Wheel of Fortune contestant Nick Daye was feeling lucky when he landed on an Express Wedge on Wednesday’s (December 6) episode, giving him a unique opportunity to win big money.
Daye, from San Jose, California, was ecstatic to be on his favorite game show. At the top of the episode, he told host Pat Sajak that he’s a lifelong Wheel fan, and when he was 5 years old he saved up every penny to buy a Wheel VHS game for his parents.
Things were going well for Daye as he battled it out with married mother of two, Beth Livingston, and married father of three, Chester Hawkins. But when he landed on the Express Wedge, the episode took an unfortunate turn for the San Jose native.
“Now listen, Nick, I have work to do as the host; I have to explain this thing,” Sajak said. “If you do the express thing, you keep calling consonants, you get $1000 for each one, and you can buy vowels. If you miss any letter, it’s a bankrupt. Are you gonna do this?”
“Let’s do it,” Daye replied, ready to make the most of the opportunity.
Things started on the right track as Daye tackled a three-word puzzle under the “What Are You Doing” category. He picked the letter “L,” followed by “T,” “H,” “W,” and “S,” while also buying the vowels “I” and “E’, all of which showed up on the puzzle board.
Wheel of Fortune/ABC
With only four letters left to be revealed and a potential $8,650 in his prize pot, the pressure was on. Sadly, Daye called out an “M,” which wasn’t on the board.
“Oh no!” Daye said as he watched his total plummet to zero while also having to give up his Wildcard Wedge.
Wheel of Fortune/ABC
To make matters worse, Livingston solved the puzzle (“Decorating The Whole House”), which won her a vacation. Livingston continued to run away with the game, making it all the way to the Bonus Round, where she figured out the final puzzle (“Just Humor Me”) and added an extra $40,000 to her winnings, bringing her total to $57,000.
Still, at least Daye got to appear on his all-time favorite game show.
Wheel of Fortune, Weekdays, check your local listings