Wheel of Fortune YouTube

A Wheel of Fortune contestant was just one word away from walking away with a massive cash prize on Thursday’s (February 6) game but just couldn’t make it work.

The contestant in question was Christopher Young, a recently retired 24-year Army veteran who served at West Point and in Iraq and Afghanistan from Chino, California. He also told host Ryan Seacrest that he’s a former pro powerlifter who lifted 905 lb. squats, 550 lb. bench presses, and 705 lb. deadlifts. These days, he works as a Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps instructor at a high school.

Young came out of the gates swinging, showing off his loud and fun-loving personality while nailing the opening $2,000 Tossup and the Round 1 “Travel Tips” puzzle for an early lead with $5,900. He continued to add to his winnings in the Express Round, winning a trip to Ireland and increasing his total to $24,298.

While he was shut out of the Triple Tossup round, Young finished strong by landing the final Speedup puzzle, giving himself an episode-winning total of $27,398 cash.

Heading into the Bonus Round, Young introduced his wife Megan, who came along to support him. Seacrest then sassed the contestant, sarcastically asking Megan, “Is he always this quiet?”

After selecting the “What Are Young Doing?” category, Young quickly picked his additional letters, showing he’d come prepared. “You planned that out,” Seacrest quipped.

This left him with a five-word puzzle that read: “R _ D _ N _ / M _ / _ _ _ E / T _ / _ _ R _.”

As the ten-second timer started, Young quickly figured out the first four words as “Riding My Bike To…,” but he struggled to come up with the fifth and final word. He first guessed “Yards” and then “Cars.”

After his time ran out, Vanna White revealed the correct answer as, “Riding My Bike To Work.”

“Ahh, see, I work too far away. I would never do that,” Young said, taking his loss in good spirits.

Seacrest then opened the prize envelope to reveal Young missed out on an extra $40,000.

“OUCH THAT HURTS!!!!” wrote one YouTube commenter.

“I’m surprised he got bike, but not work. He still did well though,” said another.

“Can’t believe he couldn’t end up figuring it out. My work is many miles away as well, but it still popped into my head,” another added.

The official Wheel YouTube account also commented, writing, “He was on the right track! So close, but he did great!!”

“Regardless of the show’s outcome, nobody can deny that Christopher is an absolute character. Very likeable!” added another fan.

What did you think of Thursday’s episode? Did you figure out the Bonus Round puzzle? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.