‘Wheel Of Fortune’ Contestant Misses $100,000 Prize

On the February 7 episode of Wheel of Fortune, contestant Nekeia Borders had a rollercoaster experience, coming close to winning the grand prize of $100,000, but ultimately missing out on the huge prize due to an incredibly difficult Bonus Round puzzle. Borders, a US Navy veteran and retail store supervisor from Dallas, Texas walked away with $34,000 in cash and a new favorite band, Guns N’ Roses.

Nekiea Off To A Rough Start

The game started with Borders struggling to catch up to her opponents. She solved the first puzzle for $2,000 but found herself trailing behind by the time the Express Round ended. Her opponents, Patrick Thomassie from Chicago and Abby Gerlemann from Missouri were far ahead in winnings, with Thomassie at $15,298 and Gerlemann at $21,350.By the end of the round, it seemed unlikely that Borders could catch up with just one round remaining.

However, luck seemed to shift for Borders in the Speed-Up round. Thomassie made a big spin, which increased the value of each consonant to $6,000. Borders took advantage of this and managed to solve the “Song Lyrics” puzzle, correctly answering “Welcome to the Jungle,” the popular song by Guns N’ Roses. This brought her total winnings up to $34,000, securing a dramatic comeback victory.

Guns N’ Roses Victory

When Ryan Seacrest, the host of the show, commented on her success, he joked, “well, with that last solve, I think you’ve got a new favorite band.” Borders responded with a smile, saying, “Yeah, absolutely, Guns N’ Roses, you know it.” She seemed thrilled by her victory, but little did she know, her next challenge would be much harder.

For the Bonus Round, Borders has a Wild Card wedge, which meant she could choose five extra letters to help solve the puzzle. The puzzle category was “Phrase,” and the letters she picked were “D, M, P, I, and C.” This left her with a tough four-word puzzle that looked like this: “L _ _ _ / _ _ C _ / _ I T – / _ _ N D N E S S.”

Unfortunately, Borders couldn’t figure out the puzzle, which was “LOOKING BACK WITH FONDNESS.”The final reveal showed that she had missed out on the grand prize of $100,000, as well as a trip to India. Nekeia was disappointed but took it in stride, pretending to throw a tantrum and saying, “It’s okay.” Many fans sympathized with Borders, calling the Bonus Round puzzle “impossible.” One fan commented “Killer puzzle. No way anyone is solving that.”

Though she missed the $100,000, Nekeia Borders’ impressive performance on Wheel of Fortune earned her plenty of praise from fans and left her with a new favorite band. How would you have done the puzzle? Would missing out on $100,000 upset you even though you won $34,000? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.