A Wheel of Fortune contestant almost had a Christmas miracle on the December 25, 2025, episode of the show, but it ended on a sad note after a brutal loss in the Bonus Round. Even host Ryan Seacrest was left distraught as the contestant failed to answer the question, losing out on the $100k prize money.
Ryan Seacrest says it broke his heart to see Wheel of Fortune participant lose $100k prize money
The Christmas episode of Wheel of Fortune came with plenty of drama as Nathaniel Bush, a poet and certified yoga teacher from Greenville, South Carolina, missed out on a huge sum of money after failing to answer the question in the bonus round.
Bush faced Staci Chastain from Visalia, California, and Debra Gorham from Royal Palm Beach, Florida. He started slow but earned a significant lead over the next rounds. By the Speed-Up Puzzle round, Bush accumulated $33,018 cash, alongside a trip to New Zealand.
Heading into the bonus round, Bush selected the “What Are You Doing?” category. As the timer began, Bush got a lot of the puzzle right, almost finishing it, but got stuck at the last six letters. He incorrectly guessed “Foottrail,” instead of Footbridge.”
Host Ryan Seacrest said, “It breaks my heart,” as the timer ran out on the contestant.
For Bush, things got only worse as Seacrest opened the prize of the bonus question and revealed that he had lost out on the $100,000 bonus prize. This marked the second time a contestant lost out on the grand prize this week. It was also the third time this season.
It was not all negative, as Bush still managed to walk away with over $33,000 and a trip to New Zealand. The trip to New Zealand also includes a guided Lord of the Rings tour, which should serve as some consolation to the contestant who played a brilliant round on Wheel of Fortune.
Originally reported by Sourav Chakraborty on ComingSoon.
