Wheel of Fortune Contestant Loses $88,000 But Gets Another Chance

Returning champion Karen Stevenson sighs after failing to solve the Bonus Round puzzle.

Apr. 8, 2026 at 3:12pm

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A Wheel of Fortune contestant named Karen Stevenson lost out on $88,000 after failing to solve the Bonus Round puzzle, but the show is giving her another chance to compete on the next episode.

Why it matters

Wheel of Fortune is one of the most popular and long-running game shows on television, and moments like this where a contestant narrowly misses out on a huge cash prize generate a lot of discussion and reaction from viewers.

The details

Stevenson, a returning champion from Joliet, Illinois, was leading the game and had accumulated over $33,000 in winnings. In the Bonus Round, she was given the standard letters R, S, T, L, N, and E, and chose the letters M, P, D, and A. However, she was unable to solve the puzzle 'A Human Dynamo', sighing in disappointment when the $55,000 prize was revealed. Despite the loss, Wheel of Fortune is allowing Stevenson to return the next day to compete again.

  • On April 6, contestant Raul Lopez won $18,109 on Wheel of Fortune.
  • On April 7, Stevenson, Lopez, and Ben Johnson competed on the show.
  • Stevenson solved the final puzzle to win $33,934 and advance to the Bonus Round.
  • In the Bonus Round, Stevenson failed to solve the puzzle and missed out on $88,000.
  • Stevenson will be returning the next day to compete again.

The players

Karen Stevenson

A contestant from Joliet, Illinois who won $33,934 on Wheel of Fortune and advanced to the Bonus Round, where she narrowly missed out on an $88,000 prize.

Raul Lopez

A returning champion from College Station, Texas who won $18,109 on a previous episode of Wheel of Fortune.

Ben Johnson

A contestant from Colorado Springs, Colorado who competed against Stevenson and Lopez on the April 7 episode of Wheel of Fortune.

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What they’re saying

“Shocked she didn't get the Bonus puzzle. That was not hard.”

— Reddit user

“The bonus round was easy.”

— Reddit user

“I was screaming at my TV for 10 seconds. Trying to tell her to get off woman!!!”

— Reddit user

What’s next

Stevenson will be returning to Wheel of Fortune the next day to compete again after narrowly missing out on the $88,000 Bonus Round prize.

The takeaway

This Wheel of Fortune episode highlights the high stakes and dramatic moments that can occur on the long-running game show, where contestants can win or lose life-changing sums of money in an instant. Stevenson's disappointment at missing out on the big prize, but being given another chance to compete, captured the attention of many viewers.