THESE BONUS ROUNDS BROKE EVEN THE BEST CONTESTANTS AND Wheel of Fortune FANS ARE STILL ARGUING ABOUT THEM. As 2025 unfolds, a brutal list of the 10 toughest Bonus Round puzzles has resurfaced, reminding viewers just how unforgiving the final spin can be. What looked “easy” from the couch turned into devastating silence under the lights, with fortunes slipping away in seconds. Some fans call these puzzles unfair and borderline cruel, while others insist they’re exactly what separates legends from near-misses. One thing’s undeniable: these rounds didn’t just test luck — they tested nerves, instincts, and heartbreak in real time.
We’d like to buy some help. Wheel of Fortune has delivered a $1 million win this year, but it has also delivered some really hard Bonus Round puzzles.
Every weeknight, Ryan Seacrest and Vanna White cohost the game show. Seacrest talks to the contestants and leads the game while White turns the letters. The hosts are not allowed to help the contestants with the Bonus Round puzzles, but can offer support when they lose, and cheer when they win.
Each contestant who makes it to the last round is given “R,S,T,L,N, and E” by Wheel of Fortune. They then have to pick three consonants and one vowel to round out their puzzle. If they obtain a Wild Card during the game and keep it until the Bonus Round, they are allowed to pick an extra consonant.
Here are the top 10 toughest Wheel of Fortune bonus round puzzles of 2025. This includes puzzles from Seasons 42 and 43 that aired in 2025. Let us know which one you think was the hardest in the comments.
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Newlyweds Danielle Williams and Adam Bencan from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, could not solve the puzzle in the “Person” category on January 6.
After picking “U,D,M, and K,” the puzzle was “_ U _ _ K / S T U D _.”
They thought it might be “Work study” but it was “Quick Study.” The couple lost out on taking home an additional $70,000.
Fans thought the puzzle was “unfair” because “Quick Study” isn’t a person.
“Quick study” is a person?????” wrote one X user.
“How the hell is quick study a person?” said one fan.
Another said, “A quick study is a person?? Never heard that term before today.”
Krystal Adams from Kenosha, Wisconsin, made it to the Bonus Round on February 3 and could not solve the puzzle.
She won $17,600 during the game and picked “Person” for her category. Adams couldn’t solve “Jazz Guitarist” for an additional $40,000.
Fans called the puzzle “impossible.”
“Totally impossible, at least for me, with the little help she had,” one YouTube commenter said.
“I knew Guitarist but didn’t know the first word at all. That was a tough one,” commented another.
“This was hard,” added a third.
Eboni Lovell, from Ashlans, Oregon, groaned after losing out on an additional $40,000 during the Bonus Round on April 4.
The movie buff chose “People” for her Bonus Round category after winning $$22,108 during the game.
Her puzzle looked like “_ N_CE _RO_P O_ _ _ _S.” Lovell guessed “A Nice Group of…” But couldn’t guess the final word, which was “kids.”
She groaned, but she shared she “wasn’t mad” at her total.
“I think all of us got ‘a nice group of.’ That was really hard,” a YouTuber user commented.
“That’s a harder puzzle than meets the eye. There’s many ways that phrase could go depending on what letters you get right. Even if all your selections were right, this one requires the wild card or the right placement of your selections,” another wrote.
“There was no way she was going to get that last word,” a third added.
May 7 saw Vicki Rowe, from Pflugerville, Texas, lose out on taking home $50,000.
The high school English teacher couldn’t solve the “What Are You Doing?” puzzle.
She guessed “Playing hooky,” and “Doing my best my best to win a lot of money,” but she couldn’t guess “Buzzing Around.”
“These puzzles are getting impossible,” one fan said.
“Who says buzzing around as something they are doing?” another asked.
“Another near-impossible puzzle. Who says that, ‘hmm … I’m buzzing around.’ You might get punched in the face for saying something so dumb,” a third wrote.
Celina Alvarado, from Gilbert, Arizona, won $30,350 on the July 1 episode.
She made it to the Bonus Round, where she selected “Person” for the category.
Alvarado guessed “Trivia Quiz” and “Trivia Kids.” With no letters in the last word showing, she couldn’t guess “Trivia Buff.”
“That second part wasn’t easy. I didn’t know buff either,” a fan wrote on the comments on YouTube.
“Tough,” said another.
Teryce Walters, from Bolingbrook, Illinois, couldn’t solve the “Event” Bonus Round puzzle.
On September 18, it was revealed to be “Power Outage,” which she did not guess.
The fourth-grade teacher lost out on taking home $71,560.
Fans were confused on hoe a power outage was an “event.”
“A power outage is not an event,” one fan commented on YouTube.
“How is a power outage an ‘event’? That’s more of a thing than an event?” another wondered.
“Great player, but no way to get that bonus round puzzle. I would say a power outage is more of a ‘thing’ than an ‘event’,” a third added.
Michael Soltis, from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, will forever be haunted by his Bonus Round puzzle on October 21.
He won $20,240, which solidified his place in the Bonus Round.
However, even with a Wild Card, Soltis couldn’t figure out “My Old Haunts” for a Jeep Wrangler.
Fans said they were “completely clueless” on that one.
“This puzzle was very hard. Haunts got me,” said another.
On November 25, Liz St, Claire, from Cathedral City, California, didn’t take home $74,00o during the Bonus Round.
The former mud wrestler picked “Phrase” for her category. With the additional letters of “C, P, M, and A” the puzzle looked as follows: “_ _ _C_ AS A _ _N_.”
St. Claire could not figure out “Quick as a Wink.”
Fans said that they never heard of the phrase. “That was a forced loss. I have never heard of that phrase before,” one YouTuber user said.
“Never heard that phrase in my life,” said another.
“That was a forced loss. I’ve never heard that phrase before,” a third said.
Chorsie Calbert IV, from Whitehall, Ohio, could not guess “Bouillon Cube” during the November 27 episode and missed out on taking home a Toyota.
The escape room enthusiast chose “Food & Drink” for his Bonus Round category after winning $20,800 during the show.
The puzzle only filled in four letters and looked like “_ _ _ _LL_N C_ _E.”
“I don’t know how you’re going to get this. This is a tough one,” host Ryan Seacrest said after he didn’t guess it.
Veronica Yanno, from Watsonville, California, picked “Place” for her Bonus Round puzzle.
She tried to solve “The Fairway” on December 15, 2025, but couldn’t guess the last word, losing out on $76,000.
In the comments of the video, fans said this was one of the toughest puzzles.
“That was a tough one,” one fan said.
“How do they keep picking tough puzzles for bonus round losses?!” another wondered.
“That was literally impossible with those letters,” a third said.
“Tough one indeed,” a fan wrote.