed as “Main Boulevard.”

“You need a ‘B’ or something to get you on that track,” host Ryan Seacrest said as he opened the prize envelope to reveal Trent lost out on an extra $40,000.

Fans felt for Trent and took to social media to share their reactions, with one YouTube commenter writing, “That puzzle looked difficult. Hope someone wins tomorrow night.”

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“Another painful tough puzzle. Enough choosing Place,” said another.

“Caleb ended up walking down a dark alley instead of the main boulevard,” another quipped.

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One Reddit user appreciated Trent’s determination, writing, “I loved that even though the bonus round wasn’t solved, the contestant really tried guessing lots of things out loud. As a viewer, I find it more enjoyable to go through the thought process with the contestants than when they contemplate the bonus puzzle in silence.”

Another added, “I wasn’t a fan of this bonus round puzzle. Yes, you can put those two words together, but I’ve never heard or read those words together outside of tonight’s episode.”

What did you think of Tuesday’s episode? Did you solve the Bonus Round puzzle? Let us know your thoughts below.

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