Viewers of “Wheel of Fortune” were left shaking their heads Monday night after a tense Bonus Round cost a contestant a brand-new Jeep — and even made him blank on the breed of his own dog under pressure.
The episode featured three players: Michael Soltis of Pittsburgh, Eimi Smith of Austin, and LaShauan Swift of Chicago. Soltis, who has spent more than two decades working as a union carpenter, got off to a slow start as Smith seized control early. The Texas soccer fan swept both toss-ups and then added more to her total by nailing the first full puzzle, “Accidentally on Purpose,” pushing her score to $9,050. She stretched her lead to $10,350 by also grabbing the phrase “Sleeping Bag of Tricks.”
Momentum shifted in the Prize Puzzle round. Soltis picked up a Wild Card and correctly gave the song title “Can You Feel the Love Tonight?” earning himself a trip to Africa and bumping his total to $14,690 — suddenly putting him ahead. He later locked in two of the three triple toss-ups, while Swift — a retired Chicago Fire Department paramedic — finally entered the board by solving one of them.
The night continued to go Soltis’s way. He cracked the final puzzle, “The Wild Wild West,” despite having only three letters filled in. “You got that one quickly,” host Ryan Seacrest commented as the round ended. Soltis finished the regular game with $20,240 in winnings. Smith walked away with $10,350, and Swift left with $2,000 and the satisfaction of fulfilling a bucket-list appearance.
Then came the nerve-wracking Bonus Round. Before the letters were revealed, Seacrest made small talk and asked Soltis about the dog he hikes with. Soltis stumbled, saying, “He just turned three — half-weiner, half-beagle,” before correcting himself and awkwardly repeating the mix. Seacrest teased him, replying, “Have you met him?” Soltis laughed it off and called the dog his “best friend,” but the nerves were obvious.
The category was “Places.” After the standard “R, S, T, L, N and E” were added, Soltis used his Wild Card to pick five more: K, C, Y, D and O. The board showed: _Y OLD _ _ _NTS.
With the clock running, Soltis fired off a few guesses — “My Old Plants,” “My Old Points,” “My Old Chonts.” None landed. When the buzzer sounded, Seacrest revealed the right phrase: “My Old Haunts.” Had he solved it, Soltis would have driven away in a Jeep Wrangler.
Viewers quickly chimed in online, saying the clue was anything but obvious. One fan wrote, “That one was brutal — haunts never came to mind.” Another added, “I had no idea. Tough puzzle.” A third simply said, “Never heard that phrase before.”
Were you able to see “My Old Haunts” before the clock hit zero?
Sources: TV Insider
