Wheel of Fortune marked its 50th anniversary on Wednesday night with an intense, high-scoring episode that had fans talking. All three contestants racked up impressive five-figure winnings, but the Bonus Round proved to be a stumbling block once again, leaving the final winner without the top prize.
The game featured a spirited competition between three lively contestants: Jason Blackwell, a maintenance electrician from Spartanburg, South Carolina; Jennifer Hawkins, an avid traveler from Ypsilanti, Michigan; and Amber Holland, a new homeowner from Visalia, California.
A Competitive Start
Jennifer Hawkins took an early lead, dominating the game from the start. She solved the first two major puzzles, including the high-stakes Mystery Round, earning \$19,894 in cash and scoring a tropical getaway to Hawaii. While Hawkins soared, Jason Blackwell trailed behind with \$3,000, and Amber Holland was still looking to get on the board.
The tide turned during the Express Round when Holland made a stunning comeback. She solved the puzzle for an impressive \$17,050 and won a trip to Puerto Rico. She also snagged the valuable Wild Card, giving her a strategic advantage if she reached the Bonus Round.
Meanwhile, Blackwell struggled to keep up. Going into the Triple Toss-Up, his total remained at \$3,000, while Hawkins and Holland continued to add to their scores. The two women split all three puzzles, widening the gap and leaving Blackwell in the dust.
A Surprising Twist in the Final Round
Just when it seemed like Blackwell was out of the running, the final Speed Up round brought a dramatic twist. With each correct letter worth a game-changing \$6,000, Blackwell seized the opportunity. He quickly found four correct letters, catapulting his total and overtaking both Hawkins and Holland in a thrilling comeback.
A Dramatic Finish
In a thrilling comeback, Jason Blackwell closed out the episode with \$27,000, edging past Jennifer Hawkins, who finished with \$23,894, and Amber Holland, who ended with \$19,050.
The Bonus Round Strikes Again
With his victory sealed, Blackwell moved on to the Bonus Round, hoping to break the show’s recent streak of unsolved final puzzles. He selected the category “What Are You Doing?” and chose G, M, C, and A as his bonus letters.
Unfortunately, they didn’t offer much help. The puzzle appeared as: “G _ _ _ _ N G / _ _ _,” and Blackwell quickly realized he was stuck.
“Getting… here?” he guessed, then quipped, “Not getting this prize.”
Host Ryan Seacrest, settling into his new role, laughed and replied, “Yeah, I don’t know how you’re gonna get there,” as the timer ran out. Vanna White then revealed the correct answer: “Goofing Off.”
Adding to the Heartbreak
To make the miss even more painful, Blackwell’s prize envelope revealed he had lost out on a staggering \$70,000 payout.
Fans React to the Tough Puzzle
The tricky Bonus Round quickly sparked a flurry of reactions online.
“Nearly impossible under that pressure,” one viewer commented on YouTube.
“Very tricky puzzle. He picked a tough category,” another added.
Still, fans widely praised all three contestants for putting on a memorable show. “WHOA — you couldn’t get a better 50th anniversary episode than this, sans the BR loss,” one fan wrote on a popular recap site.
Another chimed in, “Spectacular \$10K+ match by all three contestants today!”
Even with the Bonus Round disappointment, the episode delivered fierce competition, impressive scores, and plenty of drama — a fitting tribute to 50 years of Wheel of Fortune.
