A Painful Puzzle Fail on Wheel of Fortune
Tuesday night’s episode of Wheel of Fortune delivered a moment of pure agony. Contestant Nikol Gamble fumbled what seemed like an easy win — creating one of the most unforgettable blunders in recent game show history.
Meet the Contestants
Gamble, an escape room owner from Houston, competed against Dustin Whittern, a skilled black diamond skier from Oklahoma City, and Rachael Traywick, a devoted Wheel fan from Kapaa, Hawaii.
Everything Was Going Smoothly—Until the Mystery Round
Things looked promising for Gamble early on. But then came the Mystery Round.
With the category set as “Song Lyrics,” contestants worked through a massive 12-word puzzle. Together, they uncovered nearly every letter.
By the time Gamble got her turn, the board displayed:
SEE / THE / LINE / WHERE / THE / S _ Y / MEETS / THE / SEA / IT / CALLS / ME.
All she needed to do was guess one final letter.
The Shocking Guess
Despite host Ryan Seacrest reminding her there were no vowels left, Gamble confidently chose “O.”
She declared:
“See the line where the soy meets the sea, it calls me.”
The audience gasped.
The buzzer buzzed.
And just like that, she realized her mistake.
Wheel of Fortune puzzle with one missing letter, Photo Credit: wheeloffortune/Instagram
Traywick Steals the Win
Traywick immediately solved the puzzle:
“See the line where the sky meets the sea, it calls me” — a lyric from Disney’s Moana song How Far I’ll Go.
Viewers React — and Cringe
Fans watching at home couldn’t believe their eyes.
One Instagram user wrote:
“This is quite literally my worst nightmare
”
Another said:
“Omgeeee!!!! Painful to watch!!!!!
”
On X (formerly Twitter), the roasting continued.
One viewer posted:
“May be the worst Wheel of Fortune arrangement of ALL time. My 3-year-old niece can’t even read, and even she knew the answer.”
Another joked:
“I would immediately leave the stage. Thank you for the opportunity, but I don’t want any money anymore. I’ll go cry in bed.”
Gamble Takes It Like a Champ
Despite the humiliation, some fans admired Gamble’s good humor.
“Love it! I have a feeling she’s laughing at herself!” one person commented.
Even host Vanna White chimed in, noting it was the longest 12-word puzzle in Wheel history.
A Costly Slip
Unfortunately, Gamble couldn’t recover. She finished the game with zero dollars.
Meanwhile, Whittern surged ahead, winning the Bonus Round and walking away with $68,880 in cash.
A Night to Remember — or Forget
It was a game show moment viewers won’t soon forget.
But for Gamble, it’s likely a memory she’d prefer to leave behind.
