‘Wheel of Fortune’ Contestant Misses Out on Jeep After Brutal Bonus Round Puzzle

Michael Soltis looked to be in control by the time he reached the Wheel of Fortune Bonus Round. After a strong comeback and $20,240 in winnings, the Pittsburgh carpenter had a Wild Card and a chance to leave the show with a Jeep Wrangler.

Instead, a notoriously difficult puzzle left him — and many viewers at home — completely stumped.

Soltis Takes Control

The October 20 episode featured Soltis, Eimi Smith of Austin, Texas, and LaShauan Swift of Chicago, Illinois.

Smith dominated the opening rounds, solving both toss-ups before landing the first full puzzle, “Accidentally on Purpose,” for $9,050. She later added another $1,300 by solving “Sleeping Bag of Tricks,” bringing her total to $10,350.

Soltis, a union carpenter from Pittsburgh who had worked in the trade for 25 years, began turning things around during the Prize Puzzle round.

He picked up a Wild Card and correctly solved “Can You Feel the Love Tonight?”, winning a trip to Africa and taking his total to $14,690.

He continued building momentum by solving two of the three Triple Toss-Ups, while Swift, a retired Chicago Fire Department paramedic, got on the board with one of them.

Soltis then sealed his spot in the Bonus Round by solving “The Wild Wild West” with only three letters revealed.

“You got that one quickly,” host Ryan Seacrest remarked.

Soltis finished the main game with $20,240, ahead of Smith’s $10,350. Swift left with $2,000 and the satisfaction of completing a bucket-list appearance.

A Nervous Bonus Round

Before the Bonus Round began, Seacrest asked Soltis about the dog he takes hiking.

The question seemed simple enough, but Soltis suddenly stumbled over his words, explaining that his three-year-old dog was half Dachshund and half Beagle before correcting himself.

Seacrest jokingly asked, “Have you met him?”

Soltis laughed and called the dog his “BFF,” while Seacrest pointed out that he was clearly nervous.

That tension only grew when the Bonus Round started.

Soltis chose “Places” and received the standard letters R, S, T, L, N and E. Using his Wild Card, he selected K, C, Y, D and O.

The board revealed:

_Y OLD _ _ _NTS

With the clock ticking, Soltis tried several possibilities, including “My Old Plants” and “My Old Points,” but none was correct.

When time ran out, Seacrest revealed the answer: “My Old Haunts.”

The missed puzzle cost Soltis a Jeep Wrangler.

Viewers Were Stumped Too

The reaction online suggested Soltis wasn’t alone in struggling with the puzzle.

Several Wheel of Fortune viewers described “My Old Haunts” as particularly difficult, with some admitting that “haunts” never came to mind. Others said they had never heard the phrase before.

The moment left Soltis with a memorable appearance — $20,240 in winnings and a Jeep Wrangler that slipped away in the final seconds.

Could you have solved “My Old Haunts” before the clock hit zero?