
“Wheel of Fortune” viewers were left stunned Monday night after a dramatic Bonus Round cost contestant Michael Soltis a brand-new Jeep — and even made him momentarily forget the breed of his own dog. The episode featured three players: Soltis of Pittsburgh, Eimi Smith of Austin, and LaShauan Swift of Chicago. Smith dominated early, sweeping both toss-ups and solving “Accidentally on Purpose” and “Sleeping Bag of Tricks,” pushing her total to $10,350 while Soltis struggled to get on the board.
The momentum shifted during the Prize Puzzle round. Soltis picked up a Wild Card and solved “Can You Feel the Love Tonight?” earning a trip to Africa and suddenly taking the lead with $14,690. He went on to solve two of the three Triple Toss-Ups, while Swift, a retired paramedic, claimed one. Soltis then closed out the main game by solving “The Wild Wild West” with just a few letters showing, finishing with $20,240. Smith ended with $10,350, and Swift with $2,000 — plus a dream appearance fulfilled.
Then came the high-pressure Bonus Round. As host Ryan Seacrest chatted with Soltis beforehand, nerves kicked in. Asked about his hiking buddy, Soltis stumbled over the breed, calling him “half-weiner, half-beagle,” prompting Seacrest to playfully tease, “Have you met him?” The tension only grew when the category “Places” revealed the board: _Y OLD _ _ _NTS.
Soltis added K, C, Y, D, and O using his Wild Card, but guesses like “My Old Plants” and “My Old Points” missed the mark. When time ran out, the answer — “My Old Haunts” — cost him the Jeep Wrangler. Fans quickly weighed in online, calling the puzzle “brutal” and “nearly impossible.”
Did you spot “My Old Haunts” before the buzzer?